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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 57
Explanation and Analysis:
Life of Pi primarily maintains a humorous tone, even as it shifts from a more lighthearted coming-of-age story in Part 1 to the devastation of Part 2. Throughout both parts, it’s clear that Pi’s storytelling objective remains the same, as he speaks conversationally with the author (and, to some degree, to the reader) for maximum entertainment value and connection. Even when describing his most painful memories, such as the initial sinking of the ship, Pi employs tongue-in-cheek wordplay, such as saying they sank “midway to Midway.” Pi even turns the terrifying experience of being stuck on a boat with a tiger into a circus act in this passage about his early training with Richard Parker in Chapter 57:
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, hurry to your seats! Hurry, hurry. You don’t want to be late. Sit down, open your eyes, open your hearts and prepare to be amazed. Here it is, for your enjoyment and instruction, for your gratification and edification, the show you’ve been waiting for all your life, THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH! Are you ready for the miracle of it? Yes? Well then: they are amazingly adaptable. You’ve seen them in freezing, snow-covered temperate forests. You’ve seen them in dense, tropical monsoon jungles. You’ve seen them in sparse, semi-arid scrublands. You’ve seen them in brackish mangrove swamps. Truly, they would fit anywhere. But you’ve never seen them where you are about to see them now! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, without further ado, it is my pleasure and honour to present to you: THE PI PATEL, INDO-CANADIAN, TRANSPACIFIC, FLOATING CIRCUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE!
However, Martel does not let the humorous tone of his novel take away from moments of Pi’s emotional distress or spiritual revelations, adopting an elevated or somber tone as needed—but only sparingly. The expectation of a lighter tone makes these moments all the more impactful.
Furthermore, when Pi is forced to discuss matters that he finds more personal, such as his intense grief about his family, he adopts a cold, frank tone. This can be seen in Chapter 99 when Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba demand Pi to tell the story without animals:
“Sounds like no more than a passing squall.”
“It sank the ship.”
“That’s what we’re wondering.”
“My whole family died.”
“We’re sorry about that.”
“Not as much as I am.”
“So what happened, Mr. Patel? We’re puzzled. Everything was normal and then . . . ?”
“Then normal sank.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. You should be telling me. You’re the experts. Apply your science.”
Related Themes:
Chapter 99
Explanation and Analysis:
Life of Pi primarily maintains a humorous tone, even as it shifts from a more lighthearted coming-of-age story in Part 1 to the devastation of Part 2. Throughout both parts, it’s clear that Pi’s storytelling objective remains the same, as he speaks conversationally with the author (and, to some degree, to the reader) for maximum entertainment value and connection. Even when describing his most painful memories, such as the initial sinking of the ship, Pi employs tongue-in-cheek wordplay, such as saying they sank “midway to Midway.” Pi even turns the terrifying experience of being stuck on a boat with a tiger into a circus act in this passage about his early training with Richard Parker in Chapter 57:
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, hurry to your seats! Hurry, hurry. You don’t want to be late. Sit down, open your eyes, open your hearts and prepare to be amazed. Here it is, for your enjoyment and instruction, for your gratification and edification, the show you’ve been waiting for all your life, THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH! Are you ready for the miracle of it? Yes? Well then: they are amazingly adaptable. You’ve seen them in freezing, snow-covered temperate forests. You’ve seen them in dense, tropical monsoon jungles. You’ve seen them in sparse, semi-arid scrublands. You’ve seen them in brackish mangrove swamps. Truly, they would fit anywhere. But you’ve never seen them where you are about to see them now! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, without further ado, it is my pleasure and honour to present to you: THE PI PATEL, INDO-CANADIAN, TRANSPACIFIC, FLOATING CIRCUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE!
However, Martel does not let the humorous tone of his novel take away from moments of Pi’s emotional distress or spiritual revelations, adopting an elevated or somber tone as needed—but only sparingly. The expectation of a lighter tone makes these moments all the more impactful.
Furthermore, when Pi is forced to discuss matters that he finds more personal, such as his intense grief about his family, he adopts a cold, frank tone. This can be seen in Chapter 99 when Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba demand Pi to tell the story without animals:
“Sounds like no more than a passing squall.”
“It sank the ship.”
“That’s what we’re wondering.”
“My whole family died.”
“We’re sorry about that.”
“Not as much as I am.”
“So what happened, Mr. Patel? We’re puzzled. Everything was normal and then . . . ?”
“Then normal sank.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. You should be telling me. You’re the experts. Apply your science.”
Related Themes:
