For the past few weeks, a motif throughout the novel has been “recalled to life.” This week, though, I noticed a continuous reference to “night,” “darkness,” and grey or black colors in the first few chapters. The continuous references to nighttime and darkness seems to portray the complete opposite effect of “recalled to life.” This left me wondering, will there be a change in happenings in this week’s reading?
In the last chapter of the reading, The Honest Tradesman, it is finally revealed what Jerry Cruchner’s secret business is. Although Dickens alluded to this “business” through the constant references to “dig” and “digging,” it is just now that we find out Mr. Cruncher is a grave digger. Now it is easy to connect the “mud on his boots” and “rust” on his fingers come from digging graves in the middle of the night.
During this chapter, Jerry states to his family that he will be going out that night to go “fishing.” Young Jerry, curious of his dad’s explorations, asks if he can go along. Of course the answer is “no.” That night, Young Jerry sneaks out of the house and follows his father into the darkness. Ending up at the cemetery by the church, Young Jerry is terrified. He then witnesses his father and 3 other men “fishing” up the dirt and grass. Young Jerry knows what is about to come next, so when he hears the men unscrewing the casket, he takes off running back home. On the way home, Young Jerry dreams, or fears, that the casket with the dead man inside of it is chasing him. This internal fear or dream that Young Jerry has is possibly foreshadowing his soon to be involvement with this “business.” After all, when Dickens personifies a casket to be running, isn’t the casket/person being recalled to life?
The next morning Jerry Chruncher states that there will be “no fish for breakfast.” This signifies that his night job didn’t go as planned. Maybe this night “business” that Mr. Cruncher tends to isn’t actually worth it, because it seems that someone is now beating him to the grave. Will he have a change of heart, or keep with his “business?”
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
A Tale of Two Cities---Week 2
Throughout the first two readings, there have been the motifs of “recalled to life” and “digging.” Last week, this theme first developed when Mr. Lorry had a dream that he “recalled” a man to life after he was “dead” for 18 years. Just a few days later, Mr. Lorry is summoned to reunite Lucie Manette and her father after he has been in captivity for 18 years.
After consistently seeing “recalled to life” or “digging,” it is obvious that Mr. Lorry’s “business” is not typical business carried out in a bank setting. Tellson’s bank is depicted as “very small, very dark, very ugly, and very incommodious, [with] dingy windows.” The use of color makes the bank appear ambiguous. Through the imagery of “dingy windows,” Dickens creates an area of seclusion, because not only can no one see in the building, but also, the workers cannot see outside. People question Mr. Lorry on what it is that he actually does during the work day, and his answer always seems to be that it is “strictly business.”
During the majority of this week’s reading, the setting is at the trial of Charles Darnay. Mr. Lorry, Doctor Manette, and Lucie Manette are all witnesses on this trial. With the death sentence hovering above him, Miss Manette is able to convince the jury that Darnay is not guilty. When Mr. Darnay is found “not guilty,” it again refers to being “recalled to life.”
Later on, Mr. Carton and Mr. Darnay cause trepidation as they describe the “D.I.C” that they found carved into the North Tower at the prison. They continue with their story and reveal that the letters were actually “D.I.G” and instead of being initials, actually meant “dig.” After this story is told, Doctor Manette begins to get sick and has sweat like “rain drops” dripping down his head. The nervousness that Doctor Manette displays makes it pellucid that he is involved with these carvings. The reference, once again, to “dig” shows the nexus between Mr. Lorry and Doctor Manette: they participate in the same “business.”
At the very end of the reading, a young child is left dead in the street, and I must question, will this child be the next one “recalled to life?”
After consistently seeing “recalled to life” or “digging,” it is obvious that Mr. Lorry’s “business” is not typical business carried out in a bank setting. Tellson’s bank is depicted as “very small, very dark, very ugly, and very incommodious, [with] dingy windows.” The use of color makes the bank appear ambiguous. Through the imagery of “dingy windows,” Dickens creates an area of seclusion, because not only can no one see in the building, but also, the workers cannot see outside. People question Mr. Lorry on what it is that he actually does during the work day, and his answer always seems to be that it is “strictly business.”
During the majority of this week’s reading, the setting is at the trial of Charles Darnay. Mr. Lorry, Doctor Manette, and Lucie Manette are all witnesses on this trial. With the death sentence hovering above him, Miss Manette is able to convince the jury that Darnay is not guilty. When Mr. Darnay is found “not guilty,” it again refers to being “recalled to life.”
Later on, Mr. Carton and Mr. Darnay cause trepidation as they describe the “D.I.C” that they found carved into the North Tower at the prison. They continue with their story and reveal that the letters were actually “D.I.G” and instead of being initials, actually meant “dig.” After this story is told, Doctor Manette begins to get sick and has sweat like “rain drops” dripping down his head. The nervousness that Doctor Manette displays makes it pellucid that he is involved with these carvings. The reference, once again, to “dig” shows the nexus between Mr. Lorry and Doctor Manette: they participate in the same “business.”
At the very end of the reading, a young child is left dead in the street, and I must question, will this child be the next one “recalled to life?”
Monday, January 16, 2012
A Tale of Two Cities---Week 1
“A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens, the narrator states,
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…”
Not only does this introduction assist the reader in better understanding the hardships before the French Revolution, but it also establishes the fact that for every positive part of life, there is also a negative. In the quote above, there are comparisons of light and darkness, and Heaven and Hell. This reiterates that although at one point, life may seem full of “light” and “Heavenly,” there will sure be darkness to follow.
In the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to Jarvis Lorry. Throughout the course of this week’s reading, repetition for effect is frequently used. At one point in the novel, Mr. Lorry dreams that he “digs” a man out of his grave that has been “buried for eighteen years.” This dream and repetition foreshadows how Mr. Lorry will assist Miss Mannette, an orphan who has not seen her father in “eighteen years,” in making sure her dad is “recalled to life.”
When Mr. Lorry and Miss Mannette go to the garret where Mr. Mannette is at, he is unable to see what is standing right in front of him. Although he is not physically blind, he has been secluded for “eighteen years” and is unable to see anything outside of what he normally sees. Ironically, when they enter the room, Mr. Mannette is constructing a little “girls shoe,” as if he is stuck in the past waiting for his little girl to come home. Now that she is in his presence again, he doesn’t see her, or initially recognize that she is his daughter. This scene is a representation of how humans, in general, fail to see what is right in from of them. Occasionally, we choose to only see what we want to see. Mr. Mannette finally begins to see the bigger picture once his daughter speaks to him, and pulls him close to her. Sometimes in life, everyone needs help stepping outside of their comfort zone, and that is just what Mr. Lorry helped Miss Mannette do, and what Miss Mannette helped her father do.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…”
Not only does this introduction assist the reader in better understanding the hardships before the French Revolution, but it also establishes the fact that for every positive part of life, there is also a negative. In the quote above, there are comparisons of light and darkness, and Heaven and Hell. This reiterates that although at one point, life may seem full of “light” and “Heavenly,” there will sure be darkness to follow.
In the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to Jarvis Lorry. Throughout the course of this week’s reading, repetition for effect is frequently used. At one point in the novel, Mr. Lorry dreams that he “digs” a man out of his grave that has been “buried for eighteen years.” This dream and repetition foreshadows how Mr. Lorry will assist Miss Mannette, an orphan who has not seen her father in “eighteen years,” in making sure her dad is “recalled to life.”
When Mr. Lorry and Miss Mannette go to the garret where Mr. Mannette is at, he is unable to see what is standing right in front of him. Although he is not physically blind, he has been secluded for “eighteen years” and is unable to see anything outside of what he normally sees. Ironically, when they enter the room, Mr. Mannette is constructing a little “girls shoe,” as if he is stuck in the past waiting for his little girl to come home. Now that she is in his presence again, he doesn’t see her, or initially recognize that she is his daughter. This scene is a representation of how humans, in general, fail to see what is right in from of them. Occasionally, we choose to only see what we want to see. Mr. Mannette finally begins to see the bigger picture once his daughter speaks to him, and pulls him close to her. Sometimes in life, everyone needs help stepping outside of their comfort zone, and that is just what Mr. Lorry helped Miss Mannette do, and what Miss Mannette helped her father do.
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