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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:
McCourt’s tone in Angela’s Ashes closely follows the narrator’s growth, shifting from an optimistic and fairy-tale-like voice to a more cynical and realistic one as he becomes a teenager. The first-person narrator changes as Frank matures and gains perspective on the world around him and his position in it.
When the story begins, Frank’s tone is simple and cheerful. Because the narrator is telling the story from the perspective of a small boy, he’s unaware of the severity of his family’s poverty and his father’s issues with alcoholism. He’s willing to accept simple solutions to complex, unsolvable problems and to believe his father’s promises. This early innocence keeps the tone lighter, despite the hardships that the McCourts are already fighting against.
As Frank grows older, his perspective becomes more mature and self-aware; this has a direct impact on the narration. He begins to see the impact of his father’s compulsion to drink and the lack of support for poor families like his own in both Ireland and the United States. The tone becomes mournful and sometimes resentful, as Frank starts to question the failures of the systems and people around him. There are moments when the tone feels very grim indeed, as Frank describes his father’s neglect, the violence of his teachers and priests, and the cruel and unfeeling people who run the meager social services his family relies on. There’s no dignified safety net for families with incapacitated breadwinners. Because of this, as the memoir progresses, the narrator’s tone becomes gradually more critical of Frank’s father, Malachy Sr. Frank gradually loses the admiration he felt for his father as a younger child, as he sees how Malachy Sr.’s weaknesses endanger the whole family.
The memoir also begins to introduce irony to the narrator’s voice in its later chapters, adding humor even in painful situations. Frank’s observations about his family and surroundings reveal his growing ability to see the absurdity in tragedy; whether it’s his starving mother smoking Woodbine cigarettes “for the comfort that’s in it” or himself vomiting up his First Communion holy wafer in his grandmother’s yard. The irony intensifies as Frank becomes a teenager, his narrative voice balancing the increasingly bleak details of his fight to survive with cringe-worthy moments of teenage sexual exploration and awkwardness. The tone at the end of the novel is hopeful, however, as Frank sets sail for America and what he believes will be a better life under the partial light of the previous night's lunar eclipse.
Related Themes:
