Character Analyses of A Tale of Two Cities
Character Analyses of A Tale of Two Cities
Laura Kung (龔清玲)
National Changhua Senior School of Commerce
Class 302
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Character Analyses of A Tale of Two Cities
I. Introduction
1.1 Summary of A Tale of Two Cities
The story takes places in the society before and during the French Revolution. The
author, Dickens, portrays the cruel noble and the king, those who do not care the
people at all, and enjoy all the benefits and joyful lives. Therefore, the people can not
stand for the government’s incompetence, trying to overthrow the government and to
control Paris. However, there are still love and forgiveness in such violent times. The
hatred and the violence can not solve and soothe the sadness. Only the love and
forgiveness can overcome all the hardships.
1.2 Brief Introduction of the author—Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was born into a well-being family in the south of
England. The finance of his family was not very bad. Dickens’s father was a public
servant, and his mother was an optimistic and versatile housewife. However, Dickens’
parents did not manage money very well; they ended up in prison for getting into debt.
In order to make ends meet, Dickens discontinued schooling to work in the factory.
Since then, Dickens suffered from difficulties and humiliation, seeing the extreme
disparity between the rich and the poor. But Dickens did not take his misfortune out
on the others. Instead, he made good use of what he had seen and gone through. The
observation of the comparison between the extravagant upper class and the struggling
lower class becomes the main feature in his creation. Bemoaning the state of the
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Character Analyses of A Tale of Two Cities
universe and pity the fate of mankind, he wrote what he had seen in the book, and
most of them are about the low-level (1).
A Tale of Two Cities, which will be discussed later in the article and one of his best
novels, is a way to get to know the background of the French Revolution. Dickens
portrays each character’s personalities brightly. Actually, Dickens discovers the
serious social problems in England, such as the extreme disparity between the rich
and the poor. So he creates this work, to warn the people. The story ’s structure is very
strict, and the plot is complex. Also, the story conveys the terror of the French
Revolution. Most important of all, it describes the dark aspect of the general will (2).
II. Thesis
Since the French Revolution serves as the background of the novel and the economic
and social crises are the main reasons of the revolution, these features will be
discussed first in this part. Besides, Dickens not only portrayed the social problems in
those times, but he also described each character vividly. His description of characters
is one of the most fascinating parts of the novel. Thus, character analyses will be
discussed later. By making use of the background knowledge learned in the previous
part, it may be easier for the readers to know the characters more deeply and enjoy the
novel more.
1.1 The Social and Economic Background of “A Tale of Two Cities”
1.11 Social Background
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Character Analyses of A Tale of Two Cities
The French Revolution is a consequence of conflicts between new ideas and old
system. The old system means the Feudalism from the Middle Ages. The Feudalism is
a class-polarized society that is governed by the noble. This old system causes the
unfair situation. For example, the third class (farmers and workers) had to pay the
heavy tax and yet were enslaved by the top of the society. However, the first and
second classes (priests and nobles) shouldered the lightest responsibility but led on
extravagant life (3).
In the novel, the chapter “Monseigneur in Town” clearly conveys such cruel and
fierce behaviors of the novel (4). The Monseigneur was Darnay’s uncle, who
mistreated his servants, was killed by the revolutionists in the end. It’s not surprising
that the forced people took revenge on those who had treaded them unfairly for a long
time.
The other duality is the influence of the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment brings
liberalism to France. Liberalism pursues freedom, emphasizing democracy. Liberalists
were against government’s economic control. The enlightenment gave the new ideas
to the French, and it took a social change to the old system. Because the voting right
was not popular in France in the 18th century, citizens had no opportunities to select
their leader and life. Therefore, the new ideas which were brought by the
Enlightenment had a great impact on the French Revolution. For example, citizens
were aware of pursuing their right instead of accepting all the unfair (5).
1.12 Economic Background
The tax regulations and the financial crisis and are the other key elements for the
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Character Analyses of A Tale of Two Cities
cause of the French Revolution. For the tax regulations, the first class (communion)
owned lots of land in France, but they just paid little tax, and so did the second class
(the noble). Therefore, the third class (those who were at the bottom of the society
such as farmers and workers) had to support the expenditure of the whole country.
Other than unfair tax regulations, the ways the king ruled the country and constant
wars with England worsened the financial problems. Because Louis XIV tried to
weaken the power of the noble, he asked the noble to donate money to construct the
Palace and Park of Versailles, and asked the noble to participate in the feast every
night. Those parties forced the noble to spend lots of money on the expensive clothes.
In addition, the French took part in many overseas wars with England. However, the
French always lost. The only victory was when they helped the Americans to be
independent. The expenses on entertainment and wars caused the French finance to
face the risks of going bankrupt.
1.13 The Comparison between the Social and Economic Background of Paris and
London
The comparison between the life in Paris and that in London is another theme in the
story. Since “the Glorious Revolution” in England in 1688, the congress had mastered
the highest right dominion. Therefore, the system of the politics became more
democratic than other countries. However, the classes were very clear in France. The
first and second classes such as the king and the noble exploited the third class. The
government tried in vain to revolve the unfairness. Therefore, London was like a
heaven and Paris was like a hell (6).
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Character Analyses of A Tale of Two Cities
To sum up, the French Revolution was caused by the financial problems and conflicts
brought by the old, unfair system in the society. Dickens used the two cities, Paris and
London, showing readers a strong contrast between these problems and conflicts. In
addition, the class hatred played an important role in the Revolution. Dickens used the
true background in the France, the fictitious characters and plots to portray the trauma
that people suffered and extravagance of the noble, hoping that the government could
pay attention to the serious contradiction (7).
2.1 Character Analysis
2.11 Doctor Alexandre Manette (Dr. Manette)
Alexandre Manette was a kind doctor with mercy. He once saw the Evremondes’
violence to the slaves eighteen years ago. Actually, the slaves were Mrs. Defarge’s
family. Unfortunately, the Evremondes did not hope Dr. Manette to divulge their cruel
behavior; they framed Mr. Manette in the Bastille Prison. Luckily, Mr. Manette was
saved and lived a happy life in London with his daughter, Lucy.
It is worthy of talking about Dr. Manette’s change. Although he was arrested in
Bastille Prison by the Evremondes, he did not hate Darnay when he learned Darnay’s
true identity. Due to Lucy’s love to Darnay, Dr. Manette did not want to see his
daughter suffering from losing her lover; he decided to forgive Darnay and loved him
from the bottom of his heart. It meant that Dr. Manette had already laid down his
hatred to the Evremonde. Dickens used this character to tell the readers the power of
love and forgiveness.
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Character Analyses of A Tale of Two Cities
2.12 Lucy Manette, later Darnay
Lucy is Dr. Manette’s daughter and Darnay’s wife. Lucy was so sweet that everyone
would be melted by her smile and personality. Lucy played a crucial part in the story.
When Dr. Manette was rescued from the Bastille, Lucy took good care of her father
with all her heart. With her care, Dr. Manette turned from a crazy, silent and
indifferent old man into a beloved and supportive father. Also, Lucy had a kind heart.
Even in the hard times, she did not change her personality. Besides, when she learned
that her husband was caught by the revolutionists, she was so brave as to bring her
children to France to save her husband. She was not only a sweet and beautiful girl,
but also a persevered and determined woman when facing difficulties.
2.13 Charles Darnay
Darnay was the last descendant in the Evremondes. Darnay’s uncle was an
extravagant noble, the Marquis St. Evremonde, who was killed by the revolutionists.
Darnay understood that his family did so much wrongdoing that“Evremonde” was
the disgusted surname in France. Darnay was very guilty because he did not try his
best to stop his family from exploiting the others. In order to stop the nightmare,
Darnay left Paris to London, where he started a new life, and supported himself by his
own labor.
On one hand, he could not change his family’s history of exploiting the poor and
abusing Mrs. Defarge’s family. That is way he rejected being an Evremonde because
he felt sorry for what his family had done and what he should have done. On the other
hand, Darnay had a sense of responsibility and sympathy. In order to save his steward,
Darnay ventured on going back to France. Unfortunately, Darnay was arrested by the
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Character Analyses of A Tale of Two Cities
revolutionists. Though he had refused the Evremonde’s identity, he had to suffer from
what his family had done.“Darnay’s willingness to atone for his family’s wrongs and
to work for a living demonstration that eventually something good can come out of
evil, a point that Dickens emphasizes (8).”
2.14 Sydney Carton
Carton is a lawyer who looked like Darnay. He also fell in love with Lucy. Although
Lucy chose Darnay to be her husband, Carton still concerned about her life. The most
touching part was that Carton’s love to Lucy was so strong that he was willing to
sacrifice his life in order to save Darnay’s. During the French Revolution, most of the
people were filled with violence, hatred and anger, but it was rare that Carton showed
the noble sentiment in this difficult times.“He represents the sacrificial hero who
ritually slaughtered of his own free will so that society might renew itself, a prospect
he envisions before he dies (9).”
2.15 Therese Defarge (Mrs. Defarge)
Mrs. Defarge was one of the revolutionists in the French Revolution. She was the
wine keeper at the same time. Mrs. Defarge’s families were the victims under the
Evremondes’ savage acts. When she was young, her brother was killed and her sister
was bullied by the Evremondes. In order to take revenge on the Evremondes, Mrs.
Defarge meticulously set a trap so that Darnay could pay back the debt of blood. It is
very interesting to analyze Mrs. Defarge’s personality and behavior: She always wove
scarves in her wine store, just like a gentle woman. However, what she really did was
to weave the names of her enemies into the weaving so that she could have taken
revenge on them one day. She was actually a dreadful and tough woman who could
lead the bloody revolution. Although she was a female, her ruthless and diabolic was
never under males. Since her family was tortured to death by the Evremondes, she had
already lost her sympathy. There is a cruel heart under her appearance. There is a gun
with full bullets on her chest, and with a sharp dagger on her waist. The deep hatred
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Character Analyses of A Tale of Two Cities
dominated all her mind, which supported her to live in order to take the big revenge to
the society (10).
2.16 Ernest Defarge (Mr. Defarge)
Mr. Defarge was the owner of the wine store, where the revolutionists discussed how
to precede their goal. In comparison with Mr. and Mrs. Defarge, Mr. Defarge seemed
not to be as violent as Mrs. Defarge. Mrs. Defarge regarded her husband as a coward,
because he did not have the strong mind to take revenge on the noble as she did. Mr.
Defarge had been Dr. Manette’s servant, which made him take pity on Lucy when he
learned that Darnay was married to Lucy. On the contrary, Mrs. Defarge did not care
about that. What was most important to her was the revenge, not sympathy. To sum up,
“Mr. Defarge represents the more rational aspect of the Revolution. He was not
blinded by class hatred and retained his conscience and sense of fairness. However,
these characteristics probably resulted in his death, showing how out of control the
Revolution became as paranoia and violence destroyed its positive forces (11).”
2.17 Ms. Pross
She was the housemaid in Lucy’s family. Ms. Pross was a faithful servant. She would
protect Lucy at the risk of her life. For Ms. Pross, Lucy was an essential part of her
life. Also, she took good care of Mr. Manatee while he had the mental disorder owing
to the horrible memory in the Bastille Prison. Most important of all, while Darnay,
Lucy and Mr. Manette got away from Paris, Ms. Pross trusted herself out to face Mrs.
Defarge. In order to stop Mrs. Defarge from chasing Lucy, she fought with Mrs.
Defarge. As Ms. Pross hit the gun that Mrs. Defarge used to shoot her, the gun
accidentally shot at Mrs. Defarge. Unfortunately, Ms. Pross was deaf since then. In
the end, she caught up with the Manatee, left Paris and lived with them.
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Character Analyses of A Tale of Two Cities
III. Conclusion
People can learn a lesson from the history. Although the French Revolution was the
explosion of the people’s anger, there were so many innocent people dead because of
the violent acts. In the end, the Revolution was out of control, even the revolutionists
could not get rid of it. The starting point could be understood. However, it is also
tragic for not being able to reduce the bloodshed.
Besides, the writer conveyed his thoughts clearly. The love and forgiveness reconcile
the hatred. It is the most touching that Carton sacrificed himself due to his love to
Lucy; Dr. Manette forgave the Evremondes’ guilt in the end. Both of them presented
the noble behavior in the story. However, it is not easy to let go of the deep hatred.
Mrs. Defarge was a good example: she had sworn that she must kill the last person in
the Evremondes since her family suffered from the evil Evremondes
’ violence.
Nowadays, some countries have become democratic gradually, while others still
suffered from the bad and autocratic government. Maybe the history of the French
Revolution can serve as the vivid experience and correct thoughts to the world.
IV. Bibliography
1. 狄更斯。雙城記。陳琳秀譯。(臺北縣中和市中正路 738 號 10 樓: 華文網股份
有限公司, 2006 年 3 月)。p.3。
2. 狄更斯。雙城記。陳琳秀譯。(臺北縣中和市中正路 738 號 10 樓: 華文網股份
有限公司, 2006 年 3 月)。p.4。
3. 王世宗。歷史(第四冊)。(臺北市復興北路 386 號: 三民書局股份有限公司, 民
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Character Analyses of A Tale of Two Cities
國九十七年二月)。p.11。
4. Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. New York: Holtzbrink Publishers Sales
Division.,1989.(p.5)
5. 維基百科。
http://zh.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E9%9B%99%E5%9F%8E%E8%A8%9
8&variant=zh-tw#.E4.BA.BA.E7.89.A9.E4.BB.8B.E7.B4.B9。2008/8/27
6. 維基百科。
http://zh.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E9%9B%99%E5%9F%8E%E8%A8
%98&variant=zh-tw#.E4.BA.BA.E7.89.A9.E4.BB.8B.E7.B4.B9。2008/8/27
7. 狄更斯。雙城記。陳琳秀譯。(臺北縣中和市中正路 738 號 10 樓: 華文網股份
有限公司, 2006 年 3 月)。p.5。
8. Kalil, Kris Marie. On Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. New York: Wiley Publishing
Inc., 2000. (p.97)
9. Kalil, Kris Marie. On Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. New York: Wiley Publishing
Inc., 2000. (p.98)
10. 狄更斯。雙城記。陳琳秀譯。(臺北縣中和市中正路 738 號 10 樓: 華文網股
份有限公司, 2006 年 3 月)。p.314。
11. Kalil, Kris Marie. On Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. New York: Wiley Publishing
Inc., 2000. (p.99)
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