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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:
In the first half of the story, the tone is conversational and light. Focalized from various characters' points of view, the third-person narration imitates the way real people in early twentieth-century England might have gossiped with each other. Kipling signals this by starting the story with "Everyone in the village knew." This beginning indicates that the expositional passages pick up on the voice of the collective village. Although this voice is gossiping about Helen, it is nevertheless on her side. Eventually, as the narrator goes into the details of Helen's thoughts on her late brother and her supposed nephew, the narration is focalized through her perspective. The cheerful, chatty tone continues until the narrator describes the events of Michael's abrupt death.
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