A TALE OF TWO CITIES ESSAY

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“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” Charles Dickens began his memorable novel A Tale of Two Cities this way and it has forever changed literature. The novel depicts London, England, and Paris, France, in the late seventeenth century. France and England struggle through political confusion, which is one of the most disturbing periods of history. On the other hand, for the characters of the novel, these are the times of rebirth and revival. The author conveys the dual nature of this epoch by contrasting representations of light and dark, chaos and stability, doom and hope with the use of setting, characterization, foreshadowing, symbolism, and plot set up. Symbolism and themes are very much so the backbone of the novel. There are many different symbols and themes depicted in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, such as ressurection, revenge, violence and social oppression, the color red, and irony.


In the novel, A Tale of Two Cities, there is an ever-present possibility of resurrection. Resurrection is one of the most powerful themes found throughout the novel. Many of the characters in the novel are involved with the intertwining themes of love, redemption, and good versus evil. The theme of resurrection involves certain aspects of all of these themes and brings the story together. Such is true in the cases of Dr. Alexander Manette, Sydney Carton and Madame Defarge. After being wrongfully imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years, Dr. Alexander Manette has been “recalled to life”. Manette undergoes a drastic change over the course of the novel. He is transformed from an numbed prisoner who mindlessly crafts shoes into a man of distinction. Dr. Manettes transformation testifies to the tremendous impact of relationships and experiences in life. As for Sydney Carton, he establishes himself to be one of the most vibrant characters in A Tale of Two Cities. The reader’s first impression of Mr. Carton wasn’t a good one. He appeared to be a lazy, alcoholic genius of an attorney. Sydney felt that his life had no significance and that his existence was meaningless. I care for no man on earth, and no man cares for me. His sacrifice of himself proved to be the true meaning of his life and he died knowing that his life finally had great worth. Carton is resurrected through his death, as he prepares to die, he says, “it is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done.” Carton dies so that others may live. His death in place of Darnays atones for the sins of the St. Evr�monde family. As for Madame Defarge, she personified the madness of the French Revolution. She is in her own way resurrected when Darnay realizes that she is the sister of the woman his father and uncle killed. These three characters all had a certain aspect of themselves changed throughout the pages of A Tale of Two Cities.


Revenge is another theme that is woven into the cloth of the novel. The vengeful characters eventually realize that revenge brings them little or no happiness, instead, they become mad. Madame Defarge is a prime example of the hatred of the aristocracy running her life. Her bloodthirsty persona was evident from her first mention in the novel. Madame’s submissive nature belies her persistent thirst for vengeance. She secretly knits a list of the names of the one’s who must die for the basis of the revolution. Madame Defarge reveals her true viciousness when the revolution heavily begins. Dickens gives reasoning behind her actions by making it obvious that she suffered at the hands of the aristocracy, particularly the Evr�mondes. Just as the nobility’s cruelty has made a tyrant of Madame Defarge herself, so will her spite, in turn, make those who hurt her, her victims. Ironically, a bullet from her own gun ended Madame Defarge’s life. The sort of revengeful attitude personified by Madame Defarge ultimately proves a self-damning one. Like Madame Defarge, many characters in the novel weren’t able to feel revenge at their fingertips.


The mood of the novel, A Tale of Two Cities surrounded the fact that there was a tendency towards violence and social oppression. The novel sympathizes with the French peasantry and emphasizes their need for freedom. A portion of the book deals with the Marquis St. Evr�monde, a member of the corrupt French aristocracy who shamelessly exploits and oppresses the nation’s poor. The lower class’ chose to fight brutality with brutality, although they didn’t cause a revolution, they maintained the violence in their hearts to show what they themselves had suffered. The social oppression was evident from the very first page of the novel. There are many instances where this is apparent, especially in the broken wine cask incident. The peasants were so hungry and thirsty that they resorted to scooping wine from the ground, oblivious of the dirt and the conditions of the road; the scene illustrates how dire their situation was. Another incident, but one more horrific than the first occurred when the Marquis St. Evr�monde ran over a small child in the road and was so bold as to blame the child and the peasants for his death. The scene highlights how cruel and utterly lacking in mercy the rulers of France have become. The tales turn when the Marquis is murdered in his own home, this is the turning point in the book where the oppressed become the oppressors. Later on in the novel, in book chapter 4, the peasants who have revolted are refusing to grant Charles Darnay immunity, despite the doctors influence, because he represents the class that oppressed them for so long. There were many symbols for social oppression, the two main ones were both found in France, the guillotine and the Bastille. Both represent sadness and death.


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Another theme that might not be as apparent as the others is the symbolic meaning of the color red in Charles Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens uses the spilled wine as a symbol for the coming bloodshed; “the wine was red wine, and had stained the ground of the narrow street in the suburb of Saint Antoine”. The spilled wine represents the blood that will be spilled in the streets. The wine also covers the people symbolizing the further pain and anguish that the people will suffer in their own revolution, which will in the end fail because the peasants cannot control their own. When Gaspard writes “blood” on the wall in the spilled red wine, clearly foreshadows the horror of the coming battle. The revolutionaries use the Defarges wine shop as a meeting place. When Barsad comes in, Madame Defarge pins a rose in her hair, as a warning to them that a spy is present. Another prime example occurred when the evening sun shone red on the Marquis, he said It will die out directly. It was prophetic of his imminent death at the hands of the man whose child he killed. The Marquis hands were red with the blood of other victims, too.


Irony is very apparent in the novel and a great deal if not all of the characters and plot were touched by irony. It was quite ironic that Dr. Manette, who longs for revenge against the Evr�monde family should find himself the father-in-law to the heir. It is even more ironic that Manette’s love for Lucie and Darnay puts an end to his vengeful feelings and brings him back to his normal state. Also, the fact that Dr. Manette adores Darnay, yet ends up condemning his son-in-law by writing a letter attacking the Evr�monde family. Darnay’s dislike and disapproval of Carton are quite ironic, considering Carton gives his life for Darnay. Another ironic aspect of A Tale of Two Cities occurs when the evil and cruel Madame Defarge turns out to be the missing sister Charles Darnay had been searching for. Also, the fact that Madame went to Lucie’s lodging with the intention of killing her, when the one who ended up dying was Madame Defarge. The novel, A Tale of Two Cities is filled with ironic moments and character decisions.


The fact that France was in a changing state shows that it was the best of times for certain classes, yet also the worst of times for the peasants. It depended on the way it was looked at, from which class. Charles Dickens ended his oh so memorable novel with the famous words said by Sydney Carton before his tragic death, “it is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest than I go to than I have ever known.” And with that, the novel ends. Charles Dickens has a gift for being able to write a novel that will affect high school students a century after his time.





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