Look at this famous opening paragraph from The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger.

If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them. They’re quite touchy about anything like that, especially my father. They’re nice and all. I’m not saying that—but they’re also touchy as hell. Besides, I’m not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything. I’ll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy.

Let’s consider the elements of style here that create narrator Holden Caulfield’s sarcastic and even condescending tone.

Diction. His use of the words “lousy,” “crap,” and “goddam” show that Holden doesn’t care if he offends someone with his slang or profanity.

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Syntax. The first sentence is one long rush, like a sudden outpouring of thoughts, but then the narrator switches to shorter sentences when he makes it clear that he is not going to reveal much, especially about his parents.

Figurative Language. Holden uses hyperbole when he says that his parents would have “two hemorrhages apiece.” This reveals his sarcastic tone and his willingness to exaggerate to make a point.

A literary work rarely maintains a single tone throughout the text; even Holden’s softens, especially toward his sister later in the novel. A piece may begin with one tone and switch to another to illustrate a particular point. A doctor in a story, for instance, might start off with a very clinical and detached tone toward her patient with an illness, but then move to a more sympathetic tone to reflect her compassion and growing engagement in the lives of her patients.