A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

A Tale Of Two Cities was written by Charles Dickens, Published in London, by Chapman Hall in 1859. One of the main characters, Charles Darnay, leaves his hometown England because of the cruel acts of his family the Evremonde. He then travels to Paris where he is sentenced to go to prison because of his family the Evremonde. It is 1775, Mr.Jarvis Lorry is road tripping to Paris to explain to Lucie Manette, The long lost daughter of Dr.Manette, that she is not an orphan after all. Lorry then explains to Lucie that she must travel with him to meet her father Dr.Manette, The father of Lucie Manette who spent eighteen years in prison prior to the French Revolution, who had recently been released from prison from the Bastille. Dr.Manette had really lost all hope until he met his daughter for the first time. He knew Lucie was his daughter as soon as he compared a string of his wives hair to hers.He then regained all the hope and traveled back to London with Lucie and Mr.Lorry. Aproximatley five years after Manette and Lucie reunited the man named Charles Darnay was sent to court in London on account of treason for providing their English secrets to the French and Sydney Carton, a young drunk, depressed English man, who looks remarkably like Charles Darnay, precludes any positive identification and allows Darnay’s acquittal. After court Darnay, Carton, and Stryver eventually fall in love with Lucie. All of the men sway over Lucie, but she favors Darnay and marries him. A while later, Carton alone comes to Lucie’s home and tells her that while expecting no love in return, he would do anything for her at any time. Meanwhile Darnay has been hinting to Dr.Manette that he is a French nobleman who has renounced his title. Weeks later after their wedding, Darnay hears that his Uncle Monseigneur, has been murdered in his bed for his crimes against the French people, which means that Darnay is next in line to gain that title. He tells no more of this than to Dr.Manette. Darnay then travels back to Paris where he is imprisoned as a nobleman and an emigrant. Back home Dr.Manette, Miss Pross,Lucie’s governess, and friend, Lucie, and her child all follow Darnay to Paris. Once they arrive Darnay is once again denounced by the Defarges, leaders of the French Revolution, a charge which is made even stronger by Monsieur Defarge’s revelation of a paper document that he found in Dr.Manette’s old prison cell. The document recounts that Manette was imprisoned by the Evremondes by having witnessed the rape of a peasant girl and the murder of her brother. Darnay is then brought back to prison and sentenced to death. Unknowingly, Carton had also traveled to Paris because of Lucie. When Carton arrives he selflessly sacrifices himself to save Darnay’s life. Carton then forces the help of John Barsad to help him with plan. Shortly after, Carton overhears Madame Defarge, French Revolution leader who is obsessed with getting revenge on the Evremonde family, planning to kill Lucie and her child. Carton also figures out that Madame Defarge is the surviving sister of the peasant girl who was raped and of the boy who was stabbed by the Evremonde family. He then immediately plans for the Manettes to evacuate. After this Carton uses his influence with Barsad, a worker as a turnkey, to get into Darnay’s cell. Carton drugs Darnay, switches clothes with him, and then has Barsad carry him out to safety. Meanwhile, Madame Defarge knocks on the Manettes door expecting to see Lucie but gets Miss Pross. Madame Defarge snoops around looking for Lucie but Miss Pross will not let her go into any rooms. Not shortly after Miss Pross and Madame Defarge get into a fight. Defarge pulls out her gun meaning to shoot Miss Pross, but Miss Pross accidently aims it towards Defarges head and kills her. Back in London, Darnay returns back to the Manettes happily while Carton is walking up to the guillotine about to die in Darnay’s place happy, with the knowledge he is doing a good deed. Sacrifice is a major theme in A Tale Of Two Cities. I Mean think about it. Sacrifice is a major theme personally throughout this entire book. Dr.Manette sacrificed his own freedom in order to preserve his integrity. Charles Darnay sacrificed his family, wealth, and heritage in order to live a life free of guilt. And most of all Sydney Carton sacrificed his own life for the ones he loved. “ It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done it is a far, far better rest that I go than I have ever known”. Throughout all of these situations of sacrifice, Dickens suggests that, while painful in short term, sacrifice will lead you to a future, and happiness. A Tale Of Two Cities was not my cup of tea at first. Adding on to this, it was hard to interpret, and it did not interest me. However, when I started to uncover how emotional it was, how meaningful it was in so many ways, and the amount of sacrifice compounded into one book made me enjoy A Tale Of Two Cities. Saying this, I would recommend A Tale Of Two Cities to anyone who is interested in British Literature.

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