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Style
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
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis:
The tone of the novel is remarkably ambivalent. In the same passage, the novel can be both contemptuous and sympathetic toward its characters. One example occurs in Chapter 3, when Hal's father dons a ridiculous disguise hoping that it will help him connect with his son:
‘Dad...I can’t just sit here watching you think I’m mute while your fake nose points at the floor. And are you hearing me talking, Dad? It speaks. It accepts soda and defines implore and converses with you.’
‘Praying for just one conversation, amateur or no, that does not end in terror? That does not end like all the others: you staring, me swallowing?’
‘…’
‘Son?’
‘…’
‘Son?’
James Incandenza is an absurd caricature of a concerned parent in this passage. He is so desperate to have a real conversation with 10-year-old Hal that he abandons all authenticity and hides behind a fake nose that is now melting off his face. Hal tries for honesty, but James is so worried that Hal will shut down that he doesn't engage with anything Hal is actually saying to him. Ultimately, James's anxiety causes Hal to fall silent, exactly what James was afraid of. It is no wonder that Hal reacts like this; his father seems to be on an entirely different plane of reality, incapable of the kind of communication he so desperately wants. The novel invites the reader to laugh at James's extreme behavior.
Even as the novel skewers James, it also seems sympathetic to the plight of a father and son who can never quite understand each other. James is trying so hard because he cares so much and because he never had a good relationship with his own father. Through his elite education and marriage to Avril, he has been led to believe that parenting is far more complicated than it needs to be. Hal, meanwhile, comes across as a child who tries to do everything his father wants but can never quite please him. Later in the novel, Hal sometimes comes across as a burnout who doesn't appreciate his privilege. Scenes like this one call on the reader to remember his humanity. Even the most unlikable and ridiculous characters in the novel all have some deeply human reason why they are the way they are.
Related Themes:
