Tone

The tone of the story is similar to the mood. There is a very cynical feel to the way the story is written. The story is in third person so it lacks barely any emotion. In the second section she writes "which is unnecessary to relate here" Giving the story an omniscient narrator. You also aren't aware that Farquhar is a criminal until the second section where it is confirmed through a quite confusing monologue. When I began the story I assumed that he was the good guy. This gave me a weird point of view for the rest of the story. I started out with a different perspective then I ended with and it gave me an eerie feeling because I almost wanted to root for him.

Similar to how the mood was established, the lack of emotion set the tone as well. "The intellectual part of his nature was already effected; he had power only to feel, and feeling was torment." There is only a focus on physical pain, not emotion pain, or any emotion at all. Bierco also uses figurative language to show tone. "He distinctly heard whispers in an unknown tongue." Whispers in an unknown tongue is not necessarily a cynical phrase, but it gives an eerie vibe that helps set the cynical tone.