Saturday, September 6, 2014

What is the tone of this story?

“How to Talk to a Hunter” is a short story written in the 2nd person about a woman who is seeing a hunter and the affair that he is having. The story isn’t really about the hunter, at least the hunter is not a stereotype but rather a stand-in for the type of man who lives an independent and outdoors life. The story is more focused on the feelings of the narrator and her experience with infidelity and commitment.
The tone of the piece could be described in a few ways. Two descriptors in particular that stand out are apathetic and mocking. The story can be interpreted in different ways, which is why there are various possible tones the author uses.
The piece has an apathetic tone because the author is resigned to the experience of being with a man who cheats. Her apathy is explored in the use of phrases like,

“They lie to us, they cheat on us, and we love them more for it.”

And

“Pull on your hair. Rock your body back and forth. Don’t cry.”

In the story, it is almost as if the narrator is incapable of breaking away from a bad relationship. She is complacent and makes do with feeling sad at the faithless relationship. She is unwilling to move on and can’t take control of her life.
The tone could also be described as mocking because of the second person narrative. The way the narrator talks about “your” relationship shows that she is mocking herself. She can’t get out of her failing relationship, and as a result, she mocks herself for the mistakes that she makes. Like when she says,

He’ll say that after holding you it doesn’t feel right holding anyone else. For “holding” substitute for “F**king." Then take it as a compliment.

The use of the expletive is meant to help bring about the ridiculousness of the comment. The narrator is mocking her way of thinking, the things she has to tell herself to feel secure. She knows that it is a lie, and thus, the tone can be seen as mocking, to herself, for the lies she tells to be able to stomach staying in the relationship.

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