Charles Darnay

Charles Darnay’s character is greatly developed during chapters nine and ten in A Tale of Two Cities. From the events and descriptions present in the book, readers can conclude that he is kind, caring, passionate, and ambitious, yet mysterious as well. These are all qualities that he proves himself to be in chapters nine and ten. He shows his kindness when talking with his uncle the Marquis. He tries to convince this man to make changes so that the poorer people could live a better life and eventually escape from this poverty. He points out the wrong that his family had been doing and continued to do. He shows his passion when talking to Dr. Manette about getting Lucie’s hand in marriage. Darnay says, “Dear Doctor Manette, I love your daughter fondly, dearly, disinterestedly, and devotedly” (Dickens 101). These words express what his heart feels for Lucie and also shows the passion he possesses. He is ambitious in the sense of belief he has that he will help these poor people who are so harshly mistreated and that he will someday have Lucie, the only woman he loves, as his wife. The mystery aspect that Charles Darnay undoubtedly possesses is mostly seen by the townspeople around him. None of these people know Charles by his real name or where he came from. This makes him mysterious to the readers because if he could have made up something as important as his name then he could likely be hiding other components of his true self.

The Light and The Dark

In chapter 6, Dickens creates a hopeful mood for the future of Lucie and the shoemaker, Dr. Manette, through the use of light and darkness. Defarge says, “I want to let a little more light in here” (Dickens 30). The shoemaker agrees skeptically. This insignificant event symbolized the course in which events of his future will occur. The shoemaker will likely slowly let Lucie into his life and along with her will come life changing improvements. Lucie is portrayed as the light in his life that will bring him out of his dark imprisonment and depression. Along with the light comes a sense of strong hope. Dickens also writes, “Darkness had fallen on him in its place” (Dickens 32). This statement reflects upon how Mr. Manette has spent the last years of his life. The darkness that falls on him symbolizes the dreadful years he spent in prison that changed him for the worse. He used to be a man who worked as a doctor and spent his off hours with the woman he loved, but now he must hold onto any shred of sanity he has left by wasting his days making shoes. The last quote really sets a hopeful mood for Lucie and Dr. Manette to help each other thrive to success in life. It reads, “The darkness deepened as they both lay quiet, until a light gleamed through the chinks in the wall” (Dickens 36). The light that gleams through the wall is a sign that though they are in a hard situation, there is hope that things will get better. By comparing Lucie to a light that will brighten her father’s dark life, the author shows hope foreshadows a breakthrough within the relationship.

Wine Spill or War?

In Chapter 5 of A Tale of Two Cities, wine is spilt onto the poor streets of Paris and people in the surrounding area rush towards the mess. The way these events occur and the way the author describes the situation foreshadows a war that is to come. The first sentence in this chapter reads, “A large cask of wine had been dropped and broken, in the street” (Dickens 20). The cask of wine resembles the peace and trust between countries being shattered, resulting in disaster. The quote that symbolizes a war to come says, “All the people within reach suspended their business, or their idleness, to run to the spot and drink the wine” (Dickens 20). The people suspending what they are busy with resemble people that drop everything they having going in their everyday life and go to war. As the wine is running short because of all the people drinking it in the streets, it leaves a stain on the ground of the city. Dickens writes, “The wine was red wine, and had stained the ground of the narrow street in the suburb of Saint Antoine, in Paris, where it was spilled” (Dickens 21). This shows how the war will leave an undying impression on the city. Though a war may be a little more complex than a wine spill, the two resemble each other greatly in this situation.