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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
Tone
Explanation and Analysis:
The narrative tone in The Tattooist of Auschwitz, which is mostly conveyed in the third person, maintains a brisk, controlled quality through all of the novel’s many horrific events. There’s a constant sense of the storytelling being carefully managed. It's as though the narrator is afraid to let too much emotion show. It’s only toward the end of the novel that the tone shifts to accommodate moments of tenderness and eventually even hope.
During the long period in which Lale and Gita live in the concentration camp Auschwitz, the third-person narrator’s tone remains journalistic and flat. The narrative presents shocking and brutal events one after another, with very little indication that the narrator is emotionally affected by them. This factual, almost detached manner of narration makes the atrocities happening all around Lale feel even more stark. Morris’s lack of embellishment allows the crimes against humanity to speak for themselves.
However, later in the novel, when the story focuses on Lale’s interactions with Gita, the narrator’s tone does warm slightly. These scenes contain a little more warmth and excitement than the tone of surrounding chapters. However, this shift is subtle. The narrator’s tone does not soften completely, even in the most tender moments of the novel’s love story. Morris is constantly reminding the reader of the grim, ever-present reality of the death camp in which Lale and Gita’s love is blossoming. Their happiness is always tempered by the unimaginably harsh context of the story. It isn’t until the very end of the novel—when Lale and Gita reunite—that the tone becomes noticeably more hopeful. This change makes the readers’ sense of relief that the lovers have found each other feel even more intense than it would otherwise.
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