The Glass Castle
by Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle: 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 Glass Castle’s tone is balanced and matter-of-fact. For the most part, Jeannette Walls recounts the events of her childhood and adolescence, even those that are difficult, in a straightforward manner that resists easy judgements. She is careful to present the thrilling, awe-inspiring elements of her upbringing (like hunting imaginary demons in the desert with her father), as well as the terrifying ones (like fending off actual sexual predators while her dad’s out drinking). In this way, Jeannette grapples with her parents’ flaws even as she celebrates their admirable qualities.