A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens (1859)

A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens and published in 1859, is a historical novel set against the turbulent backdrop of the French Revolution. The novel explores the deep social and political divides between London and Paris during the late 18th century, capturing the chaos and brutality of the revolution while intertwining it with the personal stories of its characters. Dickens weaves a tale of sacrifice, resurrection, and revenge, focusing on themes of justice, love, and human redemption amidst a society on the brink of collapse. With its rich historical detail and unforgettable characters, A Tale of Two Cities stands as one of Dickens’s most powerful and poignant works, reflecting his deep concern for social justice and his exploration of the complexities of human nature.

Plot Summary

Amidst the rising tensions of late 18th-century Europe, the cities of London and Paris stand as witnesses to the lives of those ensnared by fate, love, and the brutal hand of revolution. It begins with Jarvis Lorry, a respectable banker at Tellson’s Bank, traveling to France to reunite Dr. Alexandre Manette with his daughter, Lucie. After eighteen long years, Dr. Manette, once a distinguished physician, has been released from the Bastille, broken in spirit and mind. Kept in a dark garret in Paris, he is haunted by the years of solitary confinement, spending his days crafting shoes—a habit born of his mental collapse. Lucie, a young woman of extraordinary kindness, arrives with Lorry to bring her father to London, where he may start his life anew.

Years pass, and in London, Lucie blossoms into a figure of warmth and gentleness. Through her, the remnants of her father’s fractured mind are slowly restored. It is in this setting that Charles Darnay, a French émigré disillusioned by his family’s cruel legacy, first enters her life. Darnay is no ordinary man; he has turned his back on the aristocratic Evremonde name, seeking refuge in England from the bloody rumblings of the French Revolution. Despite his noble birth, Darnay stands trial in England for being a spy. By a stroke of fate, he is saved when Sydney Carton, a brilliant but dissipated lawyer, points out their uncanny physical resemblance, casting doubt on the prosecution’s claims. Darnay is acquitted, and a bond begins to form between him and Lucie.

Carton, though outwardly indifferent and burdened by his own failings, harbors a deep, unspoken love for Lucie. In her, he sees all the light and goodness missing from his own life. His love, however, remains silent, and he continues his life as a shadow—drifting through existence with no purpose, save the rare moments he spends in Lucie’s company.

Meanwhile, across the Channel, Paris is on the verge of explosion. In the wine-stained streets of Saint Antoine, Madame Defarge, a woman of implacable resolve, knits the names of those marked for death into her endless scarf. She, alongside her husband, Monsieur Defarge, leads a swelling tide of revolutionary fervor, driven by a personal vendetta against the Evremonde family. The sins of the French aristocracy, embodied in Darnay’s uncle, are not forgotten, and Madame Defarge’s thirst for vengeance grows with every passing day.

Unaware of the full weight of his lineage, Darnay marries Lucie, and they live in relative peace in London, raising their child. However, when news reaches him that his former steward in France has been imprisoned by the revolutionaries, Darnay makes a fateful decision. Against the warnings of Lucie and her father, he returns to Paris, believing that his rejection of his family’s cruel ways will spare him from the revolution’s wrath. But France has descended into chaos, and no aristocrat is safe. Darnay is arrested, labeled an enemy of the people, and thrown into La Force prison.

Lucie, Dr. Manette, and Lorry follow Darnay to Paris, desperate to save him. Dr. Manette, revered as a former prisoner of the Bastille, initially holds sway with the revolutionary leaders, and Darnay is temporarily freed. Yet the danger is far from over. The Defarges, particularly Madame, have not forgotten the crimes of the Evremonde family. As it turns out, it was the brutality of Darnay’s uncle that destroyed Madame Defarge’s family, leading her to pursue a relentless quest for revenge. She ensures Darnay is arrested once more, this time sentenced to die by the guillotine.

As Darnay’s fate seems sealed, Sydney Carton appears in Paris. Though he has long lived a life of dissipation, Carton now has a purpose—one born out of his deep, unselfish love for Lucie. He devises a daring plan to save Darnay, knowing full well that this will be his final act. Carton uses his physical resemblance to Darnay to switch places with him in prison. Drugging Darnay, Carton ensures that the man Lucie loves will be smuggled out of France, while he, Carton, faces the blade in his place.

On the day of execution, Carton walks with quiet dignity toward his fate. Around him, the fever of revolution claims countless lives, but Carton is serene, his mind filled with thoughts of Lucie and the peace he believes he will bring her. In his final moments, he reflects on the meaning of sacrifice and redemption, and as he stands beneath the shadow of the guillotine, he finds solace in knowing that his death will grant life and happiness to others.

Madame Defarge, meanwhile, meets her own violent end. Determined to wipe out the entire Evremonde line—including Lucie and her daughter—she confronts Miss Pross, Lucie’s devoted servant. In the ensuing struggle, Madame Defarge’s pistol discharges, killing her instantly and ensuring that her plot for further vengeance dies with her.

As the revolution continues to consume Paris, Darnay, Lucie, and their child escape to England, unaware of the full extent of Carton’s sacrifice. Carton, who once believed himself worthless, finds redemption in his selfless act. His final thoughts are a vision of the future—a future where Lucie’s descendants live in peace and freedom, a future born from his love and sacrifice.

In those final moments, he knows with certainty that his sacrifice was not in vain. “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 to than I have ever known.”

Main Characters

• Charles Darnay: A French aristocrat who rejects his family’s cruel legacy and attempts to build a life in England. Darnay is noble and selfless, yet he is constantly drawn back into the chaos of revolutionary France.

• Sydney Carton: A disillusioned, alcoholic English lawyer who transforms into a heroic figure by the novel’s end. Carton’s unrequited love for Lucie Manette and his eventual act of self-sacrifice form the emotional core of the story.

• Lucie Manette: The compassionate and idealized daughter of Dr. Manette, Lucie is a central figure around whom much of the novel’s action revolves. Her kindness and love act as a healing force for those around her.

• Dr. Alexandre Manette: A former prisoner of the Bastille, Dr. Manette’s struggle to overcome the trauma of imprisonment and rediscover his identity is a major theme. His revival from madness symbolizes the theme of resurrection.

• Madame Defarge: The vengeful and relentless revolutionary leader, Madame Defarge embodies the fury of the oppressed class in revolutionary France. Her thirst for revenge against the aristocracy, including Darnay, is one of the novel’s driving forces.

• Jarvis Lorry: A banker at Tellson’s Bank, Mr. Lorry represents loyalty and stability amidst chaos. His close relationship with the Manette family and his role as a facilitator of their safety are crucial to the plot.

Theme

• Resurrection: One of the most prominent themes is the idea of being “recalled to life.” Dr. Manette’s release from the Bastille after 18 years is a literal resurrection, but it also reflects the possibility of personal and societal renewal. Sydney Carton’s eventual redemption and sacrifice at the guillotine also represent a form of spiritual resurrection.

• Sacrifice: Sacrifice permeates the novel, most notably in Sydney Carton’s willingness to give up his life for Lucie’s happiness. His act underscores the idea that selflessness and love can transcend personal suffering and lead to redemption.

• Social Injustice and Revolution: The novel critiques the extreme inequalities that existed in France prior to the Revolution, illustrating the brutal consequences of oppression. However, Dickens also questions the cost of revolutionary justice, showing the indiscriminate violence of figures like Madame Defarge.

• Fate and Free Will: Characters in A Tale of Two Cities are often at the mercy of larger historical forces. Darnay’s attempts to escape his family’s legacy are thwarted by the Revolution’s impersonal demands, while Carton’s free choice to sacrifice himself is one of the few moments of individual agency.

• Duality and Contrasts: The dual settings of Paris and London, along with the contrasting lives of Carton and Darnay, reflect the novel’s exploration of opposites—peace and chaos, love and hatred, life and death. The opening lines, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”, capture this sense of contradiction.

Writing Style and Tone

Dickens employs a rich, descriptive writing style filled with vivid imagery and intricate metaphors. His prose captures both the beauty and brutality of the novel’s setting. The tone shifts between dark and foreboding, particularly in the sections that take place in revolutionary France, to moments of tenderness and sentimentality, especially in scenes involving Lucie and her family. Dickens’s use of repetition, such as in the famous opening lines, lends a rhythmic and almost poetic quality to his writing. His narrative voice also frequently conveys irony, especially when he critiques both the aristocracy and the excesses of the revolution.

The novel also makes extensive use of symbolism, with recurring images like the wine spilling in the streets of Paris foreshadowing the bloodshed of the revolution. The guillotine, referred to with increasing frequency as the novel progresses, becomes a symbol of both revolutionary justice and mindless violence.