Araby
by James Joyce (adapted excerpt)
When the short days of winter came, dusk fell before we had well eaten our dinners. When we met in the street the houses had grown
somber. The space of sky above us was the color of ever-changing violet and towards it the lamps of the street lifted their feeble lanterns. The
cold air stung us and we played till our bodies glowed. Our shouts echoed in the silent street. The career of our play brought us through the
dark muddy lanes behind the houses, where we ran the gauntlet of the rough tribes from the cottages, to the back doors of the dark dripping
gardens where odors arose from the ashpits, to the dark odorous stables where a coachman smoothed and combed the horse or shook
music from the buckled harness.
How does the connotative meaning of the word dark affect the tone in the passage?
OA.
It establishes a remorseful tone in the story.
OB.
It establishes a somber tone in the story.
Ос.
It establishes a formal tone in the story.
OD
It establishes a commanding tone in the story.

Connotative meaning is a term used to refer to an association of a word with a meaning different from its explicit meaning. For example, in the excerpt of Araby by James Joyce, the word "dark" is used to refer to a lugubrious place, a different meaning from its literal meaning that refers to a characteristic of color. Additionally, the repetitive use of this word such as in " The career of our play brought us through the dark muddy lanes behind the houses" helps the author establish a dark or somber tone by showing how lugubrious the setting of the story is. According to the above, the correct answer is B. It establishes a somber tone in the story.