Violence in a Tale of Two Cities

In the novel, A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens reveals what his perspective, and feelings towards violence is. Dickens uses many violent scenes to reveal how the french revolution and how the people could be so violent and animal-like toward the aristocrats along with how the aristocrats could be so violent and crude with the lower class. Dickens feelings on the various violent acts perpetrated throughout the novel are one of sympathy. The reasoning he feels sympathy is for the lower class and how they were treated by the aristocrats. The aristocrats treat the lower classmen as if trash and couldn't care about their lives. One example is when the Marquis hits the young boy after speeding through the city streets, the boys father holds him in his arms and weeps for his son's death. In response to killing the child the Marquis give no consolation toward the father, he in fact is vexed about the condition of his horses more than the situation he is in. The Marquis tosses a coin to the boy's father.As the Marquis drives away, a coin comes flying back into the carriage, thrown in bitterness. He curses to the commoners, saying that he would willingly ride over any of them. Madame Defarge typically is found sitting in the wine shop, knitting, and we soon find out what she's been knitting. Madame Defarge has been knitting the names of the people she wants killed by the guillotine into a pattern. An act of violence is when Madame Defarge is going to kill Lucie, and little Lucie, but they aren't in the location that Madame Defarge is going. Miss Pross is at the location Madame Defarge is going to, they both meet each other, they then both end up fighting each other, and Miss Pross wins by killing Madame Defarge with her own weapon. One big symbol in this novel is wine. The wine symbolizes blood, death and violence. Typically this symbol is used with Madame Defarge, seeing how she is the most violent in the novel and brings most of all the violent scenes in the book. Madame Defarge is a big part in the violence throughout the book. Her childhood was appalling, mainly because of the aristocrats; Her sister was raped by a evremond, her father had died by grief, and her brother had died by trying to avenge his sister's honor.Although Madame Defarge is a cold, ruthless, and frightfully grand woman, she is also smart and can hold her own. Some examples of Madame Defarge being cold: As Madame Defarge exclaims to her husband, "Tell the Wind and the Fire where to stop; not me!". With these words, Madame Defarge ceases to be human, instead is more like a beast. Another example is: [...] imbued from her childhood with a brooding sense of wrong, and an inveterate hatred of a class, opportunity had developed her into a tigress. In this, with all the hatred from her past with the aristocrats she became a beast. It was nothing to her, that an innocent man was to die for the sins of his forefathers; she saw, not him, but them. It was nothing to her, that his wife was to be made a widow and his daughter an orphan; that was insufficient punishment, because they were her natural enemies and her prey, and as such had no right to live. Once again she had so much hatred that she wanted Darnay and his family dead, she didn't care that is would badly affect Lucie and little Lucie. Madame Defarge typically is found sitting in the wine shop, knitting, and we soon find out what she's been knitting. Madame Defarge has been knitting the names of the people she wants killed by the guillotine into a pattern. One act of violence is when Madame Defarge is going to kill Lucie, and little Lucie, but they aren't in the location that Madame Defarge is going, instead Miss Pross is at the location, she meets Madame Defarge, they then both end up fighting each other, and Miss Pross wins by killing Madame Defarge.A big symbol in this novel is wine. The wine symbolizes blood, death and violence. Typically this symbol is used with Madame Defarge, seeing how she is the most violent in the novel and brings most of all the violent scenes in the book. Remember these words to-morrow: change the course, or delay in it-for any reason-and no life can possibly be saved, and many lives must inevitably be sacrificed. One of the big themes in this novel is sacrifice, along with the violence is cities and how upperclassmen treat lower classmen. See you then, jacques, said madame defarge, wrathfully, and see you, too, my little vengeance; see you both! Listen! For other crimes as tyrants and oppressors, I have this race a long time on my register, doomed to destruction and extermination. Ask my husband, is that so. Madame Defarge is so blinded by rage that she doesn't realise that she's becoming a tyrant herself. "I care nothing for this Doctor, I. He may wear his head or lose it, for any interest I have in him; it is all one to me. But, the Evremonde people are to be exterminated, and the wife and child must follow the husband and father." Madame Defarge sees her sister's rape as a family crime, one that must be repaid by an entire family, she doesn't feel sympathy for the manettes at all. Her sense of justice pays no attention to the actual perpetrators of the crime. "But it is your weakness that you sometimes need to see your victim and your opportunity, to sustain you. Sustain yourself without that. When the time comes, let loose a tiger and a devil; but wait for the time with the tiger and the devil chained, not shown, yet always ready." Madame Defarge displays restraint where her husband shows passion. At the moment, this seems like a good strategy; it also foreshadows her pitiless treatment of the Manettes later in the novel. The Evremonde brothers show no touch of pity when speaking of the creature dying there, or the peasant boy who was stowed away. It was under his hand, and I soothed him to let remove his hand away. The wound was a sword-thrust, received from twenty to twenty-four hours could have saved him if it had been looked to without delay. He was then dying fast as I turned my eyes to the elder before,saw him looking down at this handsome boy whose life was ebbing out, as if he were a wounded bird, or hare, or rabbit;not at all as if he were a fellow-creature. There is no humanity in the older brother, he sees this dying peasant as a savage animal. The brothers used the fear of the peasant's sister being raped, which prevented him from retaliating towards the Evremonde brothers ever again. Dr. Manette was even fearful of the men when they said, 'We have been to your residencein the hope of overtaking you', with a manner that was imperious. One of his biggest fears was that they were armed. The men approached Dr. Manette with a threatening conduct. This proves that they have no limits to who they will try to intimidate with fear. Doctor, they are very proud, these nobles, but we common dags are proud too, sometimes. They plunder us, outrage us, beat us, kill us; but we have a little pride left, sometimes. she -have you seen her, Doctor? Rapes, Beatings and murders were common crimes on colonial estates.

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