"Every human creature is constituted to be that profound and secret mystery to every other." (16)
A Tale of Two Cities takes place before and during the French Revolution, when the peasants overtook the aristocratic class in an absolute bloodbath. Of course, this wasn't just a random act of violence that just so happened to be committed by approximately every peasant in the country. No, there was a long series of unfortunate events that led to the psychological breaking point of the peasants.
The psychoanalytical theory states that there are three levels to the subconscious: the id, the ego, and the superego. These form the largest part of our personalities.
The id
The id is the basic human desire. It does not have a conscious. It has been dubbed as everyone's "inner child", as the id has not been influenced by social behaviors. The id demands instant gratification for its every need.
The superego
The superego is the exact opposite of the id. It is a reservoir, if you will, of the social norms, behaviors, and feelings of guilt. Humans are deeply impacted by the way they are socialized. Scolding, punishment, shame, etc. will deeply impact the functioning of the subconscious.
The ego
The ego strives to achieve and maintain a balance between both the id and the superego. The ego is the mediator; the desires of the id can be taken by the ego and attained through socially acceptable ways to satisfy the superego. Sigmund Freud's theory states that psychological problems develop from a lack of ego and an imbalance between the id and the superego.
So...okay. How does that apply to A Tale of Two Cities and the French Revolution?
Oh, just you wait.
The peasants of France had been physically and emotionally abused by the aristocrats for decades before the revolution. They, in a sense, were the id. All they knew was the abuse of the aristocrats, who were, in turn, the superego. The ego was not present to mediate the peasants and the aristocrats. When the peasants began to overthrow the aristocrats, they had been so used to the horrible atrocities of the aristocrats that they overthrew them violently. Their perception of how to treat people they did not like was altered by the way the aristocrats had always treated them. Revolting against them caused unnecessary violence; however, this was all they knew, after being mistreated by their superego.
In chapter 7 of the second book, Monseigneur the Marquis, a disgustingly wealthy aristocrat, ran over a little peasant boy in a village. Instead of showing remorse or sympathy, Monseigneur the Marquis blamed the peasants, saying, "It is extraordinary to me...that you people cannot take care of yourselves and your children. One or the other of you is for ever in the way. How do I know what injury you have done my horses?" (Dickens 146). Monseigneur then proceeded to toss a coin at the boy's grieving father in an attempt to pay off the death of the boy. He was angry at the peasants for potentially causing harm to his horses, when any normal person would be horrified at the accidental death of the young boy. This experience is the pinnacle of how the aristocrats mistreated the peasants.
Peasants were exploited for decades. During the Revolution, they were struggling for goals and rights that they had always been fighting for. The peasants suffered from relative deprivation, which is the lack of resources to live the way it is encouraged or approved of in the society around them. Of course, the aristocrats dominated the society at the time, and the peasants could not afford to live the way they did. Of course, they were never given the opportunity to do so.
So when the peasants had the chance to revolt, they were overly violent in revenge. All they had ever known was abuse, and they believed it was normal to abuse those who were beneath them. And they completely tortured the aristocrats.
The psychoanalytical theory states that there are three levels to the subconscious: the id, the ego, and the superego. These form the largest part of our personalities.
The id
The id is the basic human desire. It does not have a conscious. It has been dubbed as everyone's "inner child", as the id has not been influenced by social behaviors. The id demands instant gratification for its every need.
The superego
The superego is the exact opposite of the id. It is a reservoir, if you will, of the social norms, behaviors, and feelings of guilt. Humans are deeply impacted by the way they are socialized. Scolding, punishment, shame, etc. will deeply impact the functioning of the subconscious.
The ego
The ego strives to achieve and maintain a balance between both the id and the superego. The ego is the mediator; the desires of the id can be taken by the ego and attained through socially acceptable ways to satisfy the superego. Sigmund Freud's theory states that psychological problems develop from a lack of ego and an imbalance between the id and the superego.
So...okay. How does that apply to A Tale of Two Cities and the French Revolution?
Oh, just you wait.
The peasants of France had been physically and emotionally abused by the aristocrats for decades before the revolution. They, in a sense, were the id. All they knew was the abuse of the aristocrats, who were, in turn, the superego. The ego was not present to mediate the peasants and the aristocrats. When the peasants began to overthrow the aristocrats, they had been so used to the horrible atrocities of the aristocrats that they overthrew them violently. Their perception of how to treat people they did not like was altered by the way the aristocrats had always treated them. Revolting against them caused unnecessary violence; however, this was all they knew, after being mistreated by their superego.
In chapter 7 of the second book, Monseigneur the Marquis, a disgustingly wealthy aristocrat, ran over a little peasant boy in a village. Instead of showing remorse or sympathy, Monseigneur the Marquis blamed the peasants, saying, "It is extraordinary to me...that you people cannot take care of yourselves and your children. One or the other of you is for ever in the way. How do I know what injury you have done my horses?" (Dickens 146). Monseigneur then proceeded to toss a coin at the boy's grieving father in an attempt to pay off the death of the boy. He was angry at the peasants for potentially causing harm to his horses, when any normal person would be horrified at the accidental death of the young boy. This experience is the pinnacle of how the aristocrats mistreated the peasants.
Peasants were exploited for decades. During the Revolution, they were struggling for goals and rights that they had always been fighting for. The peasants suffered from relative deprivation, which is the lack of resources to live the way it is encouraged or approved of in the society around them. Of course, the aristocrats dominated the society at the time, and the peasants could not afford to live the way they did. Of course, they were never given the opportunity to do so.
So when the peasants had the chance to revolt, they were overly violent in revenge. All they had ever known was abuse, and they believed it was normal to abuse those who were beneath them. And they completely tortured the aristocrats.