Tone in Feast

The narrator’s choice to single out the “vintner”—a wine merchant—and “monger”—a trader— creates a subtle class distinction. Having arrived at an elevated philosophical state, the narrator leaves “the grape and bean” to those of the working class. While the gesture may be metaphorical, it nonetheless reveals a tone of superiority.

Notice the tonal shift in the second stanza, despite the way the language imitates the first. While the narrator says the “The last [drink] was like the first” to suggest repetition, here she focuses on the inability of all of her experiences to fulfill her desires. She has tried every fruit and every root, and yet none of them live up to her expectations. While the first stanza states her experience, this stanza communicates her frustration with the resulting feeling of lack.