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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 tone of “A Jury of Her Peers” is frustrated and restrained. The story is centered on a woman (Mrs. Hale) who, in the presence of the male characters, must act more passive and less intelligent than she really is and, in the presence of the one other female character (Mrs. Peters), still feels she must control her impulses, for fear that Mrs. Peters will ally herself with the men.
Mrs. Hale’s frustration—and the restrained tone of the story—comes across in moments like the following, when the narrator grants a look into Mrs. Hale’s mind:
She stopped. It was as if her mind tripped on something. Her eye was caught by a dish towel in the middle of the kitchen table. Slowly she moved toward the table. One half of it was wiped clean, the other half messy. Her eyes made a slow, almost unwilling turn to the bucket of sugar and the half empty bag beside it. Things begun—and not finished.
After a moment she stepped back, and said, in that manner of releasing herself: "Wonder how they're finding things upstairs?"
Related Themes:
