“A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens is a novel that talks about life during the French Revolution. Many characters such as Sydney Carton, Madame Defarge and Dr. Alexandre Manette make an appearance throughout the story, but one revolutionary in particular reoccurs through this narrative: A woman named Madame Defarge. The book starts off with Charles Darnay, a French aristocrat who is at first imprisoned in the Bastille and then released into the care of Doctor Manette. A while after his release from prison, Darnay begins to fall for Lucie Manette, Dr. Manette’s daughter.
A part way through the book, however, Darnay suddenly decides to return to France to visit his ill father, a decision in which he does not take Lucie Manette’s feelings in account. The young woman is heartbroken and asks Darnay never to come back, since she doesn’t want him to have any regrets when he leaves her. A year after his return to France, the French Revolution begins and leads up until book two. In book two, A Tale of Two Cities continues with events that lead up until the Reign of Terror begins in 1792 for a duration between eight months and one year [In fact, from April 1793 – July 1794].
The story then goes on about how Dr. Alexandre Manette was imprisoned in The Bastille for eighteen years without a trial and how A Tale of Two Cities ends with A Terrible Night. At the end of A Tale of Two Cities, A Terrible Night occurs in which Madame Defarge is discovered to be one of Dr. Manette’s enemies, who he had identified while imprisoned in The Bastille. Madame Defarge was seen knitting during A Terrible Night while drinking her wine and watching the death toll rise on the guillotine. She does not show any mercy or sorrow towards those people who are being murdered by Madame Defarge’s own family members, the executioners of A Terrible Night.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens opens with a scene of a man’s imminent death. The soon-to-be dead man is aware that he will be killed and describes the murderer as being too well dressed to be committing such a crime. A twist of irony, the murderer then reveals himself as Jerry Cruncher, a petty thief. This book I am reading for my AP English Language class has many intriguing characters and themes throughout it. One very powerful theme is inevitability; another one becoming more evident as I read on is social class, or perhaps more specifically poverty vs wealth.
A third theme which I find quite fascinating is the duality in human nature: good vs evil, angelic vs demonic. A major character in A Tale of Two Cities is Madame Defarge, a woman filled with an intense hatred for the French nobility. The book itself can be analyzed from either a social class or existentialist perspective. A Tale of Two Cities starts off with an interesting question: “If you do not know your past, how can you face your future? ” The quote serves as the main focus of A Tale of Two Cities.
It appears to function as a message to Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton (the protagonist and antagonist) but, if taken literally, also becomes a statement about everyone who reads A Tale of Two Cities. A crucial aspect of human life is how we learn from our mistakes; if we cannot learn from them, we face a doomed future. A Tale of Two Cities is no exception to this theme, as A Tale of Two Cities tells the story of how Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton learn from their past mistakes.
A Tale of Two Cities also seems to have a very existentialist viewpoint on life. A compelling argument can be made that A Tale of Two Cities takes an existentialist approach with its characters: Madame Defarge, with her desire for revenge for those killed in the French Revolution; Mr. Lorry, whose feelings towards Dr. Manette are not clear but may indicate his desire to live life to the fullest extent possible; and even a character without a name whose only purpose is apparently to show how evil people can become.
A Tale of Two Cities also seems to indicate an existentialist view of life through Mr. Barsad, Madame Defarge’s spy who is revealed to be a traitor and dies because he cannot accept the fact that he is actually bad rather than good. A Tale of Two Cities says that it is not easy to tell if people are purely evil or purely good; this message supports the idea of A Tale of Two Cities taking on an existentialist theme. A book such as A Tale of Two Cities must have some memorable characters in order for the story to become effective, much less complete.
One character who can certainly be remembered by readers after finishing A Tale of Two Cities is Madame Defarge, arguably one of the most memorable characters in A Tale of Two Cities. Madame Defarge’s hatred for the French nobility is quite memorable to readers, but her actions are also what make her unforgettable. A Tale of Two Cities contains many other characters who support A Tale of Two Cities’ main themes, social class and inevitability.
A major theme in A Tale of Two Cities which bears merit to this day is that of social class inequality given that it still exists today along with other forms of discrimination such as racism and sexism. Charles Darnay demonstrates his desire to rise above his own social class when he takes a man’s place at the guillotine after being falsely accused by Monsieur Stryver, whom Mr. Lorry notes has “a talent for appearing unexpectedly round the corner when least wanted”. A Tale of Two Cities also demonstrates social class inequality during a scene in which Madame Defarge is discussing A Tale of Two Cities with Mr.
Jarvis Lorry at Tellson’s bank. Madame Defarge claims, “I hate him [the Marquis St. Evremonde] so that I could strangle him. Often and often I have longed to go up to his house and kill him. ” A few sentences later, she says, “Him! … he passes on his road – home perhaps from his mistress – does he reflect who turned off the Lights that night? … But it would be nothing to him” (Book 4 Chapter 7). A Tale of Two Cities has many examples of social class inequality, especially towards the end of A Tale of Two Cities.
A very important example is that of a courtroom scene in which Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton are on trial for treason against the French people at A Tale of Two Cities’ climax. There is also an English court scene to contrast it with, but A Tale of Two Cities portrays the English court as being fair whereas the French court seems to have been assigned corrupt judges who favor themselves over others. A Tale of Two Cities makes a point towards the end about how there is no social justice under monarchy during war times because aristocracy reigns supreme if it can do whatever it wants without consequences or public outcry.
