Introduction to “A Tale of Two Cities”
“A Tale of Two Cities” is a historical novel written by Charles Dickens. The novel was published in the year 1859. The story takes place in the period of the French Revolution and includes both London and Paris, hence justifies the name of the novel ‘Two Cities’. The novel unfolds the story of several characters, such as Charles Darnay – a French aristocrat who decides to give up his noble status; Sydney Carton – an accomplished and yet cynical English lawyer; and Lucie Manette – a kind and beautiful woman who becomes a source of hope for others.
The novel expounds the themes of resurrection, sacrifice, social injustice and the destructive power of revenge. The author employs these themes to evaluate the social and political setting of his time. It also indicates the persisting power of love and repentance.
Themes in “A Tale of Two Cities”
Theme#1
Resurrection
Resurrection is one of the most vital theme in the novel. It is one of the recurring themes, which defines the concept of being ‘recalled to life’, both physically and spiritually. The theme is presented in the first chapter with the release of Dr. Manette from the Bastille where he had been confined for eighteen years.
Dr. Manette’s resurgence is evident when he is “recalled to life” by his daughter, Lucie. The following excerpt from the Book 1, Chapter 3, points out this theme:
“A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other. A solemn consideration, when I enter a great city by night, that every one of those darkly clustered houses encloses its own secret; that every room in every one of them encloses its own secret; that every beating heart in the hundreds of thousands of breasts there, is, in some of its imaginings, a secret to the heart nearest it!” (Book 1, Chapter 3)
In the passage, the concept of resurrection has been introduced in a more hidden manner through the concept of the secrets and the secret lives of the people. Dr. Manette is intellectually and emotionally alive only when he is in the cellar where he was imprisoned, and his release is both a return to the world and the recreation of his personality.
This is because through; love and care of Lucie, he is able to get back on his feet from the trauma of his imprisonment, a symbol of how love can bring life back.
Theme#2
Sacrifice
The theme of sacrifice is evident in the novel especially in the Sydney Carton’s character trait. Carton is a bright but cynical attorney who, seemingly at the beginning of the novel, is existing on sentimentality and wine.
However, as the story goes on, he does find meaning in his new life after the story advances – in the love for Lucie Manette and her family. His sacrifice becomes the most touching expression of this theme in the novel.
Sydney Carton’s sacrifice has been hinted throughout the novel. However, it comes to a climax when he decides to take Charles Darnay’s place at the guillotine. The following passage from Book 3, Chapter 13, captures the moment of Carton’s ultimate sacrifice:
“I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss, and, in their struggles to be truly free, in their triumphs and defeats, through long years to come, I see the evil of this time and of the previous time of which this is the natural birth, gradually making expiation for itself and wearing out. I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous, and happy, in that England which I shall see no more.” (Book 3, Chapter 13)
In this passage, Carton presents the scarcest vision of a better future, one he knows he would not be part of, but his hopes will arise after the revolution. His motivation here is love and an attempt to get some sense in life even if his life will be lost in the process.
Carton’s act of self-sacrifice for the sake of the beloved allows Dickens to reveal the concept of reconciliation as a result of true goodness that may be hidden deep into a man’s heart and it must be served with love, but it will definitely happen.
See also: Themes in Acquainted With The Night
Theme#3
Social Injustice
Dickens was much preoccupied with societal injustice, as reflected throughout the novel. The novel reflects the difference between the aristocracy and the common people, which indicates the injustice leading to the French Revolution. The lower class aristocrats like the newly created Marquis St. Evrémonde are portrayed as being heartless and indifferent of the suffering suppressed mass.
One of the most vivid illustration of social injustices is the episode where the Marquis drives his carriage over a child and shows no regret for doing so. The following passage from Book 2, Chapter 7, describes this theme:
“The wheels of the mail-coach had brushed the mud off many feet, and from many faces. Occasionally, a stray vehicle that came blundering up against a post or a wall would drive those within hearing of it to exclamations of annoyance; but there was no pity for the fallen. The Postmaster, beside the mail-coach, scattered their money on the ground to prevent their impeding the progress of the Royal Mail, and quietly pursued his journey.” (Book 2, Chapter 7)
In this passage, the usual indifference for human life has been reflected through the actions of the Marquis. Another feature that presents an important aspect of social injustice mentioned in the novel is the aristocracy’s indifference of the lower classes. According to Dickens, such things as inequality and cruelty result in rebellion and revolutions, as observed in the French Revolution.
Theme#4
Revenge
Another important theme in A Tale of Two Cities is destructiveness of the power of revenge. In his book, Dickens presents revenge as something that swallows the person who serves it and others, leading further to suffering and injustice.
This is particularly evident in the character of Madame Defarge who enacts this aspect of the novel as she plots revenge of the Evrémonde family that mistreated her family.
There are many scenes that show the vengeful nature of Madame Defarge but perhaps it has been powerfully imparted in the following from Book 3, Chapter 14:
“Then tell Wind and Fire where to stop, but don’t tell me.” (Book 3, Chapter 14)
In the line, Madame Defarge shows her unyielding determination of revenge. As a lawyer Eliza wants to be a source of justice and as such she does not see herself as capable of forgiving her father’s murderer.
Her character portrays how power of vengeance transforms into self-destructive weapon that acts against the avenger, the object of vengeance and everyone in vicinity.
Theme#5
The Power of Love and Compassion
Love has been depicted as the Human consensus to reconcile adversaries, to mend broken relationships, to save and to renew. This is well illustrated by Lucie Manette, whose love and kindness bring about the needed change in the characters.
Her interference is most of the time seen in her interaction with her dad, Dr. Manette, and how she assists him in overcoming psychological effects of imprisonment. The following passage from Book 2, Chapter 4, highlights the theme of love and compassion:
“Only his daughter had the power of charming this black brooding from his mind. She was the golden thread that united him to a Past beyond his misery, and to a Present beyond his misery: and the sound of her voice, the light of her face, the touch of her hand, had a strong beneficial influence with him almost always.” (Book 2, Chapter 4)
There, Lucie becomes the golden thread that links her father to the present and the past, which reflects the healing power of love.
However, she also has humanity which has been brought out by assisting her father as well as changing Sydney Carton’s attitude of self pity to struggle for redemption when he sees her.
These feelings are brought to bear by Lucie, to whom Dickens portrays as the embodiment of love, and an epitome of hope towards a triumphant against adversity.
See also: Themes in Crime and Punishment
Theme#6
The Duality of Human Nature
One of the important theme that can be distinguished in “A Tale of Two Cities” is the theme of duality of human nature.
The novel has been based on the concept that humans are endowed with both virtues and vices, and the two are always at war with each other. This theme is most obviously developed in Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay who are the two look-alikes but very different in their nature and fate.
The main character Sydney Carton is characterized by duality which is the main theme of the novel. He is an excellent lawyer and a tortured, self-destructive alcoholic with the capacity for great love and enormous self-hatred. The following passage from Book 2, Chapter 11, explains this theme:
“I am like one who died young. All my life might have been.” (Book 2, Chapter 11)
In this last monologue, Carton thinks about what he could have become and the life he has missed. This makes his character to embody the fight between the good and the evil in human being and finally gets his salvation through his death.
This duality can also be observed on the level of the novel as Dickens depicts the violence and anarchy of the revolution and at the same time shows the more compassionate aspects of people’s nature.
