How does the change in setting contribute to the shift in tone?

Question

I'm having trouble understanding how a change in setting can affect the tone.

Answer 1

Here's a really simple example...

He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Imagine this happening in a high school principal's office. The setting tells us the stakes are probably pretty low -- NOT a life-or-death situation. The person in trouble probably isn't in bad trouble, right?

Now imagine the same thing happening in a police station. The stakes are much higher, right? Now we're definitely worried because the character hearing this line is very much at risk.

Another simple example (taking a hint from Alexis H's answer above) -- your characters are shopping at the grocery store. Without warning, all the lights go out. Now what has changed? You've gone, in a moment, from a common everyday scene to sudden uncertainty, possibly peril. You don't know who else is in the store. You don't know why the lights went out. Etc.

Hope this helps!!

Answer 2

When you change the setting, this gives the writer the choice to build a background that will support the tone (emotional impact of the writing) in more depth.

Examples:

Let's say the writer wants to create more tension/fear in a piece that is simply a character walking down a road/street.

"Lucy walked down a main street with heavy crowds and bright lights flooding her senses, as she made her way home for the night."

[This examples works more in showing that the character is more alert in their setting but it doesn't give the feeling of tension/fear.]

"Lucy walked down a dark alleyway alone, as she made her way home for the night, though as the afternoon carried on thick clouds covered the sun and a soft drizzle began. Piles of trash covered the alleyway floor, as Lucy caught rats scurrying in the shadows. This along with the heavy stench emanating from the dumpsters placed Lucy in an uneasy state."

[This example now places them in an area that is one straight path enclosed by walls, alone, and with dark weather looming over them. When presenting more details of their setting it also builds a picture of how uncertain the reader would be on what would happen next. When you change the setting for your story, it also changes the view point that the reader might have on how the tone of the story is changing.]

If you need further explanation or help, feel free to reach out. You've got this!

Answer 3

Hello!

When it comes to story telling, tone mood and setting all work together to make the audience feel what the author wants them to feel. When an author shifts the setting it makes the reader makes inferences about what will come next and sets the tone for that scene.

For example, if the author places the characters in a candle-lit restaurant, and there is soft music playing, the audience might start to anticipate something romantic happening.

Now say those same characters who are in love and having a romantic evening, begin to walk home. The street is dark and wet and there seems to be no one around. Now there is a feeling of suspense and anxiousness about something bad happening.

The characters went from a very romantic setting to one that is scary. The change in setting is what allowed the audience to feel the shift in events that was to come.