Previous
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 1: The Old Pyncheon Family
Explanation and Analysis:
The tone of the book is mystical without veering into full-on mysticism. At times, the combination of skepticism and superstition makes it gossipy. For example, in Chapter 1 Hawthorne describes what may have happened after Colonel Pyncheon was discovered dead in his chair:
There is a tradition, only worth alluding to as lending a tinge of superstitious awe to a scene perhaps gloomy enough without it, that a voice spoke loudly among the guests, the tones of which were like those of old Matthew Maule, the executed wizard—“God hath given him blood to drink!”
Hawthorne seems to find it difficult to believe that someone actually repeated Matthew Maule's dying words at the scene of Colonel Pyncheon's death. After all, Hawthorne does not believe in witchcraft or that Maule truly could have acted from beyond the grave to cause Colonel Pyncheon and subsequent Pyncheons to die. Still, the idea that Maule might have something to do with this death makes for a good story. Hawthorne decides to tell readers the most dramatic and fantastical version of the story while downplaying his own belief in it. It is "tradition," or folklore, that someone repeated Maule's words, Hawthorne writes. It is "only worth alluding" to this version of the story because it adds to the "gloomy" atmosphere. Hawthorne is always careful to tell readers that he is embellishing the fantastical elements of the story, but he embellishes nonetheless.
Hawthorne uses irony to at once showcase and downplay the extent to which he sees himself as a puppetmaster, manipulating the reader and the story to unsettle the reader's emotions. For instance, he ends the backstory in Chapter 1 with the statement that:
And now—in a very humble way, as will be seen—we proceed to open our narrative.
Hawthorne suggests that "we" are opening the narrative, meaning he and the reader are working together to open it. Perhaps the reader is opening the book, but Hawthorne's suggestion that he and the reader are both in control of the narrative only serves to emphasize that Hawthorne is the one in charge. He claims to be "humble," but he is humble only in the way he undercuts the most fantastical parts of the narrative with his own disbelief. Like a neighborhood gossip, he is stirring up trouble and raising questions about the characters in the book without signing onto any conclusions himself.
Related Themes:
