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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 1: The Last to See Them Alive
Explanation and Analysis:
Befitting its status as a nonfiction novel in the “true crime” genre, the tone of In Cold Blood is both journalistic and empathetic. Though Capote reports the basic facts of the case with the neutral and detached tone of a journalist, his tone is far more emotional when examining the lives of those affected by the Clutter murders. When the murders are first announced, for example, Capote depicts the grief and fear of Holcomb locals in a tone that mixes objectivity with sympathy:
THE GRIM INFORMATION, ANNOUNCED from church pulpits, distributed over telephone wires, publicized by Garden City’s radio station, KIUL (“A tragedy, unbelievable and shocking beyond words, struck four members of the Herb Clutter family late Saturday night or early today. Death, brutal and without apparent motive …”), produced in the average recipient a reaction nearer that of Mother Truitt than that of Mrs. Clare: amazement, shading into dismay; a shallow horror sensation that cold springs of personal fear swiftly deepened.
Here, Capote first reports on the dissemination of the news of the Clutters’ deaths throughout Holcomb in a matter-of-fact tone, noting that “the grim information” was “announced from church pulpits, distributed over telephone wires,” and “publicized by Garden city’s radio station.” At first, he simply quotes from these other sources without providing much commentary. Though the KIUL radio station uses highly emotional language in its announcement, describing the murders as “A tragedy, unbelievable and shocking beyond words,” Capote at first merely reports these reactions by others.
When he begins to examine the effects of the deaths on the people of Holcomb, however, his tone is much more empathetic. The Holcomb residents, accustomed to safety and inclined to place trust in their neighbors, feel “a shallow horror sensation that cold springs of personal fear swiftly deepened.” The dismay felt by the people of Holcomb, Capote suggests, turns into fear as they begin to contemplate the possibility that there is a mass murderer among them. Throughout the novel, Capote balances the objective tone of a journalist with the more emotional tone of a novelist.
