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Metaphors
Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Mood
Explanation and Analysis:
While If Beale Street Could Talk is a short book, it contains a variety of moods in its multiple storylines. On the one hand, the love story between Tish and Fonny is as tender as anything that James Baldwin ever wrote in his long career. Their story, told in a series of flashbacks, has a mood of earnest, gushy romance, as Tish falls in deep, devoted love to Fonny. Baldwin's only love story, Beale Street depicts Black love with a sentimental mood not often seen in African American literature. An important part of the mood in this regard is Tish's family's acceptance of her pregnancy and relationship with Fonny. In the novel, Tish does not expect this acceptance from her family to come so easily. As such, this acceptance creates a mood of peace and safety amid a world of injustice.
On the other hand, Fonny's wrongful conviction and imprisonment, Mrs. Rogers's false accusations and unwillingness to recant them, and the ensuing difficulty of securing a trial for Fonny's freedom together create a mood familiar in African American literature: righteous disdain and anger at the structures of power that unjustly malign underprivileged people. In sum the mood of the novel contrasts between the more touching and emotional stories of love and family connection and the terrible and shameful reality of anti-Black racism in the United States.
Related Themes:
