11. Tone

Several tones I have selected for the novel so far include cyncial, nostalgic, and negatively humorous. The novel is cynical in that there has yet to be a high point for the main character, Jake. He cannot have Brett, he has been injured by the war, he picks up prostitutes for something to pass the time, and he spends much of his free time drinking. Along with Jake, each character has been effected negatively by the war (including Hemingway), yet as the reader we are not completely sure of how or to what affect this has on them because the characters are very protective of their feelings. All the reader knows is that the lives of the characters are very routine and aimless. The tone is also nostalgic in that it is written in the past tense and is focused in the first person point of view through Jake. Lastly, the tone is humorous because of the affect of intoxication on each character, especially Mike, and because it is a way of not directly expressing feelings, like Bill. Overall, the tone(s) reflect the aimlessness of these people's lives and there failure in finding a purpose (atleast for now) in the post war world.