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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
Chapter 25
Explanation and Analysis:
The novel's overall mood is tense, contemplative, and tragic. A pervasive mood of tension permeates the novella; from the very beginning, the narrator hints at the impending conflict that takes place between Billy Budd and John Claggart. Because Billy Budd is an allegory for Jesus Christ's fall and redemption, it is also tragic in mood. Billy's fate is depicted as unjust, and his death at the end of the novel represents a loss of innocence.
The below passage from Chapter 25, when the chaplain embraces Billy Budd, exemplifies the novel's intense mood:
In his emotion not without first performing an act strange enough in an Englishman, and under the circumstances yet more so in any regular priest. Stooping over, he kissed on the fair cheek his fellow man, a felon in martial law, one whom though on the confines of death he felt he could never.
Related Themes:
