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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:
The mood of Station Eleven is highly dependent on what’s being described. When Mandel is taxonomizing the many things the Georgia Flu has destroyed, the mood is mournful and poetic, but there are also moments where a reader feels intense tension and fear. Early in the novel, the rapid spread of the pandemic creates an atmosphere of slowly growing anxiety and unease; at first there’s confusion, and then there’s widespread horror and panic. The virus moves too quickly for anyone to stop it, and the novel shifts its focus to the helpless tension and tragedy of civilization collapsing in real time. Scenes of empty cities, highways clogged with abandoned cars, and newscasters bidding sad farewells to their families on the air heighten the reader’s sense of dread.
In the middle sections of the book the mood generally turns to one of shock and mourning as the world dies around Kirsten and her companions. This is broken up by the more conventional tragedies of Arthur’s failing marriages in the flashback chapters that focus on him. The novel forces the reader to consider how memory shapes identity by making the remembered beauty of each character’s past life the driving force of their survival in the present. The Traveling Symphony bravely tries to remind everyone that “survival is not enough” with its performances of Shakespeare and its classical music. Although the communities they perform for love their work, seeing their shows makes them feel painful longing alongside any reassurance and comfort. The Symphony’s art is both a demonstration that not everything is lost, and a reminder of how much is gone. These moments make the reader feel the weight of time passing, as well as the emotional toll of remembering the world that so quickly ceased to exist.
By the later sections, the parts of the novel set in the present shift toward a quiet, uncertain hope. Kirsten’s discovery of the electrified town suggests that rebuilding is already happening, even if it is slow and fragile. By this point in the book the reader becomes self-conscious about the tenuousness of their own civilization. In a post-COVID world, this novel makes them recognize how easily our modern life of planes, cars, and the internet could disappear and how difficult it would be to restore.
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