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Metaphors
Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Mood
Explanation and Analysis:
Beloved develops a mysterious and ominous mood through the lack of context for the haunting of 124, Sethe’s past, and the secretive Beloved. For example, early in the novel, the audience learns that Beloved's throat was slit, but only fragmentary details are given until halfway through. The slow unraveling of Sethe's horrifying trauma from her enslaved past and the unsettling hauntings create a sharp tension that thrills the reader.
The novel's fixation on memory also creates a reflective mood. Both characters and the reader are encouraged to reflect on the ethical and emotional dilemma of Sethe's choice between killing her children or subjecting them to life under slavery. Furthermore, the repetition of the ambiguous line "This is not a story to pass on" in the epilogue invites the reader’s further reflection on their thoughts about the relationship between remembering, healing, and storytelling.
Underlying the former more dramatic moods, the novel is profoundly mournful. The novel treats the tragedies it depicts with a somberness that emphasizes the depictions of violence and cruelty under slavery as rooted in reality. In its dedication ("Sixty Million and more"), Beloved is explicit in its intention to memorialize the lives, death, and suffering of enslaved people.
Related Themes:
