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Style
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
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis:
The tone of the novel is often unsettling and eerie. Throughout the novel, Jackson incorporates elements from gothic literature, including a foreboding old mansion and an unsolved family tragedy. Her primary focus here, however, is on human psychology rather than supernatural threats. Merricat’s narration is notable for its omissions—she pointedly avoids discussion of the unsolved murder of her parents, aunt, and younger brother, for example—as well as for her frank descriptions of violence, both real and imagined. In one notably unsettling scene, she lies on the grass with the family cat, Jonas, and then proceeds to kill a “nest of baby snakes”:
I found a nest of baby snakes near the creek and killed them all; I dislike snakes and Constance had never asked me not to. I was on my way back to the house when I found a very bad omen, one of the worst. My book nailed to a tree in the pine woods had fallen down. I decided that the nail had rusted away and the book—it was a little notebook of our father’s, where he used to record the names of people who owed him money, and people who ought, he thought, to do favors for him—was useless now as protection.
