In the final reading of A Tale of Two Cities, I discovered the theme that love conquers all. Towards the end of the novel, there was a somewhat religious aspect added. Before the central focus seemed to be on the government problems between France and England, but at the end, just like in life, love conquers all problems. While reading the last section of the novel, I was reminded of the bible verse 1 Peter 4:8 which states, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
As I predicted, Carton did trade places with Darnay and endure death in order to keep Darnay, Lucie, and little Lucie together as one family. It comes as no surprise that Carton was able to pull off this switch almost flawlessly because it was mentioned many times the striking resemblance between him and Darnay. Darnay is surprised at the act of kindness and sacrifice that Carton is doing, but we as readers should not be surprised, because Carton himself told Lucie in the beginning of the novel that he would do anything to keep her happy, even lay down his life for her.
The sacrifice that Carton performs for Lucie and her family makes him the Christ figure of the novel. Christ figures are typically rejected by others, see things ideally, not realistically, and lay down their life in order to bring new life to others. All of these characteristics clearly pertain to Carton, as he was rejected as a child and even through his work with Stryver, and he died for Darnay so that he and Lucie could live a happy life together. Carton also saw things ideally, which was stated in his final thoughts as he was hanging in the guillotine. Looking out, Carton realized that even though this war took place, soon this will be a beautiful place to live. He sees “livesfor which [he] lays down [his] life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy.” Although some see death as a horrendous punishment, Carton is fully aware that he will have eternal life, for he keeps repeating, “ I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” In the last moments of his life, Carton teaches us that love truly does conquer all, and when people are willing to lay down their life for a friend, the world will be a better place.
“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 know.” –Sydney Carton
Sunday, February 19, 2012
A Tale of Two Cities---Blog 8
Now it is clear that “recalled to life” will transform into “recalled to death.” Carton attempts to reenter Lucie’s life, which would “recall [him] to life,” yet there has been foreshadowing that he will take the place of Darnay and endure death, in which case he will be “recalled to [death].” I think that this motif can be looked at both ways: recalling both life and death. Although I predict that Carton will ultimately suffer death, his sacrifice in turn will recall not only Darnay, but also Lucie, to life. Throughout the past few chapters, while Lucie is stuck in an apartment, it is clear that she is suffering from depression because of the separation between her and her husband. Will Carton keep his promise made earlier in the novel and do whatever it takes in order to keep Lucie happy, or will he have a change of heart?
During the chapter, “The Substance of the Shadow,” we witness a flashback of Darnay and Manette’s lives. The Vengeance shares a letter that was found in Manette’s jail cell. This letter describes the story of the Marquis, and evidence against the Evermonde and Charles. The letter also states that Dr. Manette was imprisoned because he knew that everything stated in the letter happened. Through this flashback, and the foreshadowing in these chapters, I am convinced that Carton will come to save the day by laying down his life for a friend.
During the chapter, “The Substance of the Shadow,” we witness a flashback of Darnay and Manette’s lives. The Vengeance shares a letter that was found in Manette’s jail cell. This letter describes the story of the Marquis, and evidence against the Evermonde and Charles. The letter also states that Dr. Manette was imprisoned because he knew that everything stated in the letter happened. Through this flashback, and the foreshadowing in these chapters, I am convinced that Carton will come to save the day by laying down his life for a friend.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
A Tale of Two Cities---Blog 7
“Recalled to Life” has been a motif throughout the novel, but today, it appears as if this saying may reverse itself. While sitting in the apartment, Lucie hears footsteps. These footsteps go hand in hand with the footsteps that she could always hear outside of her old house. The sound of walking symbolizes the Revolutionaries preparing for attack. When the footsteps finally reach the door, it is clear, the Revolutionaries are ready for battle, and no one will get out easy or maybe even alive. Darnay, who was just recalled to life, got his life taken away again, as he was brought back to prison. The people who came to recapture Darnay state that they were summoned by the Defarges’ to come and get Darnay, because his name was on the list that Madame Defarge “knitted”.
This reading also brought into the plot an abundance of former characters. Upon meeting the characters again, we learn that most of them have a second identity. Solomon, Miss Pross’ brother, is identified as John Barsad, who was involved in Darnay’s trial. He is now in France as a spy. We also meet Roger Cly, who previously faked his death. Since these men have multiple identities, it is proven that people are not always who they say they are. Now, we, as readers, try to correlate the relationships between all of the characters and the significance they will have throughout the rest of the novel. I am left curious, which other previous characters will be “recalled to life” with new identities.
This reading also brought into the plot an abundance of former characters. Upon meeting the characters again, we learn that most of them have a second identity. Solomon, Miss Pross’ brother, is identified as John Barsad, who was involved in Darnay’s trial. He is now in France as a spy. We also meet Roger Cly, who previously faked his death. Since these men have multiple identities, it is proven that people are not always who they say they are. Now, we, as readers, try to correlate the relationships between all of the characters and the significance they will have throughout the rest of the novel. I am left curious, which other previous characters will be “recalled to life” with new identities.
Monday, February 13, 2012
A Tale of Two Cities---Blog 6
In today’s reading, the prevalent motif of “recalled to life” once again rose in the plot. Darnay has been held in captivity for one year and three months, all the while Lucie and little Lucie stay in a nearby apartment. Doctor Manette holds to responsibility to guard the prison that Darnay is in, and because of this, Manette will be informed of anything that is to happen to Darnay. When Doctor Manette was imprisoned for 18 years, it was his daughter Lucie that was able to recall him to life. Now that Lucie’s husband has in a sense, lost his life, Manette is doing anything in his power to “recall [Darnay] to life.”
Throughout these chapters, I saw a common theme of loyalty within the family. In present day culture, family is a place of trust, love, and loyalty, and the Manette/Darnay family is a prime example of how families should bond together. Although Darnay has a bloodline that was responsible for Manette’s imprisonment, when it comes down to Darnay’s life being saved, and Lucie’s happiness, Manette is willing to sacrifice anything. Loyalty is also shown when Lucie returns to the same street corner every day for two hours, rain or shine, in order for her husband to get a quick glace of her. Lucie wasn’t sure if her husband was always able to see her, but her loyalty to him overpowered anything else. Not even prison would keep the two apart. The window is a symbol of how life is seen through certain people’s eyes. For example, Darnay can see out the window and look at the world beneath him, but it is impossible for Lucie to see into his world and envision his struggles.
When Darnay goes on trial, he is deemed a free man. Although this seems like a positive thing for the family because they are reunited, there is still bad to come. As Darnay walks home, the streets are “covered in snow.” Seasons of the year represent the circle of life, and winter is the part of the cycle that represents death. Since Darnay was released from captivity, how will his life actually come to an end?
Throughout these chapters, I saw a common theme of loyalty within the family. In present day culture, family is a place of trust, love, and loyalty, and the Manette/Darnay family is a prime example of how families should bond together. Although Darnay has a bloodline that was responsible for Manette’s imprisonment, when it comes down to Darnay’s life being saved, and Lucie’s happiness, Manette is willing to sacrifice anything. Loyalty is also shown when Lucie returns to the same street corner every day for two hours, rain or shine, in order for her husband to get a quick glace of her. Lucie wasn’t sure if her husband was always able to see her, but her loyalty to him overpowered anything else. Not even prison would keep the two apart. The window is a symbol of how life is seen through certain people’s eyes. For example, Darnay can see out the window and look at the world beneath him, but it is impossible for Lucie to see into his world and envision his struggles.
When Darnay goes on trial, he is deemed a free man. Although this seems like a positive thing for the family because they are reunited, there is still bad to come. As Darnay walks home, the streets are “covered in snow.” Seasons of the year represent the circle of life, and winter is the part of the cycle that represents death. Since Darnay was released from captivity, how will his life actually come to an end?
A Tale of Two Cities---Week 5
While reading this week’s assignment, the thought kept running through my head that your past experiences shape you into the person you are, and no matter how hard you may try, erasing the past is impossible.
The first line in the novel that made me have this though was when the prisoners were being compared to the cask of wine breaking outside of Defarge’s wine shop and the author stated, “they are not easily purified when once stained red.” At this point, the narrator is simply talking about the prisoners, but I immediately thought of Darnay. Darnay comes from a bloodline that he is not proud of, but can his pride be saved by changing his name? Although Darnay was able to change his façade by using an alias, Darnay is never able to truly change who he is on the inside.
After Lucie and Doctor Manette find out that Darnay has teturned to his homeland, they go after him in an attempt to save his life. They go to newest branch of Tellson’s bank and find Mr. Lorry. Lorry sends Lucie and little Lucie to the back and explains to Doctor Manette the truth about what is happening: the prisoners are going to be killed soon. When Doctor Manette leaves the bank to try to salvage Darnay’s life, it is noted that the “calm morning air [had] a red upon it that the sun had never given, and would never take away.” The imagery created when the sun casts red over the land foreshadows that soon the ground outside the bank will be covered in blood. The question remains, will this blood be Darnay’s, or not?
In the past, there have been constant references to darkness in the novel, symbolizing tragedy and death, but this week, the color usage switched to red. Red symbolizes not only blood, but also courage. Through this week, the only use for the color red has been to symbolize blood, because the war has officially broken out. Will the use of the color red soon switch over to mean courage? Will there be an unseen hero who comes to save either Darnay or Lucie?
The first line in the novel that made me have this though was when the prisoners were being compared to the cask of wine breaking outside of Defarge’s wine shop and the author stated, “they are not easily purified when once stained red.” At this point, the narrator is simply talking about the prisoners, but I immediately thought of Darnay. Darnay comes from a bloodline that he is not proud of, but can his pride be saved by changing his name? Although Darnay was able to change his façade by using an alias, Darnay is never able to truly change who he is on the inside.
After Lucie and Doctor Manette find out that Darnay has teturned to his homeland, they go after him in an attempt to save his life. They go to newest branch of Tellson’s bank and find Mr. Lorry. Lorry sends Lucie and little Lucie to the back and explains to Doctor Manette the truth about what is happening: the prisoners are going to be killed soon. When Doctor Manette leaves the bank to try to salvage Darnay’s life, it is noted that the “calm morning air [had] a red upon it that the sun had never given, and would never take away.” The imagery created when the sun casts red over the land foreshadows that soon the ground outside the bank will be covered in blood. The question remains, will this blood be Darnay’s, or not?
In the past, there have been constant references to darkness in the novel, symbolizing tragedy and death, but this week, the color usage switched to red. Red symbolizes not only blood, but also courage. Through this week, the only use for the color red has been to symbolize blood, because the war has officially broken out. Will the use of the color red soon switch over to mean courage? Will there be an unseen hero who comes to save either Darnay or Lucie?
Sunday, February 5, 2012
A Tale of Two Cities---Week 4
This week, Lucie Manette and Charles Darnay are united in marriage. Events happen surrounding this marriage that have left me wondering how long this relationship will actually last. Will Darnay have to leave Miss Manette because of his true identity, or will love surpass all other issues?
On the day of the wedding, Darnay and Doctor Manette are in the doctor’s room together. When the door is opened, Darnay emerges “deadly pale-which had not been the case when they went in together.” The look of death that overshadows Darnay symbolizes the fact that he told Doctor Manette his true identity. As stated earlier in the novel, Doctor Manette told Darnay to wait until the day of the wedding to reveal his identity because he didn’t really want to know the truth. After Darnay and Manette had the conversation about waiting until the wedding day to reveal Darnay’s true identity, Manette regressed psychologically and went back to making shoes. Similarly, after Darnay and Lucie were off on their honeymoon, Doctor Manette made shoes for the entirety of nine days and nine nights. The regression demonstrates how Doctor Manette’s mind has not fully healed the scars of his past; instead, he simply masks the pain with other problems, until he is reminded of his imprisonment.
When Doctor Manette returns to his normal self, Mr. Lorry questions him about someone who frequently goes back to the past in order to mask pain. Thinking that Mr. Lorry is speaking of just an ordinary friend, Manette tells him that, “I should hope that the worst is over” and there will be no more regressions. With more questioning, Lorry in a roundabout way convinces Manette that it would be best to take the “tools” used for the persons regression away. With Manette’s approval, Miss Pross and Mr. Lorry destroy all of Manette’s shoemaking tools and workbench.
Just hours after Charles Darnay and Lucie return home from their honeymoon, Sydney Carton arrives at their house to bid them congratulations. While visiting, Carton takes an opportunity to talk to Darnay in private. Carton sincerely apologizes to Darnay for all that he had done while intoxicated the night of the trial. At the end of their conversation, Carton asks for permission to “come and go as a privileged here; that I might be regarded as a useless (and I would add, if it were not for the resemblance I detected between you and me, an unornamented) piece of furniture, tolerated for its old service, and taken no notice of.” Upon first reading this, I thought it was normal to ask permission to come over from time to time since Carton is trying to restore a ruined friendship. When I reread this part of the novel, I noticed the mention to the similarities in resemblance between Carton and Darnay. This makes me question if something will happen to Lucie that makes her fall in love with Carton over Darnay, since they are similar in looks. When Carton leaves, Lucie says to Darnay,
“I would ask you, dearest, to be very generous with him always, and very lenient on his faults when he is not by. I would ask you to believe that he has a heart he very, very seldom reveals, and that there are deep wound in it. My dear, I have seen it bleeding.”
With this statement by Lucie, and Carton’s statment in the earlier chapters that he would do anything for Lucie, makes me believe that at some point, the relationships between these three characters will change.
On the day of the wedding, Darnay and Doctor Manette are in the doctor’s room together. When the door is opened, Darnay emerges “deadly pale-which had not been the case when they went in together.” The look of death that overshadows Darnay symbolizes the fact that he told Doctor Manette his true identity. As stated earlier in the novel, Doctor Manette told Darnay to wait until the day of the wedding to reveal his identity because he didn’t really want to know the truth. After Darnay and Manette had the conversation about waiting until the wedding day to reveal Darnay’s true identity, Manette regressed psychologically and went back to making shoes. Similarly, after Darnay and Lucie were off on their honeymoon, Doctor Manette made shoes for the entirety of nine days and nine nights. The regression demonstrates how Doctor Manette’s mind has not fully healed the scars of his past; instead, he simply masks the pain with other problems, until he is reminded of his imprisonment.
When Doctor Manette returns to his normal self, Mr. Lorry questions him about someone who frequently goes back to the past in order to mask pain. Thinking that Mr. Lorry is speaking of just an ordinary friend, Manette tells him that, “I should hope that the worst is over” and there will be no more regressions. With more questioning, Lorry in a roundabout way convinces Manette that it would be best to take the “tools” used for the persons regression away. With Manette’s approval, Miss Pross and Mr. Lorry destroy all of Manette’s shoemaking tools and workbench.
Just hours after Charles Darnay and Lucie return home from their honeymoon, Sydney Carton arrives at their house to bid them congratulations. While visiting, Carton takes an opportunity to talk to Darnay in private. Carton sincerely apologizes to Darnay for all that he had done while intoxicated the night of the trial. At the end of their conversation, Carton asks for permission to “come and go as a privileged here; that I might be regarded as a useless (and I would add, if it were not for the resemblance I detected between you and me, an unornamented) piece of furniture, tolerated for its old service, and taken no notice of.” Upon first reading this, I thought it was normal to ask permission to come over from time to time since Carton is trying to restore a ruined friendship. When I reread this part of the novel, I noticed the mention to the similarities in resemblance between Carton and Darnay. This makes me question if something will happen to Lucie that makes her fall in love with Carton over Darnay, since they are similar in looks. When Carton leaves, Lucie says to Darnay,
“I would ask you, dearest, to be very generous with him always, and very lenient on his faults when he is not by. I would ask you to believe that he has a heart he very, very seldom reveals, and that there are deep wound in it. My dear, I have seen it bleeding.”
With this statement by Lucie, and Carton’s statment in the earlier chapters that he would do anything for Lucie, makes me believe that at some point, the relationships between these three characters will change.
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