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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
Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis:
Light in August has a predominantly heavy, fatalistic tone. There are extreme examples of violence, racism, and misogyny throughout. Faulkner does not hold back in depicting his characters at their worst, and the novel seems skeptical that people or communities can ever change for the better. For example, in Chapter 8, Christmas waits for Bobbie and lets his excitement turn to anxiety, anger, and misogyny:
He took out the dead watch again and looked at it. The watch was dead because he had had no chance to wind it. He had been made late by them who had given him no opportunity to wind the watch and so know if he were late or not. Up the dark lane, in the now invisible house, the woman now lay asleep, since she had done all she could to make him late.
The experience of waiting for a date is a rare bit of youthful normalcy in Christmas's life. However, even as a teenager, he has developed such a negative internal monologue that he can only think about how angry he is at the McEacherns. He is especially angry at Mrs. McEachern, even though her husband is his primary tormentor. This passage demonstrates that even when given the opportunity to steer his life in a direction he would prefer, Christmas can't help but dwell on everything he wants to escape. In a way, he is giving both of the McEacherns more power over him than they need to have. This is the start of a pattern that will follow Christmas for his entire life. Eventually, his obsessive hatred gives Joanna power over him. Were he more indifferent, he may not have killed her and destroyed both of their lives.
Over and over, the novel depicts characters who are unable to disengage from their obsessions. They all add up to a society that can't break free of harmful patterns. For all that the outlook of the novel is bleak, there is nonetheless the sense that Faulkner has affection for the community the novel depicts. The final chapter is a lighthearted scene in which a furniture dealer gossips to his wife about Byron and Lena. The novel is full of pain and suffering, but there is still a sense in the end that this community will take care of itself through time-honored traditions like gossip.
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