Raymond’s Run
by Toni Cade Bambara

Raymond’s Run: Tone 1 key example

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 “Raymond’s Run” shifts, over the course of the story, from haughty and angry to gentle and caring, mirroring Squeaky’s growth from a hostile and defensive kid to a kind and respectful one. The following passage captures the aggressive tone at the beginning of the story, as Squeaky reflects on the “ridiculous” nature of Gretchen thinking she could beat Squeaky in the May Day race:

So as far as everyone’s concerned, I’m the fastest and that goes for Gretchen, too, who has put out the tale that she is going to win the first-place medal this year. Ridiculous. In the second place, she’s got short legs. In the third place, she’s got freckles. In the first place, no one can beat me and that’s all there is to it.