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Definition of Tone
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical, and so on. For instance... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical... read full definition
Part 2, Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis:
The tone of the novel takes on the character traits of its narrator, Jean Louise: strong, fierce, and stubborn but also contemplative and even indecisive. She is especially uncertain about the idea of moving back home and marrying Henry, which she wavers on throughout the novel. At the end of Part 2, Chapter 5, she reflects on this during their swim date:
With her head on his shoulder, Jean Louise was content. It might work after all, she thought. But I am not domestic. I don't even know how to run a cook. What do ladies say to each other when they go visiting? I'd have to wear a hat. I'd drop the babies and kill 'em.
She grows more embittered over the course of the novel, especially as she comes to grasp the level of racism in Maycomb. In Part 5, Chapter 13, her thoughts interrupt a diatribe from Aunt Alexandra:
My Sainted Aunt is talking like Mr. Grady O'Hanlon, who left his job to devote his full time to the preservation of segregation.
"—you have to fetch and tote for them until you wonder who's waiting on who. It's just not worth the trouble these days—where are you going?"
Unwilling to hear her aunt's excuses, Jean Louise walks away mid-conversation. Eventually, though, she is forced to make some concessions through her hard conversations with Atticus and Uncle Jack. The hotheaded tone cools down as she tries to answer the complicated questions of why people--herself included--are so stuck in their beliefs.
Related Themes:
Part 5, Chapter 13
Explanation and Analysis:
The tone of the novel takes on the character traits of its narrator, Jean Louise: strong, fierce, and stubborn but also contemplative and even indecisive. She is especially uncertain about the idea of moving back home and marrying Henry, which she wavers on throughout the novel. At the end of Part 2, Chapter 5, she reflects on this during their swim date:
With her head on his shoulder, Jean Louise was content. It might work after all, she thought. But I am not domestic. I don't even know how to run a cook. What do ladies say to each other when they go visiting? I'd have to wear a hat. I'd drop the babies and kill 'em.
She grows more embittered over the course of the novel, especially as she comes to grasp the level of racism in Maycomb. In Part 5, Chapter 13, her thoughts interrupt a diatribe from Aunt Alexandra:
My Sainted Aunt is talking like Mr. Grady O'Hanlon, who left his job to devote his full time to the preservation of segregation.
"—you have to fetch and tote for them until you wonder who's waiting on who. It's just not worth the trouble these days—where are you going?"
Unwilling to hear her aunt's excuses, Jean Louise walks away mid-conversation. Eventually, though, she is forced to make some concessions through her hard conversations with Atticus and Uncle Jack. The hotheaded tone cools down as she tries to answer the complicated questions of why people--herself included--are so stuck in their beliefs.
Related Themes:
