A Tale of Two Cities-Sacrifice

“...one of those unselfish creatures found only among women who will for pure love and admiration, bind themselves willing slaves, to youth when they have lost it, to beauty that they never had, to accomplishments that they were never fortunate enough to gain and to bright hopes that never shined upon their own somber lives.” (Dickens 87) This quote is aiming towards Miss Pross who is very connected to Lucie because she was never beautiful and she is no longer young and does not have as many opportunities anymore and knows that Lucie has a bright future in front of her and wants to do everything she can to put her life in the right direction. Miss Pross needs to take care of someone like Lucie to make sure she could have everything Miss Pross might have not had. Miss Pross is an “unselfish creature” (Dickens 87) because she cares for Lucie out of admiration and love, she never hesitates to take things one step further in protecting her “ladybird”. (Dickens 215) Miss Pross has been shown to be quite the guardian throughout this novel by making many unselfish acts to protect Lucie and manages to keep her loyalty and devotion to Lucie’s family during the toughest times in the revolution, and never expects anything back from

The French Revolution was a movement from 1789 to 1799 that brought an end to the monarchy, including many lives. Although A Tale of Two Cities was published in 1859, it was set before and during the French Revolution and had over 200 million copies sold. The author, Charles Dickens, is known for being an excellent writer and displays several themes in his writings. Sacrifice is an offering of an animal or human life or material possession to another person. Dickens develops the theme of sacrifice throughout the story by the events that occurred involving Dr. Manette, Mr. Defarge, and Sydney Carton.

Sacrifice is a key part of the struggle for freedom in this novel; the two main types of sacrifice displayed are sacrifices for the revolution and sacrifices for the family. Minerva,

Sacrifice is “an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else.” -Anonymous. The Outsiders, by H.E Hinton is a book where Ponyboy and friends live life in a gang. You can see sacrifices being made in order for them to better the lives of each other. One theme evident in the novel is people make sacrifices for the things they care about.

Even though some sacrafices are not neccesary, they hardest ones are made for those who you love. Sacrifice plays a major role as one of the main themes in the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. Sacrifices were made for the mothers and daughters which were fueled by love and honor, such as when An-Mei sacrificed her own flesh and blood for her dying mother, Suyuan giving up her children so they could live a happy life, and An-Mei risking her life and sacrificing a sapphire ring from her mother. These were all made for the sake of somebody else's good and for love of somebody else.

Love has the power to change the world. It can do far more than any speech, treaty, or war. Love, on a smaller scale, can especially impact the lives of those who communicate and receive it. This passion has the ability to assuage, provide comfort, and provide life. In particular, one girl dedicates her life to spreading love, even when she must sacrifice a large amount of her time. This woman is Lucie Manette. In the novel A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens uses the character of Lucie Manette to prove that love and sacrifice can impact one’s life.

Sacrifice is a prominent part of human living. In order to get what is needed or wanted, sacrifice is necessary, whether it is small or great. In the novel, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, he shows that in society, those with less must often sacrifice more. Hugo conveys sacrifice through the characters Fantine and Jean Valjean, by showing how they sacrifice in order to gain and also how their poverty makes their sacrifice even greater.

Have you ever felt that you had to sacrifice yourself or something that was important to you to get something else? Throughout Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner Amir the main character has to sacrifice many things. Amir and Hassan are best friends but Hassan is a servant to Amir. Baba treats Hassan just like Amir. “I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba”(Hosseini 77). “The scene in which Hassan gets raped by Assef and Amir runs away from the alley where it is taking place. In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, is important because Hosseini uses it to establish that sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself to get something else by/through sometimes sacrificing things is necessary but painful .”

Have read two stories that I am going to compare. One that is called A Tale of Two Cities, and the other one that is called atonement.

Another example of sacrifice in literature can be seen in the novel Macbeth by William Shakespeare. There are great examples of sacrifice from the two main characters. In the case of Macbeth, we see the theme of sacrifice in the form of sacrificing for power, as opposed to Brave New World Where sacrifices were made for peace. Discussing this topic in his book, On the Design of Shakespeare, H. S. Wilson States:

Particular situations that assess an individual’s identity often mirrors the beliefs and morals they prominently value. Due to the overwhelming significance that sacrifice plays in life, writers and artists have often displayed this theme through various forms of artwork, such as novels, plays, and paintings. Adding it as a theme within pieces of literature and art encourages individuals to reflect on their own sacrifices and how it affects their values. As a result, writers such as Arthur Miller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and William Shakespeare utilized the concept of sacrifice to emphasize the important values of reputation, unconditional love, and loyalty.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is a story of great sacrifices being made for the sake of principle. There are many examples of this throughout the book made by many of the characters but some or more evident than others. In Book The First, entitled “Recalled to Life,” the most obvious sacrifice for the sake of principle was made by Dr. Manette. He is imprisoned for eighteen years in the Bastille, for no apparent reason. Another noticeable sacrifice made for the sake of principle was made in Book The Second, entitled “The Golden Thread,” also by Dr. Manette. Charles Darnay reveals the truth about himself and about his family history. He tells Dr. Manette his real identity and that he is heir to the Marquis

The book Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick is a mysterious book that takes turns that you would never expect. The theme for this book is that sometimes you have to being willing to make a sacrifice for the people you love. Becca Fitzpatrick shows us this theme throughout the whole story including when Patch decides not kill Nora, when Nora fought to stay alive, and when Nora sacrificed herself for Patch. It shows many times within in the book that sacrifice doesn't go without being recognized or making a change. Sacrifice isn't easy but Nora and Patch do it for each other, and they're forbidden love. Hush, Hush is a book that shows sacrifice and what happens afterwards, the message portrayed is obvious and important. Becca proves a very good trait in her book that captures the reader.

The concepts of love and sacrifice are closely related and feature consistently throughout literature. To study the relationship between these ideas in more depth I have selected a range of texts over an extensive time period, these include Romeo and Juliet by Sir William Shakespeare, Titanic by James Cameron, Saint Joan by Bernard Shaw and Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. The different eras that these texts explore will be instrumental in establishing the type of connection the two concepts hold in literature. The type of love and sacrifice varies however the underlying message is the same right through the texts, that humans in the right context will make sacrifices for love. How this is portrayed in the texts also differs yet

Sacrifice, even when it comes to one’s ultimate end, is crucial in order to survive as a productive race. In the book Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, he illustrates the hardships of the early-nineteenth-century lifestyles. With the resurrection of an evicted man, the novel sprouts from a broken family recovering and growing. This novel incorporates many grand gestures and adventures, such as the French Revolution, treason trials, and the sacrifice of one’s own life in the name of love.