Tone

  The tone of 'The Messenger' is desperate or hopeless. Tone is the author's attitude towards the subject to the reader. I felt like Lois Lowry made this book sound hopeless or desperate because of her word choice and events that she included. For example, in chapter 15, page 134, it says, "But while he had watched Matty, Kira, and the puppy enter Forest, he had been able to see, too, that Forest was shifting, moving, thickening, and preparing to destroy them." (Lowry, page 134) This makes Forest sound evil and bad, and Kira and Matty's journey through Forest sound hopeless, because of the words 'preparing to destroy them'. It makes it sound as though there is no hope for them, and there are bad times coming for them. The story also includes in chapters 16, 17, 19, 20, etc. all of the things Forest is doing to Matty, Kira, and Leader. Forest is attacking them and causing them to suffer. Forest is going to kill them. Throughout this part of the story, all hope of survival seems gone. All hopes of saving Village from the bad change and Forest from thickening and killing off every last one of them is gone. All of this makes the story sound hopeless, desperate, and sad. 

Hopelessness quote/poetry