In the novel A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, the characters created contribute to the plot revolving around the French Revolution. Each character portrays a role that ultimately intertwines with the plot. Dickens does a very good job in creating a habit, trait or turn of phrase for the characters. These roles vary from inner struggles between themselves, their family, and the country in which they live. Madame Defarge is a prime example of a character who portrays all of these roles. She is definitely a person who is justly driven by horrible life experiences that commit to her heinous deeds. These deeds come to effect both the countries of England and France, and the lives of many of the other characters created in the novel. Madame Defarge is described as a stout woman with a watchful eye that seldomly seemed to look at anything. She had a large heavily ringed hand, a steady face, strong features and was very well composed. She has a look, which informs much self-confidence in herself. She also has an extensive habit of knitting, which will become a significant theme in the novel. Madame Defarge spends most of her days, weeks, and years before the revolution sitting in her wine shop, knitting a list of names. This list of names is a register of those she's marked for death, come the revolution. This hobby links her closely with the reoccurring theme of fate, while all she knits is death into her list. These names are mainly the ones of the French aristocracy who she plans to kill. The reason behind her vulgar temptations is not only the growing poverty, and extremely poor living and working conditions in France. The actual reason for her vicious dreams date back to the fate of her own family. Madame Defarge¡¯s sister was raped and killed along with her brother who was murdered by members of the French aristocracy. This is the main reason behind her temptations that she wishes and demands revenge for. As her siblings were involved in these tortuous deeds by the aristocracy, a young doctor was called upon to try and help them. This person was Doctor Minette, father of Lucie. When he arrived to this horrific scene, it was too late for him to help either of them. This is where Madame Defarges grudge toward the Minette family ties into the novel. Her grudge towards the Minette family grows to even higher levels when Lucie marries Charles Darnay who is part of the French Aristocracy. This is one of the many points where the clash between England and France intertwine with the plot. Madame Defarge was also a very good strategist. She brainwashed the people who were revolting with her. An example of this is when Madame Defarge went to Versailles with the mender of roads. She used this visit to teach him to recognize his future ¡prey¡. She described the aristocracy to him as ¡dolls and birds.¡ Madame Defarge is justly driven, by her horrible life experiences that lead to her heinous deeds. Her malignant sense of being wronged by the St. Evremondes turns her practically into a machine of vengeance. Madame Defarge fulfills most of her dreams by killing off many of the people on her knitted register. Before she can get to the Minettes to kill them, Miss Pross takes her life. Her character personifies revolution. She patiently awaits the beginning of the French Revolution, violence and hatred boiling within her.
Response : Many of the shadows mentioned in this book are represented by the great wickedness of Madame Defarge. She casts a shadow of hate and burden to almost everyone she interacts with. Unlike Lucie, Madame Defarge, is the total opposite of an angel-like figure. In fact, she is compared to the wife of the devil himself. The contrast between both ouf their characteristics is inevitable. Lucie’s pureness represents the good times, while Madame Defarge represents the bad times. It is a constant struggle between lightness and darkness… Between love and hate.
Bennet, and the way he says, "``it is a person whom I never saw in the
...to revenge. She turned into this cold killer to kill the entire Evermonde family for what they had done to her family. She uses her power in the revolution to take revenge on the Evermonde family. Madame Defarge loses her true self and becomes someone who disregards the lives of people include hers. Dickens’s theme of how history repeats itself appears again when Madame Defarge kills innocent people similar to what the Marquis of Evermonde did.
Madame Defarge was the individual who drove the revolution forward because she showed extreme ruthlessness that was more extensive than her husband. During a certain discussion between the two Defarges, Madame explained to her husband that she had no significant weaknesses, unlike her spouse. Part of the conversation included Monsieur stating.. Afterwards, Madame defended herself by claiming, “‘I too, my dear, will stop at nothing’” (Defarge to Madame) (Dickens 205). “‘Yes! But it is your weakness that you sometimes need to see your victim and your opportunity, to sustain you. Sustain yourself without that’” (Madame to Defarge) (Dickens 205). Madame stated that her husband had a
BIRTH AND CREATION: One of the main issues in the novel, and also in Victor Frankenstein's mind. One of the reasons for creating his monster, Frankenstein was challenging nature's law of creation. That is, to create a being, male sperm and female egg must be united etc.. He was also fraught with the mystery of death and the life cycle. He created something in defiance of our understanding of birth and creation. However the similarity of Frankenstein's creation and a baby's creation is that both need to be held responsible for, and consequences dealt with, from the moment of birth. Frankenstein failed to do this with his creation.
Frankenstien Many punishments for crimes are often given to innocent people. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, there are several instances in which the punishment is given to an innocent person. Justine, a maid at the Frankenstein residence, was killed for a crime she did not commit. Felix, a character the Monster encounters, was exiled from his country, for helping an innocent man escape from jail. Lastly, Victor himself was jailed for a murder, which he did not commit.
The Story Of An Hour is set in Mrs Mallard's house and as it continues
A Tale of Two Cities In every great novel, there is a theme that is constant throughout the story. One of the better known themes portrays the fight of good verses evil. Different authors portray this in different ways. Some use colors, while others use seasons to show the contrast. Still, others go for the obvious and use characters.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein We are first introduced to the creature when Frankenstein, his creator, is describing him. First he is described as something beautiful "limbs were in proportion" and "features were beautiful". However, his ability to self-contradict becomes apparent very quickly when he finishes his sentence by saying: "â?¦These luxuriance's only form a more horrid contrast with his watery eyesâ? ¦" With words like "shrivelled complexion" and "straight black lips", this gives the impression to the reader that firstly the creature does not look a human being and, secondly, he is hideous in Frankenstein's eyes.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens’ choice of sentimental expression had an excellent effect on the readers’ responses to the characters. The use of exaggerated sentimentality helped create a clear picture of the story’s issues in the readers’ minds; it gave a feel for the spirit of the times, and made it easier to understand the characters’ points of view. It was this very sentimentality that Dickens strived to achieve.
... take revenge. He understands Madame’s suffering, but also saw the innocence of the Manette family and how heartless it would be to ruin an entire family simply because two brothers from the previous generation murdered Madame’s family. Defarge’s dedication to his wife and empathy for the Manette family share a focus on the importance of family, a profound theme of A Tale of Two Cities that can relate to Dickens’s own life.
Madame Defarge endured a painful childhood, filled with death and despair. She lived through nobles oppressing her family, and members of her family being hurt and killed because of the Marquis St. Evrémonde, an aristocrat. A letter written by Dr. Manette during his time in jail tells the story of what happened to Madame Defarge’s family. Because of his status as a doctor, he’s brought in by the Evrémonde’s to see patients, who end up being the brother and sister of Madame Defarge. “The patient was a woman of great beauty, and young; assuredly not much past twenty. Her hair was torn and ragged, and her arms were bound to her sides with sashes and handkerchiefs. I noticed that these bonds were all portions of a gentleman’s dress. On one of them, which was a fringed scarf for a dress of ceremony, I saw the armorial bearings of a Noble, a...
Madame Defarge plots with her husband and fellow revolutionaries her plan of revenge. “Madame Defarge held darkly ominous council…the Evremonde people are to be exterminated, and the wife and child must follow the husband and father” (414,415). Many people throughout the countryside did not even know what they were still fighting and killing for, some did it for fun, some did it blindly, some did not know why they were doing it and others were so full hate that they did it out of revenge. Madame Defarge was one of the ones who killed out of sheer revenge and hate, a result of a lacking government. Additionally, Lady Guillotine was considered the secret to forcing justice and peace into a land full of terror and fear. “Far and wide lay a ruined country, yielding nothing but desolation…The horrible massacre, days and nights long…was to set a great mark of blood upon the blessed garnering time of harvest” (260,293). Resulting in quit the opposite, the massacres and the daily feeding of human lives to the mouth of the guillotine did not bring the peace and freedom the French citizens were striving for. It brought tears and tantrum, fear and untrustworthiness to almost every Frenchmen. The Tale of Two cities accurately depict the bloodiness of the Reign of
In his “A Tale Two Cities”, Charles Dickens uses the characters of Lucie Manette and Madame Defarge as two strong women that contrast against the rather manly group of characters. These women are both driven to do what they believe is right. Although Lucie and Madame are strong willed and independent, they both use these strengths differently. Lucie is a woman who is driven by love and affection. Whereas Madame Defarge is driven by hate and rebellion. Both these women, although similar, have such significant differences.
One sharp contrast lies between the characters of Madame Defarge and Miss Pross, who are clearly complete opposites. Dickens personifies the revolution through the character of Madame Defarge, whom represents evil. She is described as a cold, malevolent woman who knits the names of people she wishes to see die when the revolution comes, into her register. On the other hand, Miss Pross is the personification of peace and order, whom represents good. She is the caretaker of Lucie, as she is the one who raised her. Through the eyes of Jarvis Lorry she is looked upon as a tough woman who is devoted to Lucie. The conflict between these two characters at the end of the novel represents the conflict between that of positive and negative forces, or good and