The French Revolution was a time when many people sacrificed their lives for their beliefs. As the French Revolution moved on, more people joined the movement and risked their lives. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is set during this time. Many people who sacrificed their lives for the Revolution felt like it was their fate to do this. This idea of fate is described many times in Dickens’ novel to magnify the story. The theme of fate is prevalent in the novel through the lives of many characters. This theme is used to show how a person is unable to escape their fate because it is already decided. The metaphors and symbols in the novel are greatly used to contribute to the theme of fate through the symbols of knitting, the fountain and water, and the wine.
The theme of fate is shown in the symbol of knitting through Mme. Defarge. She is “always knitting” and “not watching”, but Mme. Defarge is actually knitting a hit list. Dickens describes her, “Pointing her [Mme. Defarge’s] knitting needle at Little Lucie as if it were the finger of fate” (Dickens 207). The words “finger of fate” is foreshadowing the purpose of Mme. Defarge’s knitting and how she is actually determining who will die. Because of this, she is the one is can determine a person’s fate, whether a person will die or live. At the end of the novel, when the little seamstress dies, it is read, “She goes next before him [Carton]-is gone; the knitting-women count Twenty-Two” (292). These “knitting-women” count the number of deaths, including the little seamstress’; they are the ones who symbolically determine the fate of a person’s life. These “knitting-women” are like the Fates in Greek mythology. The Fates spin the thread of life for each person and cut ...
... middle of paper ...
...erfully to represent fate and how things will always turn out the way they are meant to in the end.
Through the symbol of knitting, the metaphor of the fountain and water, and the metaphor of the wine, the theme of fate is used fantastically by Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities. Because fate determines the outcome of many situations, these metaphors help guide these situations to their outcomes. The outcomes for many characters were inevitable no matter what because of fate and could not be changed. Without the theme of fate in the novel, the story would have turned out differently because fate determined the events in the novel and how the novel continues. Because of this, Dickens’ use of the theme of fate is superb throughout his novel and enhances the story and to adds to the plot.
Works Cited
Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. Minela: Dover, 1859. Print.
I have overheard words of that woman’s, to-night, which have presented their danger to me in strong colours. I have lost no time, and since then, I have seen the spy” (Dickens 349). Madame Defarge’s knitting creates an atmosphere where the people who are put on her registry are set in danger. As Carton states in the quote, “Denunciation by Madame Defarge”, the reader knows that Madame Defarge is out to kill the people that she knit into her registry. As the novel progresses, the reader can conclude that Madame Defarge is able to communicate to others through her knitting.
The author of A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens, uses a plethora of figurative language and rhetorical devices throughout the novel. Dickens’ reasoning for the use of these types of devices is to make the story not only more enjoyable for the reader, but to also add a more complex understanding to the novel. Using these types of devices will make the person who is reading the novel think about what point Dickens is trying to make, while trying to keep the reader entertained. The figurative language that is being operated throughout the novel gives the plot a more complex understanding that can be hard for many to understand and for people to comprehend the reasoning that Dickens has for writing this novel.
“‘Is that his child?’ said Madame Defarge, stopping in her work for the first time, and pointing her knitting-needle at little Lucie as if it were the finger of Fate.” (Dickens 277). Is Madame Defarge just a scary old woman, about to poke little Lucie’s eyes out with her gargantuan knitting needles, or do Dickens’ words about the “finger of Fate” have more meaning than first meets the eye? Although many people who read Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities come away with the impression that Madame Defarge is just a classic evil figure because all she does is look for revenge, Madame Defarge is also meant to represent the 3 Fates from Greek mythology through her knitting, and through bringing justice to France.
Both Madame Defarge and Fate mark people who are destined to die, which leads further into the French Revolution. Lastly, Dickens presents the statement â€they their very selves [are] closing in around a structure yet unbuilt, where they [are] to sit knitting, knitting, counting dropping headsâ€? to show that in the future, Madame Defarge and her women knit while counting the heads being severed by La Guillotine (187). Another instance of foreshadowing is the revenge of the poor against the aristocrats. When Dickens writes, â€there [is] a flutter in the air that fan[s] Saint Antoine and his devouring hunger far awayâ€? He is referring to the poor people in Saint Antoine such as the Defarges and their death craving towards the aristocrats (113).
These allusions of the Furies, the Gorgons, and the Fates to Greek mythology worked well in Charles Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities to express complex imagery to the reader and to develop the major theme of fate. This theme was shown in all three references, with the Furies inevitable, it could only be stopped by the gods, killing of the sinners, the prophetic gaze of the metaphorical gorgon that waited two hundred years for the Marquis’ death, and the Fates deciding when to end a life. Destiny had to do with the coming of the French Revolution too. Fate and the peasant’s inevitable uprising against the corrupt monarchy that dominated their lives and tried to crush them into submission. Tale of Two Cities was a truly beautiful work, with an enthralling plot and perfectly constructed themes of fate.
On the subject of the French she says, “I am a subject of His Most Gracious Majesty King George the Third and as such, my maxim is, Confound their politics, Frustrate their knavish tricks…God save the King.” (338) Since she is such, she is the perfect foil for Madame Defarge. Madame Defarge epitomizes chaos and violence. With her unrelenting bloodthirstiness and unceasing desire for revenge she symbolizes the intensity and bloodiness of the French Revolution. “The Evrémonde people are to be exterminated, and the wife and child must follow the husband and father.” (418) Madame’s chilling certainty and willingness to kill an innocent mother and child show the hatred that makes up the revolution she personifies and the peasants that were a part of it. Although Madame Defarge and Miss Pross are foils they share a common ground. They both have an uncompromising sense of duty; Miss Pross to Lucie’s safety and happiness, and Madame to a new and better France. They are both willing to do anything for these causes, including lying down their lives. As Miss Pross says, “I don’t care an English Twopence for myself. I know that the longer I keep you here, the greater hope there is for my Ladybird.” (427) Dickens uses these similarities he suggests that even seemingly opposites can have underlying
Foreshadowing is used in many of Charles Dickens' novels. It can bring about a sense of wonder and imagination of what might occur later in the novel. The conceopt of foreshadowing means to present a warning sign, or hint beforehand. Dickens is able to use this concept in three examples. The threatening footsteps in the Manette home, Gaspard's illustration of "blood," and Mr. Lorry's dream of brinnging a man back to life, are all examples of warning or foreshadowing. that Dickens' uses in his novel A Tale of Two Cities.
The French Revolution was a period of radical social and political upheaval, lead by the lower class of France, which began the decline of powerful monarchies in France and the rise of nationalism and democracy. In A Tale Of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens, he highlights these aspects of the war between classes and makes them personal to the reader. Throughout the novel, Dickens’ establishes and develops several symbols in order to help the reader better understand the Revolution and the way people acted during this time. He shows that while emotion, desperation, and irrationality run high, humanity, justice, and morality are scarce. The blue flies, Madame Defarge’s knitting, and the sea are three of Dickens’ symbols that develop his theme of man’s inhumanity to his fellow man throughout the novel.
John Barsad, a spy, is registered into Madame Defarge’s knitting. Barsad notices Madame Defarge’s knitting and asks her if she’ll it for more than just a pastime. Madame Defarge responds with “‘That depends. I may find a use for it one day. If I do---well…..I’ll use it!’” (Dickens 222) This foreshadows that during the revolution, Madame Defarge will use her “knitlist” to target and kill the names mentioned on it. The foreshadowing is used with an instance of dramatic irony because the reader knows the fate of Barsad but the character is oblivious to the real meaning of Madame Defarge’s knitting. This example of foreshadowing is integral to the overall plot because it helps the reader understand that the French Revolution is going to happen soon. The novel’s plot revolves around the revolution, so it prepares the reader that something important is
A symbol that has been reoccuring is the idea that Sydney Carton being a sacrifice for the Darnay and Manette family, going along with the idea of Jesus’ sacrifice in Christian belief. Carton symbolizes the sacrifice to save the lives of the people. Carton represents a sacrificial being who takes the place of Charles Darnay so that society can renew itself and Lucie Manette can be happy. Dickens writes “[Carton] sees the lives for which [he] lays down [his] own life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy, in that England which [he] shall see no more” (Dicken 389). The significance of this quote is to show that Carton has now realized that he must fulfill the promise he made to Lucie in order to save the life she loves. After the death of Sydney Carton, his story is carried on by Lucie and Charles and is told to their children. This can also symbolize the life of Jesus because after his death his story was passed from age to age. Carton’s spirit is also passed on to a child of Lucie’s. The child “bore [his] name.. [and] in that path of life which once was [his]” (Dickens 390). This compares to Jesus as His spirit was resurrected and lives on through Christians by the Holy Spirit. Dickens purpose for the symbolism between Jesus and Carton is to help the reader understand that Sydney Carton is sacrificing himself because of
Lastly and most importantly would be Lucie’s elaborate expression of sentimentality in her constant fainting at the least sign of distress. However unbearable it might have seemed, the reader could not fully appreciate the significance of her character and why she was loved by so many equally sentimental; characters in the novel. When Lucie early on testifies at Darnay’s trial in the English court, she says, “He was kind, and good, and useful to my father. I hope,” and here she bursts into tears, “ I may not repay him by doing him harm here today.” Her deep sensitivity and generous nature shines through. And remember, when Lucie stands forlornly and devotedly at a place near the Paris prison in order for her husband, Darnay, to glimpse her and their child, it is clear that Dickens wanted to portray her as a loving, faithful, and sympathetic person.
Throughout A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens repeats a number of symbols and motifs. By employing these two literary devices throughout the duration of the story, Dickens is working to emphasize the importance of these specific components of the story. Motifs and symbols represent repeating ideas that help the reader to understand, as well as highlight the author’s central idea. Dickens employs the usage of symbols and motifs, such that by using both he adds a layer of significance and deeper meaning to actions, people, as well as objects. Additionally, by using symbols and motifs, Dickens is able to create a story in which both the characters, and the plot are interwoven.
Charles Dickens is a talented author who wrote many notable novels, including A Tale of Two Cities. Barbara Hardy notes that at a young age Dickens’ father was imprisoned for debt, leaving young Charles to support himself and his family alone (47). Dickens strongly disliked prisons, which shows as a motif in A Tale of Two Cities. Many of his interests contributed to the formulation of the novel. In the essay “Introduction” from the book, Charles Dickens, Harold Bloom claims Dickens hoped “to add something to the popular and picturesque means of understanding [the] terrible time” of the Revolution (20). Dickens’ reading and “extraordinary reliance upon Carlyle’s bizarre but effective French Revolution” may have motivated him to write the novel (Bloom 21). Sir James Fitzjames Stephen believed that Dickens was “on the look-out for a subject, determined off-hand to write a novel about [French Revolution]” (Bloom 20). In Brown’s book Dickens in his Time, Dickens guided the writing of the play Frozen Deep where two rivals share the same love, and one ultimately sacrifices himself for...
The French Revolution was a time of unjustified bloodshed among the French nobility and the peasants. Lasting from 1787 to 1799, peasants revolted against the nobility because of unfair treatment and oppression. In A Tale of Two Cities, English writer, Charles Dickens, tells a story of the desperate lives the peasants live and their bloody rebellion against the nobles. In contrast, Dicken's novel also narrates the excessive lives of the aristocracy and their obliviousness to the coming change. The novel has many themes, however among those the most important is the theme of sacrifice. Many characters sacrifice things but the following are the major selfless acts done in the name of love. Charles Darnay’s choice to give up his family’s wealth and nobility, Mrs. Pross’ sacrifice of her ability to hear, and Sydney Carton’s sacrifice of life all support Dicken’s theme of sacrifice for people whom they love in the novel.
Lucie Manette, Dr. Manette and Charles Darnay all experience a sudden and beneficial change of fate with the assistance of other characters. Mr. Lorry reunites Lucie with her father, Dr. Manette, brightening the future of both of them. Lucie, deprived of a father during childhood, suddenly discovers the existence of her father and her golden opportunity to bond with him. Dr. Manette, troubled by years of harsh treatment, begins his once unimaginable path to recovery. Later, Charles Darnay, a prisoner suspected of treason, avoids a highly expected guilty verdict with assistance of his lawyers, Stryver and Carton. Dickens masterfully depicts that one's fate can change at any instant to benefit him. Hopefully, such a sudden and beneficial change of fate will occur to people worldwide, especially to those living in a constant state of fear and