Examples Of Inhumanity In A Tale Of Two Cities

The French Revolution was a time where people began to think in more liberal and radical ways. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens highlights the radical things that occurred during this time period. The people were upset with how their lives were being controlled by others. This led to their progressive thinking. The more progressive and extreme their thinking became, the more extreme and inhumane their acts became. The inhumanity in A Tale of Two Cities is caused by man’s need to be apart of a group bigger than themselves, man’s entitlement, and man’s hunger for revenge.

A person making decisions based on the decisions of a group he is apart of can cause the person to be inhumane towards others. Examples of a group influencing the decisions

Two examples of the extreme actions that come from logical anger are Gaspard murdering the Marquis and Madame Defarge wanting to kill the Marquis and all of his race in compensation for the death of her sister. Gaspard was the father of the little boy that was killed by the Marquis as he was recklessly riding through the town. The murder of the Marquis is summed up by the following quote: “When Monsieur the Marquis demands that evening, ‘ Say, what is he like?’ I make response, “Tall as a specter’”(128). Gaspard wanting revenge for the death of his son is reasonable but killing the Marquis may have momentarily relieved his suffering, but didn’t benefit him in anyway. Similarly to Gaspard wanting revenge for his dead son, Madame Defarge wants revenge for the death of not only her sister that was raped but her sisters husband, her father, and her brother that all died as an outcome of her sisters situation. As stated previously, the people responsible for the deaths were Charles Darnay’s father and uncle. Madame Defarge is seeking to eliminate the Marquis and his entire race, which includes not only Charles, but also Lucie and little Lucie. The extent to which Madame Defarge will go for revenge is summed up by the following quote: “The shadow attendant on Madame Defarge and her party seemed to fall so threateningly and dark on the child, that her mother instinctively kneeled on the ground beside her, and held her to her breast. The shadow attendant on Madame Defarge and her party seems then to fall, threatening and dark on both the mother and the child” (Dickens 207). Dickens also explains the depth of Madame Defarge’s want for revenge when he says the following: “But when it is ready, it takes place, and it grinds to pieces everything before it” (Dickens 137). Madame Defarge wanting revenge is reasonable but taking her revenge out on