The Morality Of Madame Defarge In A Tale Of Two Cities

to her family which leads her to darkness and later her death. The reason why Charles Dickens put justice as a theme and a big part of Madame Defarge character was to show are perseverance and determination of getting what we think is right, no matter what it costs us. Fighting for justice is a trait that humans naturally have.

Justice and revenge, two ideas that Madame Defarge longs to accomplish. Although Madam Defarge is depicted as a complex character by Dickens, she is exceedingly naive. Madame Defarge is naive, because she believes that it is possible to seek justice through revenge; however, that is not the case. Despite all of the murders that Madame Defarge has committed, there is no justice to be seen that truly benefits her, other than the satisfaction of the crime. Madame Defarge is persistent regarding her killings, based on the idea that an entire family must pay for the rape of her sister. Here is where the fault in Madame Defarge’s plan lies: revenge will not heal, or take away from the pain that she and her

Madame Defarge’s anger is generated because of the fact that her sister was raped and her brother was killed. The crimes committed against her family have little to do with helping the people even though she doesn't want to admit it. She feels the only way to relieve herself of this hatred is to kill all of them. “ my husband has not my reason for pursuing this family to annihilation, and I have not this reason for regarding this doctor with any sensibility. I must act for myself therefore” (Dickens 424). Madame Defarge explains that her anger is strictly taken out on the Evremonde family and no one else. The issue she has with the Evremonde family is

Morality in its basic definition, is the knowledge between what is right and what is wrong. In Joan Didion’s essay, “On Morality,” she uses examples to show how morality is used to justify actions and decisions by people. She explains that morality can have a profound effect on the decisions that people chose to make. I think that morality is an idea that is different for every individual based on morals and background.

Although neither Madame Defarge nor Lucie Manette are well-developed as characters in themselves, both symbolize opposing forces. Lucie is lovely, golden-haired, and good, a symbol of light. By her very presence she draws the people together and brings them to their full potential. She enables Dr. Manette to return to health and peace, and inspires Sydney Carton to find redemption for his degenerate living in the ultimate sacrifice of his life. Madame DeFarge, however, is the symbol of evil and the inevitable forces of the French Revolution. Driven by the ravages of the aristocrats to an inconsumable hatreds she patiently knits the names of the tormentors soon to be

When terrible things happen to good people there are two paths that can be traveled: forgiveness can be offered, or vengeance can be pursued. Madame Defarge from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, takes the latter of these two options and religiously lives by it, seeking revenge on the cruel heartless aristocracy plaguing France with famine, poverty, and oppression; however, the reasons behind her malice force the reader to understand why she performs such hateful acts during the French Revolution. Madame Defarge, though intelligent, is consumed by her hatred and has transformed into something just as bad, if not worse, than the members of the aristocracy.

I read three quotes that caught my attention. “Note that moral judgement must be backed by good reasons-if it true that you ought (or might not) to do such-and-such, then there must be a reason why you should (or should not) do it,” (Rachels and Rachels pg.135) Moral judgement is classified in good reasons only. If a good reason is provided than it’s okay to do it. “The idea that moral rules have no exception is hard to defend,” (Rachels and Rachels pg.129) Moral rules are different in many ways, so little can influence the outcome. “At first Truman was reluctant to use the new weapon.” (Rachel and Rachel pg. 126) So, Truman didn’t like the idea of killing off people who were innocent. But with desperate measure, he made his mind up and agree.

In A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, revenge plays a crucial role in the motivations of some of the characters, such as Madame Defarge and Gaspard. In fact, Madame Defarge’s entire motivation for her participation in the French Revolution is out of want for revenge for her family (Dickens 445), not true justice. This is known because had justice been her true goal, Madame Defarge would not have attempted to kill everyone in the Evremonde family by marriage or blood, just Darnay - a direct descendant to Monseigneur the Marquis. Had Madame Defarge’s family not been killed by the Evremondes, she would not have been vengeful and would not be calling for the death of all of the aristocrats; Madame Defarge would be satisfied with the death

Newsstands proclaim it. Talk shows trumpet it. Scandal, murder, and deception! People share a common disdain for these evils, scorning those who commit the dirty deeds. Laws are upheld to prevent people from doing “bad” things, but how do people come to an agreement on what is truly wrong? Even as society moves away from traditional teachings and perspectives, many acts are still universally looked down upon. Throughout history, the majority of civilizations have held surprisingly similar moral ideals regarding acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Although moral relativists believe that morality is individually determined, there is, in fact, an objective moral standard that governs all humanity, because a sense of right and wrong is universal, transcends time and culture, and is evident in the majority of people.

What is morality? Who determines right and wrong? For philosophers Nietzsche and Aquinas, questions such as this will derive different answers. Take Dominican friar, Thomas Aquinas. According to Aquinas, humans have a natural moral compass that governs our understanding of right and wrong, a theory called “Natural Law.” Natural law is more or less what is more popularly known as a “Conscious”, an almost primal instinct telling us whether something is right or wrong.For example: murder, stealing, rape etc. It is naturally understood (or should be natural understood) amongst nearly all beings, that taking another beings life, stealing from another being, raping another being, is of course, wrong. This concept seems perfectly rational and black white, on the

Morality is defined as a recognition or belief that explains why some behaviors are bad or good. In simple words, morality refers to values relating to the distinction between wrong and right or good and bad. Few morals are easily accepted and are only questioned by some fringes of society who might disagree with such morals. These individuals on the fringes can be bad or good. The ones who reject socially accepted moral does not necessarily mean that they are good persons. Thus, one can say that each individual has morals that are different from each other (Joseph).

Many things can contribute to what you think is morally right or wrong. Religion, for example, may create a barrier on to what extent you do something. Some religions set rules, or guidelines on which they limit what people do. Cultures, as well, contribute to people’s decisions. Many times our values and ethics disagree with different people who hold different

In the end, society judges anyone and anyone no matter what. The author of the novel Crime and Punishment, Fydor Dostoyevsky uses character to show this. For example, Sonia faces judgemental comments about her lifestyle her parents chose for her, showing that prostitutes were seen as a walking sin. Though murder is obviously wrong and anyone convicted of the act is immediately seen as a threat, people risk their reputation just to help a

Madame Defarge appears to be a minor character in the beginning, but turns spiteful and deceiving in the end. Always knitting, Madame Defarge seemed to be a watchful woman: “Madame Defarge, his wife, sat in the shop behind the counter as he came in. Madame Defarge was a stout woman of about his own age, with a watchful eye that seldom seemed to look at anything, a large hand heavily ringed, a steady face, strong features, and great composure of manner” (Dickens 21). Of this description, one would not assume anything of the character. In the end, it is realized that the two that were killed by Charles’ uncle and father were her siblings, leaving her the remaining sibling to carry the rage and hurt left by the wrong-doings of Marquis Evremonde and his brother. She is a strong advocate for the French Revolution, as she has been knitting the names of those whom the rebels, under the name “Jacques”, planned to kill. Once it became apparent Charles was the descendant left to take the repercussions for his family, Madame Defarge plans to attack Lucie and her child due to the fact that they were associated with Charles and his family. Her plan of murder ultimately fails, and in turn, she ends up dying herself at the hand of her own bullet.

Morality refers to the concept of proper human action in terms of "right and wrong," also referred to as "good and evil. According to Hobbes (1994:11), morality is simply a declaration of rules and beliefs that are considered absolute guides for human behaviour. According to Hare (1981:27), “Morality is a system of principles and judgments based on cultural, religious, and philosophical concepts and beliefs, by which humans determine whether given actions, are right or wrong.” Moral values and graciousness, in the past, were prominent in most teenagers. Every individual has capacity for growth. But a seed cannot grow without nurturing. And farmers don’t get to neglect their crops. So moral values has to be inculcated from infancy. Many years