af Aiden Tyerman 6 år siden
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A tale of Two Cities is a great and powerful book that details the life events of those who live in both france and england and ventures their struggles. I have already read this book last year and thought it appropriate to read it for this course since it requires thinking, understanding and includes many of the themes required. For my mind map i will list out the characters and their significance, the themes and how they furthur the plot, the setting and why it matters as well as the motifs and how they furthur character development and theme.
Love is a strong Motif in a tale of two cities with the characters and their beliefs. I will start off with the most important love, which is for that of family. Lucie, DoctorManette and Charles Darney both share feelings of love for one another and its shown. The love Lucie has for her father and likewise from her father helps keep a stable mentality for the two and all that they have been through. Another love is shown that helps establish a mood for the audience reading which is where Lucie would visit Darney's prison cell for every day even when she would get scared by others, she still stayed developing hope of Darney being rescued. Another form of love is that of what the Defarges hold for their "baby" the revolution. Their love and desire for what could be helped create a new future for those living in France, even though a twisted love of revenge, its still love none the less.
Revolution is a powerful motif used in a tale of two cities with establishing themes, moods, imagery, character development and even plot. The revolution in a tale of two cities has a deeper meaning behind it with the rise of a new power of lower class mistreated people. A multitude of powerful scenes in the book such as people dancing while sharpening their pitchforks, and chasing down people develops a grim tone for the book and has readers such as myself view these people as demons who enjoy the murder and mayhem. The revolution also helps with introducing more to characters like the Defarges. The Defarges being the parents of the revolution dwelled in it with the others apart from their cause. We begin to see how Madam Defarge truly acts once she has the opportunity to get revenge, she likes to toy with her victim's mentalities by playing "cat and mouse" showing us readers how twisted she actually is under that knitting housewife act. The revolution develops themes, like said about resurrecting a new France. Revolution can be used in almost any book to establish a new character or setting, the new setting we were introduced to was that of le force prison where Darney struggles to survive the revolutionaries.
Ressurection is a tale of two cities is the most significant theme. Events that developed this is things such as Cartons sacrifice. Cartons sacrifice showed how by saving a life you can renew your own, at least is Cartons belief. Another example/scene that occurred mainly throughout the entirety of the novel is Doctor Manette recall to life. This recall was due to lucies hope which inspired him to be the man she wants him to be. After losing his mind in prison, over time he became more of himself. Another motif that established a theme of resurrection is the whole setting/idea of a revolution in France. Revolutions are to establish a new system for what most of the population believes is right, that being most of the people in France at the moment. With the rise in power for revolutionaries and the fall of nobles, we see something new being created in a France, even though the revolutionaries have power and are corrupted they will soon fall, and a new France will be "resurrected" so that everyone will have equality.
The tellsons bank is a location in england for a tale of two cities where we lean of a relation between the building with the people inside of it, with those gaining anger in france. The bank is described as dreaful and the people inside living a depressing life growing "old". There is tons of imagery within the bank that establishes the moodsof dread for the reader to introduce us to some foreshadowing to help us expect what the future of france and how its people are feeling.
The wine shop is where the Defarges live and plan most of the revolution. When we are introduced to the wine shop we get imagery of how bad France is at the moment with the spilling of a wine keg, people flock to drink the wine on the ground for nourishment. This imagery gives the reader a sense of how bad the lower class has it while the nobles are relaxing enjoying their lives. With the arrival of lorry and Lucie to the wine shop, we are introduced Doctor Manett who the Defarge was looking after his release from prison, this is when we see how far from life the Doctor had fallen but was revived in the presence of Lucie who gave him hope. Other than hope, like the dread of the wine incident, we learn of the Defarges roles in the resolution and how they plan with the "Jaques" in secrecy. Through the planning and incidents of the revolution, we learn of Madam Defarge knitting and what it symbolizes. This setting further develops character and plot.
Prison La Force is an important setting as it is where Darnay is confined too after he is captured by French revolutionaries for his families crimes. This prison also symbolizes the abuse of power for both the nobles and the French revolutionaries with the confinement of those who are innocent as well as the murders. The prison is where most of book 3 takes place as we see the Doctor and Carton save Darney from earlier executions and is what allows a tone of bland and no hope to take place so that hope can prevail which allows the conclusion of the story.
France is one of the settings for a tale of two cities other than england. France is an important setting as its where the revolution occured as well as the sotries of the noble families evils and wrongs committed such as the Evermonds. Its also where the dangers occured the most with the execution of Darnay and the imprionment of Doctor Manette.
A role of hope is with both within the cause of the revolution and main characters such as Lucie being a beacon of hope for her father after the reunited and how Sydney Carton sacrificed his life to redeem a piece of himself he lost for Lucie and her family. The character that shows hope at its best is within Lucie and through others she motivates. Lucie's whole character is to be the bright side of what life should be about with her caring attitude towards others such as how she revived Doctor Manette. The scene in the chapters of book 3, where Carton sacrificed himself for Darnay shows how the hope he had for reuniting Lucie with her husband. This event will renew Carton as the man he always wished to be. These scenes and characters help establish a mood for readers like me as it inspired me and gave me hope, especially Cartons sacrifice.
Morality is evident in the book on both sides of society shown. On one side we have the revolutionaries, once lower class, rising up and abusing their power against those they feel like deserve to be punished. Most revolutionaries murdered for fun and self-satisfaction as they feel it was just, even though the meaning of the revolution was equality which further developed the theme. Another thing concerning the difference between good and bad behavior(morality) is the way that Doctor Manette treated Charles Darney after learning oh his heritage of being related to the Evermonde family. The way the Doctor was before finding his daughter was that of a man who was lost his way, and only wanted revenge on those who wrong him, but after time with his family the Doctor realized that vengeance won't solve anything but cause more problems in the world, so he began to love and treat Darney as his own son when he tried to save him on multiple occasions.
Deceit is evident in this book as a major theme of the book with both the higher and lower class, like the main characters Madame Defarge and just the higher classes in general. Through the chapters we see Madame Defarge knitting new people into her list she wants dead because she can't get over her anger for those who have wronged people in the lower class like her. Later on in the novel, Madame Defarge would toy with the freedom of those imprisoned after the revolution. One of those that she toyed with was Charles Darnay and Lucie Manette. What Madame Defarge did was deceive Charles Darney with false temptations of freedom by playing "cat and mouse" with him. She would release him from prison by saying he was innocent but a couple hours later when he was happy with his family she ordered her men to take him back, once again ripping him apart from his family. This scene develops the theme of deceit and shows how the lower class is starting to abuse powers like the higher class
Society and class is a major theme in a tale of two cities because of the whole premise and cause behind the book. Since the book details, the revolution and the rise of those who feel mistreated due to wealth and class this perfectly tie in with how most society portrays class. THat of the higher class looking down on the lower classes as scum and those who don't deserve such as how the Monarchs would basically wrong any poor person they would come across because they could with no counteraction due to the fear of what may happen to those who would intervene. Another example is how the poor/lower class would view the higher class as evil greedy people that would kill any one of them to secure their own desires, so the lower class rose up against the Monarchs tyranny with the revolution and had the executions as a means of satisfaction. A closer example between main characters is Madame Defarge and the Evermonds. As the Evermonds murdered and raped her family/sister causing her to desire endless revenge against the Monarchs and those related and with the Evermonds like said murdering her family as well as starving civilians/lower class in nearby villages for self-indulgence.
Sydney Carton is a lawyer whos appearance is described as similar to that of Charles Darney. We learn early on in the chapter that Carton is depressed with his life and what could have been. He sees himself in Darnay and what could have been which develops his character to give the reader sympathy to him. The significance that makes him an important character is his love for Lucie. Carton like Darney loved Lucie, but couldn't marry Lucie although still loved her. When Barney gets captured by the revolutionaries Carton knew he must act to save Lucie and her family from heartbreak so he sacrificed himself. Carton snook Darney out of prison as himself due to similar appearances, but stayed behind to be executed as "Barney". In the end, the theme of resurrection is developed with Carton's sacrifice as Darney lived and Carton was reborn through his sacrifice creating his life. This helps conclude the story to what Dickins wanted of a happy ending.
Doctor Manette is the father of Lucie and the father in law of Charles Darney. Doctor Manette was imprisoned from his family during his midlife by the Evermonde Brothers for having the knowledge of their crimes they have committed. The Doctor is a very important character of a tale of two cities as he represents one of the victims of the cruelty of the French monarchs at the time. Doctor Manette is one of the most developed characters in a tale of two cities as we learn of his will to be a caring doctor for others, to a man who dwelled on revenge and went angry with madness, to a loving father again to his daughter and even saved Charles from an early execution despite his family ties. Through the book, we learn that the Doctor represents revenge, forgiveness and resurrection, both with his past lust for revenge against those who imprisoned him, that of which he was revived from his mental state because of his daughters love and when he forgave Charles ties with the Evermonds. I recognize the Doctor as the most important character with his ties to the entirety of the story and with his major symbolism within the book.
We don't learn much about the Evermonde brothers other than that they are the uncle and father to Charles Darney, and that they have committed multiple crimes with lack of empathy. The Evermond's we learn murdered a family for self-satisfaction, and because they can. We also learn that Charles uncle, one of the Evermonds, ran over a child in the streets with his courage and didn't show any empathy but tossed a coin to his father to pay for the child. The Evermonde Brothers symbolize the noble families reigning at the time and how corrupted they were with greed. The examples of the Evermondes crimes are important as they further develop the story of the start of the revolution as well as their murders and why Charles wants to atone for his family's sins.
Madame Defarge is somewhat of an undeveloped character but has a huge meaning in a tale of two cities as she is the mother of the French revolution and has had a troubled life due to the tyranny of the higher classes greed. Madame Defarge is the wife of Monsieur Defarge and is know as the parents of the revolution as they are the leaders who made it come true. Madame Defarge is the daughter of the family that the Evermonds ruined which we learn of later in the chapters. She, like every other lower class civilian, wanted revenge against the higher class and vowed to deliver "justice". Madame Defarge is exactly like and not like Lucie Manette. They are similar in the way that they have deeper symbolisms hiding within them such as Lucie is that of hope and Madame Defarge being that of Hate and Vengeance. We learn that Madame Defarge represents hate and revenge with her knitting list for all of those she plans on executing and even when she would try and murder Lucie's family for being related to Charles Darney.
Charles Darnay is a major character in a tale of two cities as he is a man who rejected his wealthy family ties due to the crimes they have committed such as murdering/ destroying an entire family. Although he rejected his family ties he cannot escape them as he is imprisoned and almost executed because of the everyone name during the revolution in France. Charles Darnay is married to Lucie Manette later on in the chapters(book 2), this is significant because technically Charles is the son in law of doctor Manette who was imprisoned by Darney's father and uncle for knowledge of their crimes. This is significant as doctor Manette who has the right to hold a grudge, later tries to save Darney from being executed. Charles symbolizes duty and justice as he stands against his noble family ties because of their crimes that they have committed and tries to atone for them which emphasize the good that can overcome evil.
Luie Manette is the main character in a tale of two cities. She is described as a beautiful young girl with golden hair and a kind heart throughout the book. She is the daughter of Doctor Manette and the husband of Charles Darnay in later chapters. Throughout the book, we learn that she is more than just a character, but a symbol of hope and love when compared to that of others such as Madame Defarge through the course of the revolution. Lucie Manette resembles hope and love because of her will to not fall victim to endless violence but solves certain obstacles with an open mind and heart. Although we don't learn much about Lucie as a character she does symbolize the hope through others and good qualities/virtues people have inside of them.
