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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 12
Explanation and Analysis—Ambivalent:
The novel's tone is coy and ambivalent about imperialism, modernity, and industrialization. One example of this ambivalence occurs in Chapter 12, when Fogg wonders whether it is possible that human sacrifice can still be practiced in India, even after English colonization:
“Is it possible,” resumed Phileas Fogg, his voice betraying not the least emotion, “that these barbarous customs still exist in India, and that the English have been unable to put a stop to them?”
This moment in the book has several layers of complexity that contribute to the ambivalent tone. The narration never comes out and says exactly where the novel stands on colonization. On the surface, Fogg's question suggests that human sacrifice and many other Indian traditions are outdated, and that colonization should have made India better. Fogg seems surprised that colonization has not eradicated human sacrifice, which begins to suggest that colonization might not do as much good as some Europeans at this time would like to think. Then again, the narration also gives this line to Fogg and has him deliver it "betraying not the least emotion." The novel criticizes Fogg for not being emotional enough, so there is the sense that Fogg's question is not necessarily the question that narration is asking. Fogg is trying to deconstruct the logic behind the continued existence of human sacrifice in India. If he were allow himself to be emotional, the passage gives the sense the he might instead be outraged that human sacrifice has ever existed.
On the other hand, the narration leaves room to criticize Fogg's naivete about colonization and imperialism. He, like many Europeans at the time, has a reductive, detached, and emotionless view of what is happening in European colonies. Europeans are ill-positioned to understand cultural customs in colonial territories. Fogg brings a Western lens to this and every other situation he encounters. The novel also brings a Western perspective, as do European readers. Fogg, most of his companions, Verne, and the imagined reader are all ill-equipped to judge what is actually happening to Aouda. The characters ultimately "rescue" Aouda, and the novel celebrates their heroism in recognizing that she deserves not to be sacrificed. They conclude that this particular custom is regressive and that India needs to move into the modern, imperial world by rejecting human sacrifice. But there remains a sense that Indian culture is alive, well, and poorly understood by Fogg and other Europeans. Throughout the novel, the tone remains playful but inconclusive about whether the "modern" world is any better than the "traditional" world.
Related Themes:
