Dickens was a great author as demonstrated by the way he employed the literary devices of setting, foreshadowing, and imagery, in A Tale of Two Cities. The reoccurring themes and symbols throughout the novel enhance the reading and keep the reader engaged. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is also a suspenseful novel, tying numerous characters together between London and Paris during the French Revolution. There are many symbols and themes throughout the book, but the theme that made this book most meaningful in my judgment is the theme of sacrifice in the name of love. This theme was represented through symbols, where characters in this novel risked and even took their lives for their loved ones. The theme of sacrificing in the name of love is greatly established throughout the novel by the reoccurring symbols being the golden thread, the fountain, and the shadow.
The golden thread is the name given for Lucie throughout A Tale of Two Cities because of her genuine morals and love for others. Before Lucie goes to claim her father, she states, “…trembling with eagerness to lay the special face upon her warm young breast, and love it back to life and hope” (Dickens 32). Lucie quickly finds out she is going to bring her father home and wants to restore his life, love, and hope. In their emotional reunion, Lucie shows her love immediately, “His cold white head mingled with her radiant hair, which warned and lighted it as though it were the light of Freedom shining on him” (34). In Latin, Lucie means "light" and Lucie literally brings her father to the light of freedom. Lucie begins a whole new life taking care of him and sacrificing everything she has to restore him to full recovery. It will takes years for him to reach fu...
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...rsad, Lorry, Ms. Pross, Dr. Manette, Carton, and others to defend and sacrifice for Lucie.
Dickens uses the symbols of the golden thread, the fountain, and the shadow to illustrate a central theme in this novel: sacrifice in the name of love. The golden thread is Lucie, the Fountain represents life, and the Shadow as Madame Defarge, bring together the theme, characters, and plot of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. After all the hardships Lucie has endured, she is loved and protected by the end of the novel. All the loving people surrounding her do selfless acts for her and her family. By using all of the literary terms, through theme and symbols, Dickens ties together the plot and all of the characters. The many different ways the characters sacrifice in the name of love, and Dickens' use of powerful symbols combine to make this a very moving and interesting book.
To support a major theme of this novel, scarecrows and birds of fine song and feather, wine and knitting, all represent the theme of man’s inhumanity toward his fellow man. The Revolution was a tragically devastating time full of senseless and meaningless violence, deception of neighbors as well as treason towards the government, and blissful ignorance of the surroundings. Many scenes and dialogue from this novel point out what contributed to make the revolution a period of intense political destruction. In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens includes many themes pertaining to the French Revolution and the moralities and immoralities that go with violence, betrayal, and ignorance, by using many different types of symbolism. Works Cited A Tale of Two Cities
The French Revolution is a war between the peasants and the aristocrats. A Tale of Two Cities is by Charles Dickens and is set in England and France from 1775-1793. The French Revolution is starting to come about because the French peasants are trying to model their revolution after the American Revolution. King Louis XVI of France supported the colonists in the American Revolution; therefore, it is ironic that he does not help the poor, distressed, and oppressed peasants in France. The peasants are trying to rise against the oppressive aristocrats because the rich are unfeeling and mean towards the poor serfs. In A Tale of Two Cities, the symbols help represent the theme of man’s inhumanity toward his fellow man because the symbol of the scarecrows and birds of fine song and feather is helpful in understanding the differences between the poor and the rich, the Gorgon’s head is meaningful because it shows that change needs to occur, and the knitting is insightful because one learns that evil can come out of good intentions.
Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities during his time of fascination with the French Revolution. The French Revolution was a time of inequity. There are many occasions in the novel where the problems of the Revolution are displayed. The human race is shown at its worst. Throughout the novel, man’s inhumanity towards fellow man, whether from a different social class or their own neighborhood, is shown through the metaphors of wine symbolizing blood, water symbolizing life, and blue flies symbolizing townspeople buzzing around death.
Charles Dickens writes this book explaining the French Revolution, in which the social and economic systems in France had huge changes and the French monarchy collapsed. This causes high taxes, unfair laws, and the poor being mistreated. Charles Dickens shows that cruelty of other people will lead to a revolution and in addition to the revolution more cruelty will occur. He explores the idea of justice and violence through the use of ambiguous characters with positive and negative qualities, meaning that they have to different sides to them; for example, Charles Darnay, Sydney Carton, and Dr. Manette. Throughout the story of A Tale of Two Cities, Charles dickens uses ambiguous characters to shows how violence and cruelty can be stopped through the power of true sacrifice.
The theme of sacrifice is portrayed in A Tale of Two Cities in several ways through the actions of Dr. Manette, Mr. Defarge, and Sydney Carton, but all acts of sacrifice display audacity and show how much love and compassion there must be for that person. Giving up something or risking your life for another person or name is one of the hardest and bravest acts a person can do. Dr. Manette, Mr. Defarge, and Sydney Carton’s actions showed just how much they love Lucie Manette and their acts of sacrifice showed how they would do anything to please her. Sacrificing yourself or your name for someone not only lets you achieve inner happiness, but shows how courageous a person must be to do so.
A Tale of two cities is a compelling tale written by Charles Dickens. The tale takes place in London and Paris. Main characters Dr. Manette, Lucie Manette, Charles Darnay, Sydney Carton, and the Defarges are chronicled before the French Revolution and when the revolution begins throughout France. The author Charles Dickens explores the economic disparity between rich and poor within in the two cities and topics during enlightenment such as revolution in political thinking. In addition to establishing the time period Charles Dickens explores themes such as true friendship and love. What makes this story great is the use of the supporting characters such as Jarvis Lorry, Jerry Cruncher, Mr. Stryver, and Marquis Evrémonde to really develop the story and connect it all together.
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.
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 ...
Sacrifices are often made to strengthen bonds, and no other bond in the novel is stronger than the one that Lucie Mannette shares with her father , Dr. Manette. Indeed, Lucy has gone to great lengths to ensure that their bond stays strong. In the opening chapters of the novel, Lucie, in hopes that her pleas can cure her father’s insanity, devotes herself to Dr. Manette wholeheartedly, disregarding any personal desires of her own. She promises her father that if, “ ..I hint to you of a home there is before us, I will be true to you with all my duty.” (46) Lucie’s undying devotion to her father is a clear example of how one person’s sacrifice can inspire life in another.
any sacrifice to her or anyone dear to her. Lucie was the main reason for bringing out the
Dr. Manette is resurrected, or recalled to life, multiple times in A Tale of Two Cities. Lucie Manette, Dr. Manette’s daughter, always helps in saving him. Dr. Manette’s story begins with him being imprisoned in the Bastille. He gets out after eighteen years and stays at Monsieur Defarge, an old servant’s house. This is where Lucie meets him for the first time. She instantly tries to help save him. She insists on taking him out of Paris with her to keep him safe. He goes with her to a court hearing for Charles Darnay, where she speaks in court and he is acquitted. Charles and Lucie fall in love and plan to get married. On their wedding day Charles has a private conversation with Dr. Manette. During this conversation he tells Dr. Manette his real name, Charles Evrémonde. The next day, Mr. Lorry discovers that Dr. Manette has a relapse and is making shoes, as he did in prison. This relapse lasts nine days and nine nights. Afterwards, Mr. Lorry tells Dr. Manette that he has to get rid of his shoe making tools. Dr. Manette is hesitant until Mr. Lorry brings up Lucie saying, “‘I would recommend him to sacrifice it. Come! Give me your authority, like a dear good man. For his daughter’s sake, my dear Manette’… ‘In her name, then, let it be done.’”(232). This shows that Lucie is the only thing he cares about. In this way Lucie saved him as well. These are two w...
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.
From the beginning of the novel, Lucie is willing to make sacrifices to take care of her family and keep the bond between them strong. Lucie’s first life-altering sacrifice begins when she realizes that her father, thought to be dead, is alive. While discussing Lucie’s father, Mr. Lorry says to Lucie, “Your father has been taken to the house of an old servant in Paris, and we are going there: I, to identify him if I can: you, to restore him to life, love, duty, rest, comfort” (Dickens 29). Given this information from Mr. Lorry, Lucie recognizes that her jaded father needs her help in order to return to a normal life. This requires great sacrifice, but, later in the novel, Lucie also takes on the task of caring for the rest of her family. While quietly sitting in her house, listening to footsteps, Lucie is “Ever busily winding the golden thread that bound them all together, weaving the service of her happy influence through the tissue of all their lives, and making it predominate nowhere” (Dickens 216). Lucie’s “golden thread” is the single thing holding the family together, keeping peace and eliciting happiness through her sacrifices. She is able to bring her father out of madness an...
Lucie Manette, daughter of Dr. Manette and the perfect wife of Charles Darnay. Her strength could be derived from her early life and upbringing by Miss Pross. To Charles Darnay, she is the ideal wife. She even fights Madame Defarge when she exclaims ' “As a wife and mother…I implore you to have pity on me and not to exercise power that you possess against my innocent husband, but use it in his behalf. O sister-woman, think of me. As a wife and mother!"(278) This strong yet very compassionate woman is able to confront Madame Defarge who she clearly fears, especiall...
The classic novel, “Great Expectations,” by the highly respected and well-known author Charles Dickens has many symbolic items masked within its text. Each of the characters that make up the story represent a certain aspect of human nature, supporting the idea that everyone has both good and bad qualities in themselves and things that are important to a person’s life can greatly influence the character of a person as a whole, and how that in turn affects others around them.