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Irony
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:
An atmosphere of unease clings to Furlong’s story, which amasses a collection of small details and memories to insinuate the trauma at the Magdalene laundries. Small Things Like These renders the mundane in such a way that it acquires tragic qualities, and it strikes a brooding and melancholy mood from its very outset: November comes with “blades of cold” that “cut the knees off those who still knelt to say the rosary.” Episodes from Furlong’s past—such as his childhood disappointment during Christmas—only add to this sense of sadness. His recollections of an unknown father and childhood humiliation get configured with details like cherry blossoms or snow to create a fog-like, oppressive sadness.
Elsewhere, Small Things Like These wobbles between a plodding sense of dreariness and disquieting anticipation. At moments, Furlong grapples with the twinge of regret and dissatisfaction. “Always it was the same, Furlong thought; always they carried mechanically on without pause, to the next job at hand.” Though safe with a loving family, he feels trapped by the rhythms of his work and domestic life. “Nothing ever did happen again; to each was given days and chances which wouldn’t come back around.” But the everyday’s forgettable monotony gets displaced by more unsettling moments. Crows descend upon New Ross, rumors of abuse swirl around St. Margaret's, and black cats creep around the convent. At the convent, the girls have roughly cut hairstyles and “ugly stye[s]” in their eyes. The novella never directly depicts abuse, but its contours are implied. Beyond Furlong’s coal deliveries and tea with Mother Superior, Small Things Like These stops at the threshold of the convent doors—it does not depict the precise atrocities that the convent’s inhabitants endure. But it sets the suggestions of this trauma against the mundane, making its mysterious force feel all the more terrible.
Related Themes:
