Insights into
Book the Second
Chapters 22 and 23
Insight into
Book the Second
Chapter 22
“The Sea Still Rises”
Always remember that Dickens will often
give you a connection to the title in the first
line of the chapter.
That process holds true in the first three
words of Chapter 22: The “sea” in the title
is, of course, the Third Estate—and the
Third Estate’s revolutionary center is in
Saint Antoine (at the Defarges’ wine shop,
specifically).
On page 223, at the end of the first
paragraph, note that we have the end of the
rose as a symbol. Be sure you understand
why.
The personification of Saint Antoine
continues in this chapter; however, you
should be careful to note the change in Saint
Antoine’s “appearance” (because, of course,
the power that “he” is gaining due to the
Revolution).
On page 224, we meet the character known
as “The Vengeance.” Mark this introduction
of the character and pay attention to her.
She becomes Madame Defarge’s sidekick.
In the middle of page 224, you hear about a
character named “old Foulon.” This
historically real character was a hated
aristocrat who is supposed to have said, “"If
this rascal has no bread then he should eat
hay.”
Page 225 paints a horrible picture of the
female revolutionaries, who are the mostfeared characters of Dickens’ book.
The “forty Furies” on page 225 are an
allusion to the Greek and Roman mythologcal
characters who were terrible winged
goddesses with serpentine hair. Alecto,
Megaera, and Tisiphone pursued and
punished doers of unavenged crimes.
Insight into
Book the Second
Chapter 23
“Fire Rises”
Be sure to understand
the connection between
the titles of Chapters 22
and 23.
On page 229, “Monseigneur
as a class” is personification
of the Second Estate;
therefore, these
paragraphs in the middle
and bottom of the page deal
with the Second Estate
attempting to get out of
France.
Page 230 and 231 may be a
bit confusing, but keep in
mind that some of the most
important revolutionaries
were arsonists who traveled
from town to town, burning
down the homes of the 2nd
Estate.
Page 233 takes us to the
burning of the chateau of
the Marquis St. Evremonde.
At the bottom of the page,
note how high the flames
are. This number should be
familiar—especially with the
remembrance of Gaspard’s
gallows.
Deeper symbolism of the forty-feet
high flames of the Evremonde
chateau is intended here: In the
book of Exodus, chapter 13, a pillar
of fire that is forty-feet high leads
the people out of Egypt and slavery.
Dickens is telling us symbolically
that these flames will also lead
people out of repression and into
liberation.
On page 235, we see Gabelle taken
prisoner by the revolutionaries.
Remember that Gabelle was the
servant to the Evremonde’s. He’s
taken prisoner because he’s accused
of running the Evremonde estate in
the absence of any aristocrat
(because, of course, Charles is in
England).