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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:
Black Boy contains, especially in Part I, scenes of intense suffering and abuse. As such, the memoir's mood is generally pitiful and appalling, as the reader struggles to reckon with Richard's horrible upbringing. The most affecting scenes are the seemingly random episodes of violence in the novel. On many occasions, Richard says or does something that makes someone with power over him—either a family member or a White person—somehow believe that Richard has been rude or insubordinate, and Richard is, again and again, beaten senseless. These random acts of violence create a mood of disgust and anger in the reader in reaction to Richard's suffering. But they also create tension, fear, and confusion, as the reader is concerned, as is Richard, when the switch will come down again.
Richard is also a pitiful character because he is emotionally stunted. Especially in Part I, Richard is truly loved by, essentially, no one. His family thinks he is overly dedicated to "the devil's work" and beats him regularly. Richard does not have any consistent friends and, because he believes himself to be irreparably different from everyone around him, he struggles to comprehend social situations and goes through the story doubtful and fearful of everyone. This creates a mood of terribly sad pity for the boy, who not only is the subject of racist abuse and violence, but has to go through it alone.
One of the passages most crucial to this mood is Richard's visit to the Moss house near the end of Part I. Immediately the family likes Richard and wants to take him in. Part of this welcomeness is, to be sure, that Mrs. Moss is trying to marry off her daughter. But Richard, in any case, is made shameful and uncomfortable by the idea of a mother trying to feed him and a family trying to give him a home. This reticence toward any kind of affection, caused by his violent upbringing, evokes a mood of total pity, the saddest moment in a sad memoir.
In Part II, the mood is generally more contemplative. In the relatively safer north and with a more mature mindset, Richard goes through less extreme personal perils and his considerations instead turn to his thoughts as a writer and to his political ideas. In these later chapters Richard feels a growing passion for literature. With a more mature worldview, he becomes more self-assured and is able to show skepticism toward the Communist Party. As such the mood in Part II becomes more earnest and hopeful, as Richard learns to trust himself and finds that his suffering has made him a man.
Related Themes:
