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.