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Sydney Carton : The Sacrifice Of His Past And Present Self

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Sydney Carton In Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens uses Sydney Carton to show that sacrifice is necessary to achieve happiness and this is shown through both the sacrifice of his past and present self throughout the novel. One of the two ways Sydney Carton sacrifices himself is by transforming himself into a man of worth and thereby sacrificing his former self and his worthless past. At the beginning of the book, Sydney constantly reminds those around him he cares for nothing along with the thought no one should care for him while describing himself as a waste of life but still seems that Carton does care for something although he may not know exactly what it is.This is shown when Carton states (in reference to Darnay), "Why should you particularly like a man who resembles you? There is nothing in you to like; you know that. Ah, confound you! What a change you have made in yourself!” (85). In this quote, Sydney says there is not a single thing about him that should be appreciated while convincing himself that since Darnay looks like him, he should also be unappreciated. Although Sydney can 't yet recognize any self worth, his comparison to Darnay shows the contrast between their personalities and ever so slightly suggests that Sydney may see some form of desirability in himself beneath his denial. Eventually, Carton comes to a point where he is able to confess his feelings for Lucie and although he continues to insist he is worthless, he declares his love for her which

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