Evaluating the mood of a story is somewhat subjective. One can, however, look closely at specific language to analyze the way it might influence readers' emotions. The first sentence of the story is "The grandmother didn't want to go to Florida." This sets up a slightly negative mood at the start, as it indicates that one major plot element is making a character unhappy. The first paragraph continues with a description of family conflict, creating additional tension and intensifying a sense of discomfort or something not being right.
The narration uses a cool, objective viewpoint with simple language and limited ornamentation. The third-person narrator and stark language contribute to the dark mood of the story. Although there are many comic elements and situations in the story, the dark nature of the plot and the atmosphere of family conflict make the humor unsettling for the reader.
The mood at the beginning of the story is comic. It seems to be simply a funny account of a family going on a car trip. If you were to listen to a recording of the story made when Flannery O'Connor read it aloud to an audience in the 1950s who had never heard it before, all you can hear from the audience at this point is bursts of laughter. It is easy to miss the notes of foreboding and foreshadowing; the grandmother twice repeats news reports about the Misfit and his gang being on the loose.
After the family encounters the Misfit on a deserted road, the mood of the story becomes frightening, somber, and surreal as the grandmother realizes that the Misfit's gang is murdering her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. The Grandmother becomes increasing desperate and disoriented as she understands that the Misfit is about to kill her.
No comments:
Post a Comment