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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:
The tone of A Farewell to Arms is outwardly cynical, particularly toward World War I, much like Ernest Hemingway’s own attitude toward the war. The characters, particularly Henry and Rinaldi, spend more time in the novel trying to distract themselves from the war through alcohol and women than they do considering the purpose of the war itself. Those that Hemingway portrays as "real" men tend to be more skeptical, simply surviving wartime instead of directly fighting in the conflict.
The novel never convinces the reader that World War I is a justifiable endeavor or that the Italian officials truly believe in or even understand what they are fighting for. Even many of the characters, through their outright opinions on the war or their willingness to help Henry escape, demonstrate the novel's cynicism toward World War I.
Furthermore, the abrupt way in which many characters perish before Henry’s eyes without much emotional reception highlights Henry's lack of fervor toward the war. Henry recognizes the pointlessness of the deaths and the incompetence of the soldiers, yet he never stops to grieve for his comrades, even in the calm moments. He focuses solely on Catherine in those moments, pushing any war-related topic far from his mind. Especially since Catherine eventually ends up dying in childbirth, the overall tone of the novel is cynical, detached, and ultimately tragic and hopeless.
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