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Irony
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:
The mood of “Spunk” moves from lighthearted to unsettling over the course of the story. “Spunk” opens with a group of men gossiping over drinks at the general store, having a good time discussing the love triangle between Joe, Spunk, and Lena. Even though Joe is clearly distressed when he shows up at the store, the mood remains lighthearted, as the men assume that he is too nervous to earnestly seek revenge on Spunk.
After the men learn that Spunk has killed Joe, the mood of the story becomes much more tense. The men hope that Spunk will be brought to justice for what he has done, but his trial goes in his favor, and he is back to acting like the all-powerful man of their community.
The mood becomes even more unsettling in a later scene when the men discuss how Spunk faced off with a bobcat that he believed to contain Joe’s spirit, as seen in the following passage:
“The thing got Spunk so nervoused up he couldn’t shoot. But Spunk says twan’t no bob-cat nohow. He says it was Joe done sneaked back from Hell!”
“Humph!” sniffed Walter, “he oughter be nervous after what he done. Ah reckon Joe come back to dare him to marry Lena, or to come out an’ fight. Ah bet he’ll be back time and again, too.”
The formerly jovial men are much more serious here. Elijah makes the eerie proclamation that Spunk “says it was Joe done sneaked back from Hell!” and Walter responds with the unnerving prediction that “he’ll be back time and again, too.” When Spunk dies—claiming that a deceased Joe somehow pushed him into the circle-saw at the saw-mill—the story moves even more into mysterious, uncanny territory. The mood at the end of the story remains unresolved as the community grapples with this strange series of events.
Related Themes:
