Critical Analysis on a Tale of Two Cities - 2729 Words

Chelsey Cardwell Dual Credit English 1/3/12 Mr. Burns A Literary Analysis of A Tale of Two Cities I. Introduction Charles Dickens’ twelfth novel, A Tale of Two Cities, was written to show all of the good and evil that was present during the French Revolution. He uses the two main cities, London and Paris, to represent this, and then ties in a love story with many different symbols of good and evil such as Darnay and Carton, Madame Defarge and Miss Pross. In his novel, Dickens also shows both sides of the revolution with the peasants and the aristocracy. He expresses how they are both evil although the peasants are the people who we would be accustomed to feel pity for. An example of this is when the Marquis runs over a peasant boy in†¦show more content†¦The peasants are constantly trying to revolt against the higher-ups for revenge for their treatment. On the love side, Lucie and Darnay would have lived happily ever after had Madame Defarge not had Darnay charged and sentenced to death for revenge of her slain family by Darnay’s family. Madame Defarge’s best friend ’s name is even The Vengeance, which shows how vengeful that particular group of peasants really was. Madame Defarge says, â€Å"Let me but lift my finger! She seemed to raise it, and to let it fall with a rattle on the ledge before her (Lucie), as if the axe had dropped† (325). She will not stop and be satisfied with the death of the last member of the family who killed her family; she vows to get Lucie also. When she attempts to carry out her promise, she loses her life in a tussle with Miss Pross; her incurable desire for revenge brought her own death upon her. Imprisonment is another obvious theme within the novel. Dickens begins his novel with Doctor Manette being finally released from his imprisonment. Darnay is also later imprisoned many times, and is eventually sentenced to the fate of the Guillotine. In a sense, Carton is also imprisoned but it is an internal conflict within himself rather than a physical imprisonment. He is ultimately set free by giving up h is own life so that Darnay and Lucie can live theirs out together. Imprisonment also coincides with the theme of family. The importance ofShow MoreRelatedA Critical Appraisal of: Beowulf and Gilgamesh Essay examples1640 Words   |  7 PagesA Critical Appraisal of: Beowulf and Gilgamesh There are many differences and critical comparisons that can be drawn between the epics of Beowulf and Gilgamesh. Both are historical poems which shape their respected culture and both have major social, cultural, and political impacts on the development of western civilization literature and writing. 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