Unconditional Love, Forgiveness, and Mercy towards Enemies
In biblical context, Christ holds no grudges. His teachings involve the idea of forgiving one as often as he repents and requests pardon, showing mercy as many times as 7 times 70 (Matt. 18:21-22). An emphasis is placed on the notion that one’s own forgiveness is contingent on his ability to forgive his brother. It is also expressed that by forgiving our debtors and forgiving others of their trespasses (Matt. 6:12-15), do we allow ourselves a chance to be forgiven. This lesson is echoed through Christ to his disciples. He forbids his followers to house grudges in their spirits, for it results in bitterness, spite, and hatred. This conduct demonstrates the Christly attitude one should hold towards his enemies.
Christ was kind to those who persecuted him. In fact, one of the things that condemned him to a great deal of enemies was the omnipresent kindness that he administered towards those whom were generally shown cruelty. In Luke 15:1-2, The Pharisees condemn Jesus for dining with sinners. They are appalled at his uncommon manner towards such people. The criticism highlights an important characteristic of Christ—that he did not look down on those who were in sin, yet use his abilities to help them. Another example is given in John 4 where Christ exhibits kindness towards a Samaritan woman. The Samaritans were considered beneath dirt to the Jews and his kindness shocks her. "How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans" (John 4:9). He is not hostile to those whom society has deemed his enemy.
In Hugo’s Jean Valjean of Les Miserables, one observes a man nearly broken by the tem...
... middle of paper ...
...seen. Sydney Carton, therefore, would be an exemplary disciple to this. It is Sydney Carton's unmatched love for Lucie results in giving up the ultimate sacrifice—his life. Fufilling his promise to Lucie, Carton trades places with Charles Darnay, a man he despises, on his execution day, sparing Darnay’s life but ending his own. His death enables the woman he loves to be with the life she loves.
The scene of Carton climbing to his execution, redeemed from his immoral ways as he sacrifices this life so that his beloved Lucie can live happily with her husband and child, places Sydney Carton as a Christ-like figure. While there is the hope of redemption for Carton, the hope that he will be remembered fondly, he still makes the ultimate sacrifice, just as Christ has done. Many a reader recognizes the heroism of Carton and is touched emotionally by this last passage.
He paid the highest cost of sacrifice with his life. A biblical allusion can be seen because Carton can represent Jesus Christ and the famous wine scene shows the blood of Jesus and how France is corrupted. Carton described Darnay as “a dissolute dog who has never done any good, and never will.” However, he sacrificed his life for him and his family. This enforces the idea that Carton is similar is a an allusion to Jesus because Jesus sacrificed his life for the people who treated him poorly. However, Carton shows in the passage how he is envious of Darnay. He feels that Darnay is controlling what he could have possibly controlled which is Lucie’s love. Later, Carton meets Lucie and lets her know that he will do anything for her happiness and her family. the significance in this quotation is that it shows how complex Carton’s character is unlike what is shown in the passage as being fragile and has a lot of mood
During the final event of the book, Carton sacrifices his life. He saves Darnays life purely for the happiness of Lucie. Carton drugs Darnay and Barsad takes him to the carriage outside where his family is waiting.
Sidney Carton’s conversation with Lucie Manette is an example of foreshadowing. Mr. Carton confesses to Lucie that he loves her and also states, “ For you, and any dear to you, I would do anything” (Dickens 117). Even though Carton does not distinctly know that he will be sacrificing his life, this phrase foreshadows the ending of the novel, which requires Mr. Carton sacrificing himself to save Darnay. In the chapter when Mr. Carton and Charles Darnay are switching places, Sidney Carton has Darnay write to Lucie, “’I am thankful that the time has come, when I can prove them. That I do so is no subject for regret or grief’” (Dickens 273). Mr. Carton does something for Lucie like he previously stated he would. At the end of the novel, Sidney Carton feels like he achieved and fulfilled his purpose in life by saving Darnay for Lucie.
Dr. Manette is imprisoned in the French Bastille for eighteen years by the cruel French government and unknown to him those many years of pain and suffering serve as a great sacrifice in the eyes of the Revolutionists. He is recalled to life from the time he served when he meets Lu...
When Carton is being taken to the guillotine, he meets a young seamstress who was imprisoned with Darnay. She soon discovers that Carton is not actually Darnay, ““Are you dying for him?” she whispered. “And his wife and child. Hush! Yes.”” (Dickens 365). Caron is asked by the seamstress if he is sacrificing himself for Darnay. Carton replies that he is, but also for Darnay’s wife and child, Lucie and little Lucie. This shows why Carton is sacrificing himself. Carton, though he is saving Darnay’s life, is ultimately giving his life to save Lucie and her child, as well as the future children she and Darnay will have. His love for Lucie is the true reason he commits such an act of self-violence. Sydney Carton’s sacrifice is heroic because he willingly gives his life to save Darnay’s and to preserve the happiness of his family (Keck). Carton is ultimately driven by his love for the Manette family, and his desire to protect them and the love they have for one another. Though Sydney Carton is seemingly a failure, “his redeeming grace is his love for Lucie, which persuades him to sacrifice himself so that she and her family can escape” (Plot Summary). Again, this shows that Carton’s sacrifice is driven by the love he holds for Lucie. Everything Carton told Lucie he would do for her and her family has ultimately
... by his daughter and he is returned to sanity. Sydney Carton's life is changed from despair to honor. Because of the great change in Carton, Darnay's life is spared. The power of love and determination is clearly exemplified by the resurrection of Dr. Alexander Manette, Sydney Carton, and Charles Darnay.
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.
...ppiness to everyone around him, to Lucy Darnay, Charles Darnay, young Lucy (their daughter) and to Dr. Manette. Carton believed that it was the best thing to do, he believed that by making his loved one happy, he would be loved, he would be satisfied and he would be respected. "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done. It is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known" said Carton (page 466). Sydney Carton had courage; he had physical courage and moral courage. He truly loved Lucy. He understood the real meaning of love. He died for it, for love.
He had a promise to Lucie, and he wasn’t going to disappoint her. Sydney Carton picked up the pieces of his life and became a new man, which allowed him to die with a positive view on life instead of the recently changed negative outlook. His love for Lucie changed him for the better in so many ways and let him experience feelings that he had held inside of him for a long time. He became a compassionate individual and died with a clear conscience.
...he will do anything for her, even die for someone she loves. Lucie recalls Sydney by opening him up to doing something with his life. He later uses this new mindset to save Charles’s life. After Sydney is inspired to make something of his life he vows to do something good. To do this, he dies for Charles Darnay to show his love for Lucie. This is how Sydney Carton is recalled to life.
Be Merciful (Luke 6:31). "Be merciful just as your father is merciful." (Matthew 5:7): "Happy are those who are merciful to others; God will be merciful to them." The passage s teaches us mainly about being merciful to our enemy and God will be merciful toward us. Forgiveness of kind especially toward our enemy. We should not harm others even if they done bad things against us. We should show compassion towards others because if we don't people might not show compassion towards us. The passage told us that Jesus is merciful even towards his enemies. Perfect example of this is forgiving Jusus' enemy when he was put on the cross. Jesus even prayed for them to not punish them.
The best example of resurrection in the entire book, is also partly ironic in that Sydney Carton must die for this resurrection to take place, when he is executed on the guillotine in Paris. However, his death is not in the book as Dicken's idea of poetic justice, as in the case of the villains, but rather as a divine reward. This is displayed when Carton decides to sacrifice himself by dying on the guillotine instead of Darnay, with "I am the Resurrection and the life." This theme of resurrection appears earlier on with Carton's prophecy, where he envisions a son to be born to Lucie and Darnay, a son who will bear Carton's name. Thus he will symbolically be reborn through Lucie and Darnay's child. This vision serves another purpose, though. In the early parts of the novel, Lucie and Darnay have a son, who dies when he is a very young child.
The character who goes through moral conversion to the greatest extent is Sydney Carton. Sydney is a frustrated alcoholic who does not really seem to care too much about life, because life for him has not been too good. His moral conversion begins the first time his eyes see Lucie Manette, the beautiful young daughter of Dr. Alexander Manette. This occurs during the first trial of Charles
The theme of sacrifice for others is very well exemplified by Dickens’ characters. Lorry’s dedication to the Manettes, Lucie’s care for her father, and Carton’s love all prove that these kinds of sacrifices are important and extremely influential. Dickens develops the theme of sacrifice throughout the novel, which begins with Mr. Lorry giving his time to reunite Lucie with her father, and ends with Carton giving his life so someone else can keep theirs. Though these other sacrifices are important, Carton’s is the ultimate and most memorable. In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens shows his readers that the best way to show and spread love is through personal sacrifice.
Steven Standiford, chief of surgery at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, says that unforgiveness can make people sick. Emotional wounds are more harmful to our health than we realize. Built up anger will weaken your immune system causing you to feel sick more often. For this reason, we must make forgiveness a lifestyle rather than a one-time event. We must learn how to surrender the burden of anger and resentment over to God and allow Him to heal the wounds caused by others. When we forgive from our hearts, we will begin to experience the peace of God in our souls. Unforgiveness is an unnecessary weight that we carry around not realizing that it’s weighing us down and hindering our growth.