Could a setting or tone be agonizing?

Question

I am writing about the tone of the scarlet letter.....anyways

I am just like writing about the tone... and in the part im writing about, the character goes through agonizing events... (When Dimmesdale in on the scaffold and sees the Scarlet letter A and sees Roger Chillingworth (Chapter 12)).

So would it be right to describe the tone as

agonizing??

or do I need to use another word... because if you think about it it is kinda wierd...

So like I wrote

"The narrator establishes a agonizing tone."

Answer 1

an agonized tone or a tone of great distress might be better, if  you want to convey that Dimmesdale is suffering mentally. You could also say a tone denoting Dimmesdale's mental anguish. Also spiritual destruction, mortification would be  descriptive.  

Answer 2

The narrator establishes aN agonizing tone.