As literary devices, tone and mood may seem interchangeable. Though they are similar, they are independent of each other and serve different purposes in a literary work. Tone signifies the point of view of the writer, whereas mood serves to convey the atmosphere of a written work and its overall feeling or vibe. Writers rely on figurative language and other literary devices to evoke mood in readers, whereas dialogue and descriptors are typically used to convey tone.

Many of the words used to describe a literary work’s tone can also be used to describe mood, such as passionate, wistful, nostalgic, etc. In narrative work, a character’s tone is conveyed to the reader through specific dialogue and descriptions of the character’s body language, facial expressions, and so on. Mood, however, does not always align with the tone expressed by a writer, narrator or character. For example, a writer may set a mournful mood through a work’s genre, setting, context clues and plot details; yet, certain characters may be unaware of the sad circumstances and their dialogue may reflect a completely different tone.