Mysteries In The Tale Of Two Cities By Charles Dickens

During the French Revolution the two social classes, nobles and the peasants, clashed with each other because the peasants felt treated unfairly by the nobles. Dickens tells a story of both sides of the Revolution and emphasizes the fact that both sides endured hardships. Charles Dickens in his novel A Tale of Two Cities gets readers to sympathize with both sides of the revolution through character foils, flashbacks, and the theme of suffering by portraying both sides as victims.

While reading A Tale of Two Cities Dickens depicted various characters that can all be related to at one point or another in this novel. Also the many themes in this work better help the reader to understand the character and the actions they take. Through Dickens depiction of Dr. Alexandre Mannette the reasons for family and forgiveness are much more important than the seek of vengeance due to the suffering he underwent.

Jerry Cruncher’s job is where a group of men go to a graveyard to pick up dead bodies for scientists to learn more about the human body. This illegal occupation represents the negative aspect of the motif by indicating the cruel treatment Jerry does to the dead. The negative aspects of the inhumane job is shown when Dickens writes, “...he was so frightened, being new to the sight, that he made off again, and never stopped until he had run a mile or more” (Dickens 124). In this scene, young Jerry sees what his father does for a living, and is so mortified by it that he runs away. Dickens invented Jerry’s character to show the other side of resurrection because he already had a positive transformation with Carton, so he needed to portray a contradictory one. Jerry’s occupation is present for the audience to see the contrast between the positive and negative aspects of the motif, but mostly throughout the novel there are positive ones.

The novel, A Tale of Two Cities, was written by Charles Dickens and was published in 1859. A Tale of Two Cities is a historical fiction based during the French Revolution. As two groups of people who both live in London and Paris find themselves in a situation that affects all of them, which ends with some deaths and suffering. Charles Dickens purpose for writing A Tale of Two Cities was to inform and amplify the readers mind on human nature. Throughout the book Charles Dickens uses many themes and characteristics, that bring out human nature in all his characters, to broaden the view of the readers.

Because of the social and political ways of the aristocracy, tensions rose throughout France. This hostility between the peasants and the aristocrats started the French Revolution in 1789. Sixty years later, Charles Dickens wrote his novel, A Tale of Two Cities, in pieces. Dickens wonderfully portrays this war with his flawless imagery and reoccurring themes. One of his many themes throughout his novel is the theme of revenge. Dickens beautifully supports the theme of revenge through his clever symbols such as the candles during the burning of the château, birds of fine song and feather, and knitting.

This wasted potential is emphasized when both Darnay and Carton fall in love with Lucie Manette. Darnay, as the typical charming hero, is chosen over desperate, brooding Carton. As a result, Carton finds himself channeling his love and his physical advantage of being Darnay’s double into keeping Lucie safe and happy by way of rescuing Darnay from the guillotine. Thus, Carton is able to become the proverbial “good guy,” a role he saw for himself in his counterpart, Darnay. He also managed to thwart the Defarges’ plot to murder all those connected to the aristocracy in any way. In this way, Dickens is able to use the comparisons and contrasts between the two men to show how love is capable of victory over violence and vengeance.

In A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, isolation impacts Madame Defarge and Sydney Carton by altering their perception of life, influencing Madame to become obsessive with her vengeful goal of eliminating the aristocracy and damaging Carton by forcing him to contain his depressive emotions.

Humanity is inherently flawed. Charles Dickens illustrates this in his novel A Tale of Two Cities as he writes about the lives of the Manettes and the people they draw around them. In this novel, Dickens uses Sydney Carton, a main character in the novel and the lover of Lucie Manette, to reveal his thoughts about the inherent nature of humanity. The characteristics of humanity change and mutate with the experiences of each person and the workings of their own mind, as illustrated by Mr. Stryver’s inhumane and thoughtless treatment of Sydney, the first time Sydney saves Charles Darnay’s life, and Sydney’s love for Lucie Manette.

A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, is a suspenseful novel taking place before and during the French Revolution in the late 1700s. The audience is taken on a journey through time, learning about how the Revolution affected two main families, the Manettes and the Evrémondes. Throughout the novel, Dickens makes the reader question what drives man-kind to sacrifice? The answer is love and happiness result in sacrifices. The characters, such as Charles Darnay, Doctor Manette, and Sydney Carton prove this as they commit sacrifices to start a new life, for a loved one, or for the benefit of other people.

Charles Dickens had a way of writing amazing characters. He was known for his passion in writing and his way of words. A man once said that Charles was the greatest story writer of all time. He was able to craft fully make a character that was both memorable and taught you a valuable lesson on how to be a better you. In this book I spotted a few characters that stood out to me. It was either their courage or loyalty that stuck out the most. The biggest lesson I wish to share from these characters that I learned in this novel is that it is important to study a person and get to know them before you make assumptions on their life based on their outward appearance.

Jarvis Lorry, a banker, businessman, and honorably concise gentleman enters with growing intimacy into Jerry Cruncher’s life, the former influences and instructs the latter. On pages 319 and 320 Lorry, with much suspicion of the circumstance, encourages Jerry to admit to grave robbing. Elusively Jerry gives way, expressing his discomfort on the subject but also weakly defending the despicable practice as a source of income for his small family. Here the matter rests, no doubt lingering in the backs of the minds of those involved until page 377 and 378. Right in the churning middle of the climax, Jerry breathlessly vows to his friend Miss Pross to never again rob a grave and to never again beat his wife. Dickens no doubt added a new light to his character as Jerry was affected by the Reign of Terror in Paris. Clogging the gutters and choking the streets, death pervaded the French city, disgusting any who walked there as an outsider; Jerry Cruncher finalized his disassociation with death, yearning for honest work after he had seen the vile, cheating ways of the

Dickens uses this quote to help introduce the theme of secrecy in the story. He accomplishes this through the use of repetition. He describes the many houses, rooms, and people who have secrets within them by repeating the phrase “encloses its own secret”. By using repetition, Dickens emphasizes the vastness in which everyone and everything holds a sense of mystery to those who are ignorant of others’ existences and history. Dickens chooses to introduce the theme relatively early in the book for the fact that it is prominent in nearly the entire book, ranging from Lorry’s confidentiality surrounding his “business” working for Tellson’s Bank up to the mystery behind Darnay’s relationship with Dr. Manette’s past. Dickens also foreshadows Sydney

In A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, it uses duality throughout the story. Duality often refers to having two parts and is usually used with opposite meanings. Charles Dickens wanted us to know about duality by the very first paragraph of his novel. One of the dualities has to deal with the two cities of the title, London, England and Paris, France. Also, some of the dualities show us opposite parallels dealing with two or more people. The two emotions love and hate also have something to do with the theme. I think the use of the doubles is significant

While the Victorian people called for romantic intrigue and petty drama in the literature of their time, Dickens’ added complexity to his novels not to satisfy the frivolous needs of Victorians but to further the theme of irony in his novel. In A Tale of Two Cities, irony is an ever-present theme and is woven into the plot seamlessly by author Charles Dickens. Coincidence is a complementary theme to irony in this novel. Dickens’ constant implementation of situations of coincidence and chance leads to a greater sense of irony throughout this book. Dickens adds complexity to the plot and further enforces the theme of irony in the novel through circumstances of coincidence, including the indictments of Charles Darnay, the life and associates of Dr. Manette, and Madame Defarge’s need for and path to revenge.

Although the “rebirth” does not take place right then Lucie’s love for her father is never doubted for even a second. In chapter six, when she sees her father for the very first time Lucie says to him, “…that your agony is over...I have come here to take you from it...” (49), this marks the beginning of the doctor’s rebirth. Through this statement Dickens has Lucie promising that she will do anything for her father out of pure love. As the Manette’s travel back to England, in time it becomes clear that Lucie’s love towards her father is beginning to have an impact on his behavior. In chapter five, of the second book Dr. Manette is able to carry on a complete conversation, which shows the readers that he is regaining his sanity. Later on in chapter seven of the third book, Dickens reminds his readers again of how far Dr.Manette has come since that first day in the Defarge’s attic, “No garret, no shoemaking, no One Hundred and Five, North Tower, now! He had accomplished the task he had set himself…" (285-6). It is at this moment that the reader knows he has been resorted back to his old self before he was in prison. Throughout all the hardship and pain the doctor has to endure, his daughter Lucie never leaves his side.