The authors of the two short stories, A Rose for Emily and Araby both use contrasting tones in order to highlight the fluctuations in the characters' personalities. Both stories feature a tone of depression and gloom. The way that the authors use their descriptions of settings and characters enhances the somberness of the stories. However at times, there are overtones or segments of dialogue that become hopeful and almost cheerful. At times, Faulkner and Joyce must use a tone or representation of darkness in order to achieve a contrast great enough to bring forth bright and hopeful themes and motifs. This represents an interesting use of the concept of tone. Tone is based upon the authors' choice of how to word a passage. Using darker words can set a darker tone, while using buoyant imagery can set an upbeat tone. The interesting aspect in A Rose For Emily and Araby is that while the authors lay down a basis of dark language and set a somewhat depressed mood, they punctuate the darkness with bursts of luminosity. This technique enables the author to create a great distinction between the themes of darkness, and the bright bits of dialogue.
             In the opening of Araby, there is a mood and tone of darkness and depression that is set by the author. This is done through the way that the author describes the residence of the young boy. From the very beginning of the description, the author speaks of a room where the previous owner dies. "The former tenant of our house, a priest, had died in the back drawing-room. Air, musty from having been long enclosed, hung in all the rooms, and the waste room behind the kitchen was littered with old useless papers." (Joyce, 1) This gives the reader a sense that the house is distressing. This imagery sets a mood likewise. Throughout the story, the author continues to use images of darkness; however the imagery that the author uses is not that of gruesome acts, death, and mourning as u...