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"A Tale of Two Cities": a Theme of Sacrifice in Charles Dickens' Novel

Table of contents, the sacrifice of sydney carton, the sacrifice of madame defarge, the sacrifice of charles darnay, in retrospect.

• Dickens, C. (1859). A tale of two cities. Chapman and Hall.
• Dickens, C. (2014). A tale of two cities. Penguin.
• Johnson, E. (2013). A tale of two cities: Sacrifice as a central theme. In D. P. Jordan (Ed.), Themes in Literature (pp. 87-100). Salem Press.
• Stange, M. (2012). Feminist readings of Madame Defarge: Women and vengeance in A Tale of Two Cities. Nineteenth-Century Gender Studies, 8 (2), 1-23.
• Thompson, L. J. (2016). Dickens's sacrificial heroes: Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay in A Tale of Two Cities. Victorian Literature and Culture, 44 (4), 773-792.

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“The Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens Essay

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The story ‘The Tale of two Cities’ written by Charles Dickens is considered to be dedicated to the disclosure of French Revolution period; it is the classic work representing the archetypal characters through the concepts of good and evil interaction, physical and moral courage. The paper will be concentrated on the analysis of the story central heroes, Charles Darnay, Sydney Carton, Lucie Mannette and Madame Defarge, combining the elements of violence and horror with the romanticism and realism style portrayed by Dickens.

Charles Darnay is depicted by Dickens as a French aristocrat, living in England through his inability to accept the injustice and cruelty of French social system. The character is the embodiment of moral values and greatest virtues by his rejection of uncle Marquis Evremonde’s snobbism. Darnay, who is presented as the protagonist of the story, is the expression of nobility and morality. Moving to London, he marries Lucie Manette and they have a little daughter Lucie.

‘He had loved Lucie Manette from the hour of his danger. He had never heard a sound so sweet and deer as the sound of her compassionate voice; he had never seen a face so tenderly beautiful, as hers when it was confronted with his own on the edge of the grave that had been dug for him.’ (Dickens 131)

The events surrounding the character are filled with envy, evilness and hatred; nevertheless, the power of love and deep moral values make the character remain just and faithful. Dickens depicts Darnay as a flat character; despite this fact, he undergoes only minor changes in the flow of the novel. It is interesting to note that the story beginning shows Darnay as a noble character with aristocratic behavior and fleeing to England.

But gradually then character is turned into a loving husband and devoted father, who is a generous and kind son-in-law and a considerate friend at the same time. His attempts to help the servant can be characterized as naïve and noble gesture making him returning to France at the period of revolution oppression. Being imprisoned and helpless, Darnay has no opportunities to help anyone and himself either. Only the character’s faithfulness and devotion, as well as honors and appreciation, expressed in the world perception and attitude to close people and society saved him through actions of Carton and Dr. Manette. (Chisick, 2000)

Sydney Carton is presented as an unrecognized lawyer and heavy drinker; physically the character resembles Darnay, nevertheless, he is quite different. Carton is shown as worthless human being having no high social position and loving family to who he can devote his life. The loneliness was the only friend of his accompanying the character’s thoughts and actions.

‘I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for me.’ (Dickens, 99)

Nevertheless, it is necessary to stress that Carton never harmed anybody and even strived to provide some help he could. He helped in Darnay’s prosecution for treason allowing his colleague Stryver (a friend, who lacks ambitions and gets success due to Carton’s efforts) to reveal him. Carton’s assistance to people positioned the character as a positive personage; despite Carton’s slight hatred to Darnay through their mutual love with Lucie, he wished to become a friend of his, which characterizes carton as a kind-hearted person.

It is necessary to stress that Dickens managed to demonstrate Carton’s gradual changes in his attitude and position in the world; the novel events underline the idea that carton has got the real sense of life being ready to help others and even sacrifice his life. The depiction of Sydney Carton contributed to the central theme of the novel, underlining the symbolism of moral and physical courage. The readers gave an opportunity to see how people can sacrifice all they have for the only love of their love. Carton’s love for Lucie appeared to be the embodiment of happiness and greatest virtue. (Sims, 2009)

‘Think now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you’ (Dickens, 184)

The fact that Carton gave his life for Darnay, Lucie’s husband, depicted him as a noble, generous, warm-hearted person who believed in the power of love and came to the self conclusion that his life sense was Lucie’s happiness, the only person he lived for. (Stout, 2007)

Lucie Manette seems to be an angel in the world of evilness and hatred; blue eyes and golden hair made the image of this character marvelous attracting attention of all men. Lucie, who is physically and spiritually beautiful, is considered to be ‘lesser developed’ character in the story possessing the best qualities and virtues. The readers have an opportunity to judge Lucie analyzing her actions and attitude to surrounding people, rather than words. She is the inspiration of loyalty and love; her character managed to connect the lives of Darnay, her husband, and Carton, who gave his life for his love to her, in the power of love.

‘I think, Charles, poor Mr. Carton deserves more consideration and respect than you expressed for him to-night… I fear he is not to be reclaimed; there is scarcely a hope that anything in his character or fortunes is reparable now… remember how strong we are in our happiness, and how weak he is in his misery?’ (Dickens 207)

The flatness of Lucie character does not push her to indifferent position in the story; she is an important figure who indirectly symbolizes unconditional compassion and love. It is necessary to stress that dickens uses this character to underline the power of love and spiritual wealth in the atmosphere of hatred and violence. Her rare dialogues in the novel do not make her actions transparent to the readers; the author managed to depict successfully the symbol of kindness and justice, which is also transferred to Lucia’ and Darnay’s daughter.

The character of Madame Defarge is considered to be unrelievedly horrible; she is illustrated as cruel revolutionary combining the features of aristocracy hatred with evilness expressed to everyone interacting with her interests.

‘Madame Defarge was a stout woman…, with a watchful eye that seldom seemed to look at anything, a large hand heavily ringed, a steady face, strong features, and great composure of manner.’ (Dickens 35)

It is necessary to stress that throughout the novel Madame Defarge is busy with making a list of those, who are to die for revolution. The character is depicted as blood-thirsty with the unbounded lust for vengeance. Dickens underlined the fact that Madame Defarge and her family used to suffer cruel oppression, influencing her worldview and attitude to the society.

‘…imbued from her childhood with a brooding sense of wrong, and an inveterate hatred of a class, opportunity had developed her into a tigress.’ (Dickens, 369)

It is necessary to stress that the flow of story events shows Madame Defarge as less than human, characterized by the features of Greek tragedy moral world. The early life experience resulted in the woman moral oppression and internal evilness expressed to people.

The author lets the readers to understand how people, who suffered deprivation and old regime oppression from the very childhood, change their perception of the surrounding environment and react violently to the opportunities they get. Reading ‘The Tale of Two Cities’ provides a clear connection between the people making the Revolution and those, who suffered its conditions. It is necessary to stress that Dickens success fully illustrated a memorable, powerful and chilling character through Madame Defarge depiction, who was concerned about the Revolution flow in England. (Patterson, 2009)

The analysis of four different lives in the story ‘The Tale of two Cities’ written by Charles Dickens gave an opportunity to the reader evaluate the features of the characters living in the same era. The characteristics presented above demonstrate the idea that Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton can be perceived as the dynamic characters, while Lucie Manette and Mrs. Defarge as static ones. Such a position underlines the fact that the author strived to depict female characters for the novel events and mood background, symbolizing the contrast of evil and good, hatred and justice. Dickens managed to centralize these characters even through their rare communicative roles and dialogues, making special stress on dynamism of Darnay and Carton in the play.

The novel ‘The Tale of two Cities’ appeared to be a valuable contribution to the world literature. This masterpiece is generally recognized on the international level, through the author’s successful description of the most important virtues of humanity.

The description of four different lives in one epoch, living under the pressure of old regime and French revolution, disclosed the way in which people can change through weak willed nature and lack of resistance to internal interference. Despite the focus on evil and cruelty promotion, Dickens brightly illustrated the victory of good and justice. The author managed to underline the importance of love, showing how his characters were ready to sacrifice everything they had for human virtues and this great feeling.

Works Cited

Chisick, Harvey “Dickens’ Portrayal of the People in A Tale of Two Cities.” European Legacy 5.5 (2000): 645. MasterFILE Premier . EBSCO. Web.

Dickens, Ch. “A Tale of Two Cities: Easyread Edition”. ReadHowYouWant. 584p. 2009.

Patterson, Frank M. “Dickens’s A tale of Two Cities” Explicator 47.4 (1989): 30. MasterFILE Premier . EBSCO. Web.

Stout, Daniel “Nothing Personal: The Decapitation of Character in A Tale of Two Cities.” Novel: A Forum on Fiction 41.1 (2007): 29. MasterFILE Premier . EBSCO. Web.

Sims, Jennifer S. “Dickens’s A TALE OF TWO CITIES.” Explicator 63.4 (2005): 219. MasterFILE Premier . EBSCO. Web.

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A Tale of Two Cities

Charles dickens, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Tyranny and Revolution

Much of the action of A Tale of Two Cities takes place in Paris during the French Revolution, which began in 1789. In A Tale of Two Cities , Dickens shows how the tyranny of the French aristocracy—high taxes, unjust laws, and a complete disregard for the well-being of the poor—fed a rage among the commoners that eventually erupted in revolution. Dickens depicts this process most clearly through his portrayal of the decadent Marquis St. …

Secrecy and Surveillance

Everybody in A Tale of Two Cities seems to have secrets: Dr. Manette 's forgotten history detailed in his secret letter; Charles 's secret past as an Evrémonde; Mr. Lorry 's tight-lipped attitude about the "business" of Tellson's Bank; Jerry Cruncher 's secret profession; and Monsieur and Madame Defarge 's underground activities in organizing the Revolution. In part, all this secrecy results from political instability. In the clash between the French aristocracy and revolutionaries, both…

Fate and History

Madame Defarge with her knitting and Lucie Manette weaving her "golden thread" both resemble the Fates, goddesses from Greek mythology who literally controlled the "threads" of human lives. As the presence of these two Fate figures suggests, A Tale of Two Cities is deeply concerned with human destiny. In particular, the novel explores how the fates of individuals are shaped by their personal histories and the broader forces of political history. For instance, both Charles …

A Tale of Two Cities is full of examples of sacrifice, on both a personal and national level. Dr. Manette sacrifices his freedom in order to preserve his integrity. Charles sacrifices his family wealth and heritage in order to live a life free of guilt for his family's awful behavior. The French people are willing to sacrifice their own lives to free themselves from tyranny. In each case, Dickens suggests that, while painful in the…

Resurrection

Closely connected to the theme of sacrifice is the promise of resurrection. Christianity teaches that Christ was resurrected into eternal life for making the ultimate sacrifice (his death) for mankind. Near the end of A Tale of Two Cities , Carton remembers a Christian prayer: "I am the resurrection and the life." As he goes to the guillotine to sacrifice himself, Carton has a vision of his own resurrection, both in heaven and on earth…

Imprisonment

In the novel, the Bastille symbolizes the nobility's abuse of power, exemplified by the unjust imprisonment of Dr. Manette by Marquis St. Evrémonde . Yet the Bastille is not the only prison in A Tale of Two Cities . The revolutionaries also unjustly imprison Charles in La Force prison. Through this parallel, Dickens suggests that the French revolutionaries come to abuse their power just as much as the nobility did.

The theme of imprisonment also…

A Tale of Two Cities Themes

Home » Literature Explained – Literary Synopses and Book Summaries » A Tale of Two Cities » A Tale of Two Cities Themes

Main Themes of A Tale of Two Cities

The key element of this story’s setting is that is takes place during the French Revolution. At the beginning of the novel, the social unrest is not much more than a rumbling, but it grows to a crescendo with the storming of the Bastille and the overthrow of France’s aristocracy. The action is split between England and Paris. The intensity of the story’s action takes place in turbulent Paris, whereas England represents a more peaceful and normal way of life. Due to his lineage, Charles Darnay is inevitably swept up in the drama of the French Revolution with no real way out.

This novel has several motifs that add to the overall thematic elements of the story. The motifs speak to the turbulent nature of this time and how harsh reality can feel during war times. Motifs include doubles, shadows and darkness, and imprisonment. These are all dark topics that speak to the violence and destruction that comes along with revolution. Even before the revolution fully ramped up, the novel presents the duality beginning to blossom in all walks of society. The introductory sentence, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” is a classic example of how life can be moving along great for some people and terribly for others. At some point, a struggle will result to achieve balance. For some, this will be a devastating experience—even for innocent individuals.

Themes Overview

The Ripple Effect of Sacrifices

Violence and oppression at the hands of revolutions, the promise of resurrection.

During a revolution, sacrifices are inevitable. Instances of happiness are only able to happen because of a sacrifice. This is true both on a political level and a personal one as well. The revolutionaries made sacrifices—in order for the aristocracy to be overthrown in hopes of an egalitarian future, the revolutionaries had to pay a price. They lost loves, social connections, loyalties, etc. for the hope of a better future.

Carton’s selfless sacrifice to die in Darnay’s place opened the door for Darnay, Lucie, Doctor Manette, and the children to all live a normal life back in England. His choice to die ensures their rebirth, in a sense, because they are able to start anew.

Furthermore, Carton feels reborn right before his death, too, because he finally feels that his life has the purpose he always longed for.  

Overall, one could conclude that Dickens supports the French Revolution, but he also does not hold back in pointing out some of the hypocrisies and evils committed by revolutionaries.

At the end of the day, the revolution could not have happened if revolutionaries didn’t fight the oppression they faced with violence and oppression against their adversaries. His descriptions of the mobs killing the upper-class in the streets are suspicious and negative, showing the dirty details of what this might have looked like in reality, rather than painting it as a glorious triumph. The characters of the Evrémonde brothers, on the other hand, show how cruel and despicable the French leaders were.

The very end of the novel suggests that Carton will be reborn in the hearts of those he died to save—a very Christ-like ideal. Zoom out on a more social and political level, the same idea holds true. The destruction of the old ways in France give way for the country to be reborn under more democratic systems. A beautiful and renewed Paris is promised in the ashes of the destroyed city.

Finally, this can be examined through the character of Doctor Manette. His eighteen-year prison sentence in the Bastille symbolizes death at the hands of the oppressors. However, he is reborn when he is saved by the revolutionaries and given a new shot at life. His individual experience shows what will happen in France, as well.

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The Power of Love in "A Tale of Two Cities"

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Synthesis Essay on the Theme of Sacrifice Vy Nguyen 12th Grade

In Western literature, sacrifice is often regarded as a noble act because it invokes the powerful image of Christ's death. Many writers throughout history have used this familiar association to reprimand the prevalence of selfishness in the human society. As a whole, mankind sees sacrifice solely as a giving and selfless deed. In truth, the act of sacrifice often procures unexpected and valuable rewards in return, as observed in the masterful works of Bronte, Shakespeare, and Dickens. In Jane Eyre, Bronte commends Jane for renouncing desires to protect principles by rewarding the heroine generously at the end. Meanwhile, the prince’s martyrdom in Shakespeare's Hamlet acquires the tragic hero clarity of sight in return. And lastly in A Tale of Two Cities , Dickens entirely elevates the ideal of sacrifice in Sydney Carton's Christ-like death as a noble means to achieve life.

By sacrificing her only love in the name of her principles, Jane Eyre is rewarded with a family and her independence. Prior to the anticipated wedding, Rochester reveals his crafty plan for Jane after their marriage, “. ..I shall seek a cave in one of the white valleys among the volcano-tops , and mademoiselle shall live with me there and only me ” (Bronte 272)....

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — A Tale of Two Cities — A Tale of Two Cities: Resurrection Theme

A Tale of Two Cities: Resurrection Theme

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Published: Jun 29, 2018

Words: 2008 | Pages: 4.5 | 11 min read

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