Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Somber and Hopeful
Consider yourselves warned, Shmoopers: The tone of Homeless Bird is super depressing and somber a lot of the time. But what did you expect? It's about a thirteen-year-old girl being forced to marry a dying brat, and death and hard times abound in Koly's life. So it makes sense that the tone reflects this, be it because everyone's down in the dumps after Hari dies or bumming out because Mr. Mehta's passed. Check out what Koly says after Chandra leaves home to get married:
My pension was lost to me, and I did not know how far my earrings might take me. It seemed that I must stay where I was forever. I hoped that if I worked very hard, and did exactly as I was told, Sass might begin to look kindly upon me. I hoped that someday she might love me as she loved Chandra, or if not so much as that, at least a little, (6.2)
See what we mean? There's some real doom and gloom in Koly's voice here. But it isn't all terrible—notice that hope remains, sneaking in as the excerpt progresses. Koly wishes for her life to be more than it is right now, and she holds this hope without reservation. She knows Mrs. Mehta hates her guts, but Koly still believes this can change. So the somber tone is tinged with hope.