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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
Tone
Explanation and Analysis:
The tone of “Raymond’s Run” shifts, over the course of the story, from haughty and angry to gentle and caring, mirroring Squeaky’s growth from a hostile and defensive kid to a kind and respectful one. The following passage captures the aggressive tone at the beginning of the story, as Squeaky reflects on the “ridiculous” nature of Gretchen thinking she could beat Squeaky in the May Day race:
So as far as everyone’s concerned, I’m the fastest and that goes for Gretchen, too, who has put out the tale that she is going to win the first-place medal this year. Ridiculous. In the second place, she’s got short legs. In the third place, she’s got freckles. In the first place, no one can beat me and that’s all there is to it.
Squeaky’s haughty and hostile tone comes across in the way she mocks Gretchen for “put[ting] out the tale that she is going to win" and makes fun of her for having freckles and “short legs.” The way that Squeaky asserts that she’s “the fastest” and “no one can beat [her] and that’s all there is to it” also contributes to this arrogant tone.
Compare this passage about Squeaky’s feelings toward Gretchen to the following one, which comes after the two girls have run the race and Squeaky has realized she wants to dedicate her time to coaching her cognitively impaired brother Raymond instead of running herself:
“In second place—Miss Gretchen P. Lewis.” And I look over at Gretchen wondering what the “P” stands for. And I smile. Cause she’s good, no doubt about it. Maybe she’d like to help me coach Raymond; she obviously is serious about running, as any fool can see. And she nods to congratulate me and then she smiles. And I smile. We stand there with this big smile of respect between us.
The tone in this passage is much gentler and kinder, as seen in the way that Squeaky thinks to herself that Gretchen is “good, no doubt about it” and “is serious about running, as any fool can see.” She also repeatedly notes how she smiles at Gretchen and how Gretchen smiles back, leading to “this big smile of respect between us.” This significant tonal shift helps readers to understand that Squeaky is recognizing Gretchen as a full person here at the end of the story, letting go of their rivalry and embracing female solidarity.
Related Themes:
