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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
Tone
Explanation and Analysis:
Throughout Tar Baby, Morrison utilizes a sharp tone to provide the narrative with critical social commentary on race and class. Morrison's anonymous narrator speaks from an omniscient third-person perspective, never interjecting an external subjective voice into the narrative itself.
However, the narrator often enters into characters' internal states, revealing how the characters themselves approach conversations with each other. Thus, Morrison provides Tar Baby with sharp social commentary, developed predominantly through the characters themselves. During long scenes of dialogue without much background narration, readers can see for themselves how figures like Valerian and Margaret—or Son and Jadine—experience their own racialized society.
Additionally, Morrison blends her commentarial tone with a lyrical and poetic prose, grounding the novel with its themes of storytelling and multigenerational history. It is difficult to define the tone of Tar Baby with just a single word, because Morrison tackles an array of complex political and historical subjects with nuance. As the novel's characters grow and change, so does the tone of the novel. For example, during moments of tension, such as Son's life-risking escape into the sea, Morrison's tone is poetic and intense. Or, during moments when the narrator provides background context for the Caribbean setting, Morrison's tone is inquisitive and sensitive. Overall, Morrison's range of authorial tones complements the vast span of space and time covered throughout Tar Baby.
