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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 5: The Devil’s Disciples
Explanation and Analysis:
The tone of the book is predominantly gloomy, reminiscent of old film noir movies where a grizzled detective is up against corruption that will almost always prevail. Grann often sets the tone with environmental imagery, such as in this example from Chapter 5:
As smoke from the oil fields melted into the sky, Hale conferred with Pike. Then Pike slipped away to pursue his investigation.
Hale has hired Pike as a private detective, supposedly because he wants to help Mollie and her family. The oily smoke "melting" into the sky suggests that it is overcast when Pike arrives on the scene. The oil that has made the Osage rich is now casting a funeral pall over them, blotting out the light. Their future looks as grim as the day. And although Grann has not yet revealed that Hale is responsible for many of the murders, the dark imagery makes for a hopeless and ominous tone.
The tone stays grim but also grows more mournful and reflective over the course of the book. Grann eventually steps into the role of the detective himself, but by the time he does so, there is less romanticism in the way he invokes the archetype. Rather than a detective against a corrupt world, he paints himself as a detective anxiously trying to do right by the people most affected by the murders. The tone is almost wistful at times: Grann wishes he could do more. By the end of the book, he tries to shift the focus to the experience of the surviving Osage. At this point, the tone grows less determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Instead, it grows frustrated, sad, and determined instead to not let people forget the murders.
Related Themes:
