Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Disillusioned and Depressed
This isn't the cheeriest of tales, and the tone of the writing definitely reflects the darkness of the subject matter. From the moment Elizabeth steps outside and starts looking around for family members who should be arriving home, her unhappiness is palpable:
For a few moments she stood steadily watching the miners as they passed along the railway: then she turned towards the brook course. Her face was calm and set, her mouth was closed with disillusionment. (1.4)
Before Elizabeth has even spoken—in fact, before we even know her name—we get a sense that she is far from a happy camper.
Even when Elizabeth is doing something as simple and (seemingly) benign as sewing, the narration plays up the unhappiness of her situation by suggesting that her tearing of flannel pieces created a "dull wounded sound" (1.80). Through descriptions like this, Lawrence creates the sense that unhappiness has seeped into everything around Elizabeth.