The Tone and Content of the Narration
The content of the narration drifts from one place to another abruptly, which gives the reader the impression of the narrator's mind being full of fragmented thoughts. Her thoughts come in bits, and often these bits have no correlation with the thoughts that come before and after them. For example, the narration starts by talking about how the narrator puts in a great effort just to get dressed. Just after she mentions this, she suddenly talks about how it is fortunate that Mary is so good with the baby. These two thoughts are completely unrelated. This shows that the narrator's mental state is that of confusion.
The content itself of this excerpt reveals that the narrator is mentally disturbed and on the verge of psychosis. The narrator herself expresses these sentiments several times in her secret journal. She states that she cannot be with [John], it makes [her] so nervous. She also refers to the wallpaper as the horrid paper, and that it has a 'vicious influence' on her, although the wallpaper itself could not possibly have done her any offense. She tells of her being nervous whenever she is with the baby as well. The narrator, therefore, shows that the narrator is in a state of constant nervousness.
The tone of the narration in this excerpt reveals the narratorålls mental state as well. The tone employed in this narrative is passive and the sentences are short and abrupt. The narrator has repeatedly stated throughout the story that she dislikes the wallpaper and most of the things about her room. However, after her husband, John, tells her that the room is doing her good and she is recovering day by day, she gives in to his opinions and states that å he is right enough about the beds and windows and thingså, and that she will cease to be so silly as to make [John] uncomfortable just for a while by no longer pressing for changing her room. Her passive tone of easily giving in to her husbandås beliefs shows that she is accepting whatever her husband is telling her submissively.
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Also, there is one part in the excerpt that tells of the narrator being taken into Johnams arms and being called a blessed little gooseâ, which further enhances the image of her weak mental state. In addition, the narrator talks about how John has told her that she should not give her mind to ålla manner of excited fancies. As a result, she resolved to use [her] will and good sense to check the tendency. Even when she states that sometimes she thinks she might get better if she could only write some more, she follows this statement with her feeling tireda whenever she tries. This signifies that she has succumbed to Johnams beliefs and she is in an increasingly weak mental state, one that has made her increasingly dependent on her husband and inhibiting her from forming or believing her own judgments.
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The Tone and Content of the Narration. (2023, Feb 16). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/the-tone-and-content-of-the-narration/
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