Juxtaposition In A Tale Of Two Cities

His strong hatred foreshadows that something will cause him to have to ignore this hatred for the greater good. Consequently, it happens that both the men fall in love with same girl Lucie Manette. However, Carton does not want Lucie to choose him because he feels that she will have a miserable life with him. He does not want this lowly sort of life for his love and so he promises her that he will stay out of her life as much as possible. Later, when Lucie’s husband, Charles Darnay, is sent to the guillotine to die, Carton takes his place so that Lucie can continue to live a happy and desirable life.

With its famous opening line, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times,"(3)A Tale of Two Cities easily portrays that this book is clearly going to have duality or dualism. The first paragraph also clearly tells you that the whole book is about duality, “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”(3) – this whole paragraph clearly is announcing, THIS WHOLE BOOK IS

Despite his epiphany, he does nothing about these dreams and continues to live a dull, depressing, indolent, and worthless life; depicting a man vs. himself conflict because Carton is fighting with his internal feelings and emotions. Lucie's character brings about a sense or acknowledgement of hope within Carton, leading him to commit noble acts and be at peace with himself as a person before he meets his demise at La Guillotine, in place of Charles Darnay;a.

In A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, ambiguity is a common motif. Said ambiguity is shown through the complex characters, Madame Defarge and Sydney Carton. Dickens uses these characters to show the natural human need for happiness and how people will do virtually anything if they are passionate about it, no matter whom they hurt along the way. Sydney Carton is an exemplary example of Dickens’ attempt to show ambiguity through different characters. In the beginning of the novel, he is a hopeless, cynical, pessimistic, and unlikeable drunk.

With the exception of their appearances and their love for Lucie, the two men are complete opposites, Sydney envies Darnay for being everything he could have been yet isn’t. Carton is an alcoholic with an unhappy life. Growing up he did homework for other children rather than for himself and he does work for his coworker and receives very little, if any, recognition. Sydney is a miserable man with no intention of trying to better his life and because of this, he knows he will never make Lucie happy and makes his promise to her that he would die for a person she loves which, once again, saves Darnay from death reflecting on the novel's themes of redemption and sacrifice.

Carton, who saw himself as “one who died young”(156), was a drunken waste. Who saw his life has purposeless, “watching an eddy that turned purposeless, until the stream absorbed it, and carried it on to the sea-’Like me’.”(327). Carton sees his life purposeless, at least that is the case till he finds love. His love for Lucie led him to give his life up for her. A promise he vowed before circumstances such as the revolution came to be, he vowed he “would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you”(159). Essentially, Carton’s purpose becomes to give his life for Lucie and her family. Carton accepts his death with the “peacefullest man’s face ever beheld there"(389). Carton was “sublime and prophetic”(389). Carton does not want blood but willing gives up his own for a movement which does not tie to him in any case. However, because of his sacrifice, he sees a new era rid of the revolutionaries who once lived by the sword and evidently die by it too. He sees “ Barsad, and Cly, Defarge, The Vengeance, the Juryman, the Judge, long ranks of the new oppressors”(389), all of them “perishing by this retributive instrument”(389). Carton sees destruction and pain fall upon does who thirst after it the most. On the other hand he also sees “ a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss”(389) and whiles trying “to be truly free”(389), he sees “ 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”(389). He sees a day when all will be restored and peace will be eminent again. Trough Carton. the noble sacrifice, Dickens portrays the marvelous effects that a noble sacrifice can render, through Carton, who once was a drunken slob, but now loved by the Mannette family especially

They’re lives are interwoven from their first meeting. “They are so like each other in feature, so unlike in manner, both reflected in the glass above them.” In the beginning of the novel, Carton seems to be a foil to Darnay—who reminds Carton of what he could be, but has failed to become—but by the end of the novel, Carton has altered himself from a worthless person to a hero who far transcends the honorable Darnay. In both London and Paris, Carton saves the life of his double, and ultimately sacrifices himself for Darnay, Lucie and their family to

Dickens uses Carton’s death as a way to give Lucie and Charles Darnay a new life. Dickens also uses it to make Carton an almost Christ-like figure, when he dies to save the lives of others. In the end of the novel, it is suggested that Carton will live on in the hearts of those he sacrificed himself to save “they said of him, about the city that night, that it was the peacefullest man’s face ever beheld there. Many added that he looked sublime and prophetic” (442). The theme is continued with Doctor Manette.

He cares not even for himself. Sydney Carton is self-pitying and apathetic about his existence and can find no meaning in his wasted life. Lucie kindles Carton’s purpose in life by being the first to believe that he is capable of good, and Carton promises that he would sacrifice his life for her and her loved

He acknowledges his flaws and wants to be better, yet he is unwilling and unable to change. But what the beginning of the book does not say is that Sydney Carton is also a very selfless man with great intentions, he just does not know how to fulfill these intentions. He is a foil Charles Darnay, “a young man of about five-and-twenty, well-grown and well looking… a young gentleman” (page 46). Charles Darnay is former a French aristocrat who renounced his title and is working as a French tutor in England. He is ambitious, courageous, and certainly not an alcoholic.

Charles Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities, brilliantly portrays the violence and discriminatory actions of the French Revolution of 1789. Within this novel Dickens shows how revolutionary actions negatively affect governments and individuals. However, the character Sidney Carton awakes from his bleak life and is given a direction by the revolution. Through the theme “being recalled to life” Dickens shows how a man such as Sidney Carton can go from a monotonous life as a lawyer to finding purpose through love and

Sydney Carton had a rough life and childhood. He was brought up as an orphan, and he matured into a drunken adult. Although he is very smart (as seen with his behind-the-scenes work with Mr. Stryver), he does not ever blossom into his full potential until the end of the book. It is Lucie Manette, the love of his life, who helps him to develop into the person he should be through his love for her. Sydney loves Lucie so much and would do anything for her like he says in this quote: “O Miss Manette, when the little picture of a happy father’s face looks up in yours, when you see your own bright beauty springing up anew at your feet, think now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you” (Dickens 173). In this quote, Carton explains that because of his deep love for Lucie, he would do anything to keep her happy, including giving up his life. This quote comes into fulfillment at the end of the novel when Carton trades places with Darnay for the guillotine so that Lucie can be with the man she loves. In this way, Carton shows his Christ-like self and portrays the “savior” archetype in literature. By this, Carton has, in a sense, “completed his mission,” and he finally shows the redeemable qualities he has inside with the help of sweet Lucie Manette. These reasons show that Sydney Carton is recalled to

Dickens employs parallel structure to describe Sydney Carton, who dies for the people he loves and exemplifies the need for sacrifice to fight against violence. Carton asserts his steadfast love for Lucie by declaring that “for you and for any dear to you, I would do anything… [I] would give [my] life, to keep a life you love” (153). Through the parallel structure, Carton emphasizes the fact that his sacrifice is for her as well as someone she loves. In this way, he expresses his selfless desires, valuing Lucie and her family entirely before himself. The parallel structure serves to equalize Carton’s life with Lucie’s, as he has dedicated his life to her out of his love. Thus, he acts solely for her happiness and future rather than his own. His declaration foreshadows the sacrifice he later fulfills through his death. However, despite his enduring love for Lucie, Carton’s life is actually full of suffering, as he “[cares] for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for [him]” (87). The balanced sentence structure conveys Dickens’ sympathetic tone towards Carton through the images of his solitude and bitterness against the world. The world and Carton’s mutual negligence for each other causes much distress and misery for Carton; as a result, his love for Lucie is a striking and influential part in his life, revealing the power that love has over him to sacrifice his life for her during the violent oppressions of the revolution. Similarly, when reflecting the worth of his death as sacrifice for Lucie, Carton relates, “it is a far, far better thing that [he does], that [he has] ever

Carton promised Lucie he would do anything for her and those she loves, even though he does not display that he likes her. Carton’s promise was: “For you, and for any dear to you, I would do anything. If my career were of that better kind that there was any opportunity or capacity of sacrifice in it, I would embrace any sacrifice for you and for those dear to you.” (Book the Second, Chapter 13, Page 158). He told her he would give his life for her and her loved ones, which is the ultimate sacrifice. Mr. Stryver and Carton had a conversation about Lucie Manette. It said: “…’who’s your pretty witness?’ ‘The picturesque doctor’s daughter, Miss Manette.’ ‘She pretty?’ ‘Is she not?’ ‘No… who made the Old Bailey a judge of beauty? She was a golden-haired doll!’” (Book the Second, Chapter 5, Page 95). Carton still cares for Lucie, but he does not publically display his affection. This could be misleading to many, and some may think he is hypocritical

Darnay leaves him alone Mr. Carton realises that he has fallen in love with Miss Manette. Carton is softened and changed by his love for the beautiful Lucie Manette. He becomes acquainted with Lucie and Doctor Manette at the trial of Charles Darnay in London, and is soon a familiar face at the Manette home. One night he drinks and goes to Mr. Manette’s house and opens his heart to Miss Manette and about what feelings he had for her. He knew that he cannot keep her happy and he realizes that he is not worthy of her.