- "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." (426)
Personally, I did not start off well with the book. It took me a little while to get into. Once I got past the exposition, I began to thoroughly enjoy the story.
The allusions to Christ and the Bible were very interesting. I wasn’t expecting an underlying religious feel in a love story and a story about the French Revolution. I immediately picked up on how Sydney Carton’s death was made to be Christ-like, and I think it was because of all the references to blood, wine, resurrection, and redemption. The religious symbols were already in my head, so when Sydney switched places with Charles, I immediately thought of Christ and his sacrifice. Carton sacrificed himself for the happiness of his loved ones, just as Christ sacrificed himself for the happiness of humanity.
I thought that Monseigneur was a strong allegory for the aristocratic class. He was portrayed as one person in regards to the scene where he demanded his hot chocolate, yet he was portrayed as class as well. I found it very easy to understand the gluttony and the vices of the aristocrats through the Monseigneur, and Monsieur the Marquis. When Monsieur the Marquis ran over the little boy and tried to pay off the father, I believe that epitomized the attitude of the aristocrats during that time. It helped me to understand just how horrible the aristocrats were and how badly they mistreated the peasants before the revolution. I think Doctor Manette’s unfair imprisonment epitomized the unjust treatment of the lower classes and foreshadowed how the rest of the lower classes would be treated before the revolt.
The first court scene, where readers are introduced to Charles Darnay, troubled me. During the trial, I was sure that Darnay would be acquitted. The state’s witnesses, while most could not testify to what exactly Mr. Darnay was doing while traveling between Britain and France, testified to seeing him with lists. They could not testify as to what was on those lists, but because he had said lists he was obviously a traitor. Well, in their eyes he was. The entire testimony was riddled with doubt, but I don’t think they cared; they just wanted to see some blood. I empathized with Lucie; she obviously testified against her will, and didn’t want to incriminate him. Unfortunately, her testimony did the opposite of help him. However, when Mr. Carton revealed himself to look exactly like Mr. Darnay, I almost fell over. The odds of that happening in a real court situation are slim to none, but his similarity to Mr. Darnay put enough doubt into everyone’s minds that Darnay had to be acquitted. Personally, I doubted the case as soon as the witnesses could not identify what the lists contained – for all we know, they could have been grocery lists. Is it likely? Well, maybe not, but there’s reasonable doubt. That should have acquitted him immediately, but apparently courts in England in the 1700s were not as rational as they are today.
The chord that struck the deepest for me was the death of Sydney Carton. I have an easy time relating to Sydney Carton, and his last words made me cry. I thought his sacrifice for Lucie, Charles, Dr. Manette, and the rest of their family's happiness was the most heroic thing anyone could ever do. I never expected Carton to do a thing like that. Even though he wasn't developed much, I think the transition from being masochistic to admitting his feelings to sacrificing his life was remarkable.
I was not a fan of A Tale of Two Cities to start. I don't exactly like it, but I've grown to appreciate different aspects. I think it says a lot that even though the book was difficult to get through, one of Dickens' characters struck me so strongly that I cried. Yes, I am an emotional person, but Dickens is a master at what he does.
The allusions to Christ and the Bible were very interesting. I wasn’t expecting an underlying religious feel in a love story and a story about the French Revolution. I immediately picked up on how Sydney Carton’s death was made to be Christ-like, and I think it was because of all the references to blood, wine, resurrection, and redemption. The religious symbols were already in my head, so when Sydney switched places with Charles, I immediately thought of Christ and his sacrifice. Carton sacrificed himself for the happiness of his loved ones, just as Christ sacrificed himself for the happiness of humanity.
I thought that Monseigneur was a strong allegory for the aristocratic class. He was portrayed as one person in regards to the scene where he demanded his hot chocolate, yet he was portrayed as class as well. I found it very easy to understand the gluttony and the vices of the aristocrats through the Monseigneur, and Monsieur the Marquis. When Monsieur the Marquis ran over the little boy and tried to pay off the father, I believe that epitomized the attitude of the aristocrats during that time. It helped me to understand just how horrible the aristocrats were and how badly they mistreated the peasants before the revolution. I think Doctor Manette’s unfair imprisonment epitomized the unjust treatment of the lower classes and foreshadowed how the rest of the lower classes would be treated before the revolt.
The first court scene, where readers are introduced to Charles Darnay, troubled me. During the trial, I was sure that Darnay would be acquitted. The state’s witnesses, while most could not testify to what exactly Mr. Darnay was doing while traveling between Britain and France, testified to seeing him with lists. They could not testify as to what was on those lists, but because he had said lists he was obviously a traitor. Well, in their eyes he was. The entire testimony was riddled with doubt, but I don’t think they cared; they just wanted to see some blood. I empathized with Lucie; she obviously testified against her will, and didn’t want to incriminate him. Unfortunately, her testimony did the opposite of help him. However, when Mr. Carton revealed himself to look exactly like Mr. Darnay, I almost fell over. The odds of that happening in a real court situation are slim to none, but his similarity to Mr. Darnay put enough doubt into everyone’s minds that Darnay had to be acquitted. Personally, I doubted the case as soon as the witnesses could not identify what the lists contained – for all we know, they could have been grocery lists. Is it likely? Well, maybe not, but there’s reasonable doubt. That should have acquitted him immediately, but apparently courts in England in the 1700s were not as rational as they are today.
The chord that struck the deepest for me was the death of Sydney Carton. I have an easy time relating to Sydney Carton, and his last words made me cry. I thought his sacrifice for Lucie, Charles, Dr. Manette, and the rest of their family's happiness was the most heroic thing anyone could ever do. I never expected Carton to do a thing like that. Even though he wasn't developed much, I think the transition from being masochistic to admitting his feelings to sacrificing his life was remarkable.
I was not a fan of A Tale of Two Cities to start. I don't exactly like it, but I've grown to appreciate different aspects. I think it says a lot that even though the book was difficult to get through, one of Dickens' characters struck me so strongly that I cried. Yes, I am an emotional person, but Dickens is a master at what he does.