Madame DeFarge is a very interesting woman in the classic A Tale Of Two Cities. When she was first mentioned in the book, particularly in the chapter The Wine Shop, I did not think much of her. I thought she was going to be a minor character, little did I know that she was going to be a driving force in the Revolution. She was always knitting, which was very interesting. She never left anywhere without her knitting needles and yarn. Madame DeFarge is an observant person. She is always surveying and taking account of the people around her. As the novel continued, the reader begins to see that knitting was an ongoing list of the people that should be killed during the French Revolution, specifically aristocrats. At this point, I did not know why she wanted this revolution to occur. It did not seem that there was a purpose for her to want one. She had food, water, wine, and a home. Madame Defarge always seemed very secretive and she kept to herself. Her true nature came out during the revolution. She was hateful and evil. She began killing people because they were wealthy aristocrats not because they wronged her in any way. Madame and Monsiuer DeFarge replaced the government that they despised with just a new version of it. Madame DeFarge had no empathy or compassion for the innocent people that she brought to the guillotine. Did anybody else think it was weird that she did not care if Charles Darnay, beloved husband of her husband's former master, died? She began to kill for the sake of killing. Madame DeFarge became mad when she went back to murder Lucie, who did not do anything to deserve that. Once it was known that Madame DeFarge was the hidden sister of the peasant family who were killed by Charle's father and uncle it became clear why she was angry. However, her angry blinded her from the fact that Charles is not his father or uncle. He was just a young boy at the time and he could not do anything to stop the actions of his father and uncle. Madame DeFarge went from a quiet, harmless woman to a devilish, deceitful, and hated woman in Paris.
Oddly enough, I feel a little sympathetic towards Madame Defarge because she had such a traumatic past. I don't think she is justified in most of her actions but I can understand her perspective in the whole scheme of things.
In the article I read for Tale of Two Cities, it talked a lot about the "twoness" of the novel- how so many aspects of the book had something to juxtapose it. I found it interesting that it explained that Madame Defarge and Lucie were set meant to oppose each other; while Madame Defarge is a cruel murderer and a dishonest wife, Lucie is the "perfect" young woman and wife. The difference is made much clearer when you look at their similar upbringings: both were raised as virtual orphans, courtesy of the Marquis. How they each reacted in the same situation highlights that they foil one another. So looking how Madame Defarge could have turned out, I do not pity her at all.
Doctor Manette is a very complex and mysterious character. From his first appearance in the novel, he seems weak and frail, unable to cope with being a free man back in the real world after his long time spent imprisoned. He is only able to cobble shoes, locked up in a room with little sunlight. After spending so much time in a prison cell under terrible conditions, Manette was not able to cope with his newfound freedom. However, after reuniting with his daughter and spending time under her care, he is brought “back to life” in a sense, as he regains his mental faculties and his physical and intellectual strength. However, the mental repercussions of his trauma are still buried beneath the surface. While Doctor Manette is a very strong man, it is evident that even the strongest men may break. Doctor Manette remains a mystery throughout much of the novel; the cause of his imprisonment is not known until the last book of the novel. It is revealed through an older letter Manette had written that he was imprisoned by the Evremondes, who Manette knew had raped a peasant woman and killed and injured her brothers. He has witnessed many tragedies, such as caring for and seeing the abused woman and her brothers die, as well as living through his own mistreatment in the prison he was sent to because he knew about the Evremondes’ secrets. Throughout all of this tragedy, Doctor Manette remained a loving man. Being a caring and loving individual is central to his character. He loves his daughter very deeply. Although his daughter is the only family he has left, he only wants what will make her happy. He is supportive of her marriage to Darnay, and, when Darnay is imprisoned by the French, works hard and does everything in his power to save Darnay from being executed. An ironic facet of his character is that, although he tries desperately to free Darnay, it is own letter that is used to sentence him to death in his final trial. Despite this unfortunate occurrence, Manette illustrates how his views differ from that of Madame Defarge and the Republic. Though he wrote of the horrific crimes of the Evremondes, he does not condemn Darney for his uncle’s actions. Although he knows that Darnay’s uncle was the man who committed the atrocious crime that resulted in his own imprisonment, he still wholeheartedly attempts to free Darnay because he knows Darnay is not at fault for the actions of his family, unlike Madame Defarge who condemns the whole family line out of anger and vengeance. Doctor Manette is a character that has been faced with so many difficulties, some of which still scar him many years after the fact, but he remains a courageous, silent hero, not willing to back down after all of the suffering he has been through.
Doctor Manette was definitely a character who was able to bring himself together as the book carried on. So my question is, How would things have been different with the events that he was involved such as fighting to save Charles if Doctor Manette had not been able to recuperate after being in prison?
Charles Darnay was my least favorite character in the novel, yet, his actions were very noble and just. I did not like Darnay because I felt that he did not go through as many trials as the other characters did, which made Darnay seem a bit too lucky and fortunate. Furthermore, I think Darnay is meant to be seen as the hero of the novel, due to his respect and courage, but he never really uses his imagination and knowledge to act like a hero (as did Sydney Carton). The most heroic action that Darnay did was to return to Paris to save the imprisoned Gabelle. On the other hand, what interested me the most about Darnay was that he was able to turn away from the society that he was raised in. He had enough intuition and independent thought to leave the aristocracy and live a clean life away from the aristocratic reputation. He represents the individualism in the French ruling class, because he had his own ideas about the aristocracy. Also, Darnay gives up his life in the dark destruction of Paris to be another person in England which showed a bright future away from the hierarchy in Paris. Therefore, I definitely respect Darnay for his denial of riches as a way of refuting the cruel French social system.
I think Darnay is a respectable character. He loves Lucie very much and treats her well. He gave us his inheritance and rejected his family because he knew how cruel his family was and did not want to be like them. I do not however, think he is the hero. Although he does go back to save Gabelle,risking his own life, he was not the savior of the novel. Sydney Carton served as the Christ figure since he gave up his own life for others to live.
Throughout the majority of the novel, Madame Defarge is an elusive and seemingly-mysterious character. In the beginning of the novel, the reader only really sees small glimpses of her, and they are not very telling; it’s usually something along the lines of “Madame Defarge was sewing intimidatingly in the corner” or “Madame Defarge etched the person’s name metaphorically into her cloth, but really she just was having an impeccable memory.” Something along those lines. By the end of the novel, though, the reasoning behind her classist nature reveals itself fully, completing the image of who she is. The reader finds out at the end of the novel that the fate of Madame Defarge is linked fatally to Charles Darnay, for it is his family, the affluent Evremonde family, that is responsible for the deaths of her own father, brother, brother-in-law, and sister. Once the reader discovers this, her actions become a bit clearer. The reader understands why she does not show much sympathy or compassion, why she has such determination, and certainly why she is set on condemning Darnay for the crimes of his family. Once her tragic story is known, it is easier to sympathize with Madame Defarge. She was taken advantage of by the upper class, and for this reason she is committed to taking revenge. It isn’t hard to relate to the concept of revenge. The revenge inside of Madame Defarge, though, is not the harmless kind. It is slow and patient, and it hits in the most vulnerable place. Before the revolution, the reader is witness to her time-bidding nature; she knows that if she acts too soon, her revenge would never be attained. This would stem from her life as one of the poor, since, in France, the people of the lower classes were not allowed to speak out, and when they did, they were ignored, or worse. The reader knows that this is the case in the way that Monsieur the Marquis reacts to running over a poor boy with his carriage. Upon hearing that the boy is dead, “Monsieur the Marquis ran his eyes over them all, as if they had been mere rats come out of their holes. He took out his purse” (Dickens 116). The Marquis looks at these people as if they are less than human, and thinks that their lives can be made up for with money. It makes sense that Madame Defarge is ruthless and wants revenge, having been raised in this kind of environment. It is lucky for the Manettes that Miss Pross intercepts Madame Defarge at the end of the novel, for a woman with her background and strong will would not give up hunting the Manettes too easily.
Miss Pross is an admirable character due to her demonstration of unwavering loyalty and love. She served as a maternal figure to Lucie, raising her as her own until Lucie was fortunate enough to cross paths with her once imprisoned father. She was an ardent lover of the motherland, England, and never failed to profess her pride in all things English. Although Miss Pross had strong ties to the Manette family throughout A Tale of Two Cities, she had her own independent purpose. Her connection to her brother Solomon, also known as John Barsad, would prove to be very useful to Sydney Carton’s plot to free Charles Darnay. In this way, Miss Pross played a vital role to the progression of the plot. Miss Pross was constantly supportive of Lucie, even if she felt that her brother, Solomon, was the only man good enough for Lucie. It is ironic that she believed this considering Solomon had betrayed her and stole all her possessions for his own. To me, Miss Pross’s opinion of her brother, despite his obvious flaws, once again highlighted how much love she has and how her love for a person is much greater than any other force. It also indicates that Miss Pross’s big heart may at times blind her from reality. Miss Pross’s ultimate act of love was standing firmly against the notorious, Madame Defarge, in order to protect those closest to her. Miss Pross was always portrayed as very tough and strong, and this moment emphasized those characteristics. The little Englishwoman proved to be Madame Defarge’s ultimate match; their battle culminated in Madame Defarge’s gun firing and killing herself. It is interesting that an act of love would materialize in the form of violence. I think this final act of murder, accidental or not, was a betrayal of Miss Pross’s true character, and it certainly would pay a mental toll on Miss Pross. She would be constantly reminded of that moment due to the gun shot causing her deafness.
In anticipation of what is to come at the end of the novel, it is easy to glide over Miss Pross’ altruism and heroism. However, the sacrifice that Miss Pross was willing to make towards the end of the novel is not much different than the one that Sydney Carton is deemed heroic for. Miss Pross’ willingness to sacrifice is often not connected to Sydney Carton’s act for two reasons: she did not die, and she is generally a more static character, while the reader can see Sydney’s change over the book into a more selfless and passionate individual. Miss Pross demonstrates immeasurable devotion to Lucie throughout the novel. When Lucie had no one, Miss Pross stepped up to the plate to act as her mother and father, and loving her enough to make up for the loss of both parents. However, this love could periodically give way to jealousy: “‘It is really doubly and trebly hard to have crowds and multitudes of people turning up after him (I could have forgiven him), to take Ladybird’s affections away from me’” (Dickens 101). Upon hearing this, Mr. Lorry notes that while Miss Pross was quite jealous, she was also unequivocally selfless and completely devoted to Lucie’s well being. This is seen as she comes to terms with Lucie loving Charles and later in following the family to Paris and staying there, even when her stay became dangerous. At the end of her stay, she was willing to risk it all so that her Ladybird could escape Paris with Charles. Miss Pross is ready to fight Madame Defarge even if it means that she gets herself injured or eventually killed, and is clearly willing to hurt Madame Defarge if it means saving Lucie. Miss Pross explained to Madame Defarge, “I am desperate. I don’t care an English twopence for myself. I know that the longer I keep you here, the greater hope there is for my Ladybird. I’ll not leave a handful of that dark hair upon your head, if you lay a finger on me!” (359). Miss Pross seems to be contradictory in her statement to Miss Pross: in one sentence, she did not care for herself at all, and another she would tear out all of Madame Defarge’s hair if she hurt her. However, Miss Pross’ self preservation was not for herself, but to keep her guard over Lucie. Miss Pross knew that if Madame Defarge killed her, she would not be able to keep guard over Lucie’s vacant room. So, she is willing to get injured to protect Lucie, but knows that she cannot die, at least not before Lucie and her family have sufficient time to escape. As long as Miss Pross stays alive, there is a chance that Lucie and her loved ones will not be caught and executed for plotting. Here the reader can see that Miss Pross’ will to sacrifice her health for Lucie is quite similar to Sydney’s will to die so that Lucie and her loved ones do not have to.
Doctor Manette is first presented in the novel at the wine shop, where he displays insanity and cobbles shoes. The condition he is found in is attributed to his imprisonment in the Bastille. Although his sanity is restored by his daughter Lucie, the reason to his incarceration remains a mystery for much of the novel. This mystery constitutes to a statement Dickens makes regarding how everyone has secrets. Any mention of a prison makes the Doctor uncomfortable, and when he discovers Darnay’s true identity he relapses into insanity. It is then revealed the Doctor was sentenced by Darnay’s uncle, the Marquis. With this discovery, it is understood that the Doctor had casted away any feelings of hate towards the Evermonde family because of his love for Lucie. In the Doctor’s letter read during Darnay’s trial, the Doctor regards the Evermonde family with utter abhorrence when he denounces the family to death. Yet, he understands Lucie’s love for Darnay and does everything in his power to protect Darnay. It is quite interesting how love can conquer hatred and how Doctor Manette dealt with this on his own.
I think it was amazing how Doctor Manette could cast away his feelings for the happiness of his daughter. Dr. Manette is the epitome of the perfect father, and I am even more surprised that he tried to use his social standing to help save Darnay.
Madame DeFrage was a very interesting character to me. I had no idea that she was going to become the character that she did. In the beginning of the novel she was only mentioned a few times and seemed like a quiet woman who watched the wine shop, knitted, and minded her own business. She was always seen knitting. She soon became a powerful leader in the revolution. The entire time that she was knitting she was knitting the names of powerful and wealthy arisocrats that they needed to kill in their fight of the revolution. Madame DeFrage is a very cruel and ruthless woman. I was shocked when she was beheading the arisocrats. She has a driving fire within me which causes her to be such a strong force in the revolution. She feels so strongly about the revolution because she is the surviving sister of the family that Darney’s father and uncle killed. She wants revenge so badly that she sees no issue with Darney dying for his father’s and uncle’s sins. She ignores the fact that Darney rejected his family and the riches he would inherit since he did not wan to be cruel like them. Darney is in fact the opposite of what his father and uncle were but Madame DeFarge is blinded from this. Seeing the true side of Madame DeFarge come out astonished me. She ended up being a vile woman.
Yes, Madame DeFarge is a ruthless revolutionary, but is her cause (the French Revolution) justifiable? If you were in Madame DeFarge's shoes would you do anything possible for true freedom or would you forget about the pain and suffering of the lower classes, the class that Madame DeFarge was in, and be a "nice" person? I do not say that Madame DeFarge is not a "vile woman" but I do think she is a fierce French revolutionary who would do anything for her people (which is also very cool because she was a woman and not many women had leading roles in anything back then).
While reading this novel, I did not expect Miss Pross to have as much significance as she did by the end of the book. To me, she just seemed to be around occasionally but never did anything of extreme importance. Despite this, I did notice her constant loyalty to the Manette's, Lucie in particular. Because Lucie did not have her parents growing up, Miss Pross was there to act as a parental figure for her. Lucie's character is gentle and kind and Miss Pross, who is tough and devoted, feels very protective of her. Miss Pross also believes that the only man suited to be Lucie's wife is her own brother. This is another example of her loyalty because Miss Pross has not seen or heard from her bother in a very long time but still trusts that he is a good man and would make Lucie, whom she would never put in danger, happy. Pross is also unceasingly patriotic in that she remains loyal to England without question. During the altercation between Miss Pross and Madame Defarge at the end of the story, it became clear that they are foils of one another. While both women express extreme allegiance to their respective causes, Miss Pross to Lucie and Madame Defarge to the revolution, Miss Pross acts out of love while Madame Defarge's actions stem from hate. Miss Pross wins the scuffle but unfortunately loses her hearing as a result. This sacrifice protected the Manette's but is a bit overshadowed by the sacrifice made by Sydney Carton.
I am glad to have read your response because it opens up my mind to the foil between Miss Pross and Madame Defarge. I now see it and that adds another layer to my reading experience. Also, Miss Pross is devoted to her king while Madame Defarge is devoted to the revolution against her king.
Doctor Manette was an extremely interesting character to follow throughout the book. At first, the reader pities him, seeing him in his desolate state, shoemaking in the wine shop. He appears to have lost mental stability; he does not understand questions that are asked of him and insists on continuing his work. Once he is united with his daughter, Lucie, he transforms and becomes attached to her at the hip. Everything he does in his life, for here on, is with Lucie in mind. Manette even forgives the Evermonde family when Charles Darnay professes his love for Lucie. Manette attempts to remove himself from his past life of imprisonment, and does not discuss his time in the Bastille or his time in the wine shop. He remains somewhat of a mystery to readers and to the other characters. When he is separated from Lucie, he becomes emotionally vulnerable and falls back into his past routine of shoemaking, as he refuses to remove the workbench from his living space. His love for Lucie appears to be the only thing that keeps him truly grounded, which is why it was such a big sacrifice give his blessing for her marriage to Charles Darnay.
Doctor Manette was an extremely interesting character to follow throughout the book. At first, the reader pities him, seeing him in his desolate state, shoemaking in the wine shop. He appears to have lost mental stability; he does not understand questions that are asked of him and insists on continuing his work. Once he is united with his daughter, Lucie, he transforms and becomes attached to her at the hip. Everything he does in his life, for here on, is with Lucie in mind. Manette even forgives the Evermonde family when Charles Darnay professes his love for Lucie. Manette attempts to remove himself from his past life of imprisonment, and does not discuss his time in the Bastille or his time in the wine shop. He remains somewhat of a mystery to readers and to the other characters. When he is separated from Lucie, he becomes emotionally vulnerable and falls back into his past routine of shoemaking, as he refuses to remove the workbench from his living space. His love for Lucie appears to be the only thing that keeps him truly grounded, which is why it was such a big sacrifice give his blessing for her marriage to Charles Darnay.
Miss Pross is a caring, simple minded woman who wouldn’t let anything happen to her ‘ladybird’. She seems to be simple-minded because of how she acts in certain situations. Originally she is seen protecting her ‘ladybird’, Miss Manette, from Mr. Lorry because she believes that he is hurting her by providing her too much information at once. Mr. Lorry is only trying to give Miss Manette important information on the whereabouts of her father and Miss Pross stops him after she thinks he has gone too far. Personally I think Miss Pross was born in to a poor family that could not afford a tutor for her so she went on without an education. I believe she never had children but always wanted to, so she took to caring for Lucie as if she was her own daughter. Miss Pross enjoys her job because she loves her ‘ladybird’, and she feels as though she has nothing else to do with her life. Her main role in life is Lucie’s guardian, and she fulfills this role when she protects her from getting captured by Madame Defarge. This is Miss Pross’s crowning achievement because she used her sheer strength to protect her ‘ladybird’ and she succeeded.
Do you think, had Miss Pross not stopped Madame Defarge, Darnay would have been caught? If they made it to England would the authorities have allowed officials of the revolution to apprehend Darnay and his family?
That thought makes me anxious. It depends on what you think of Darnay's "fate" in the story. If you believe he was supposed to be free, then maybe that's why Miss Pross ended up killing Madame DeFarge, and that's why he ended up being free. But I can't help thinking that for some reason Darnay's fatemust have involved him being caught (maybe something in his past made him deserve it?). It seems uncanny to me that the authorities were after him repeatedly. Considering it is a novel, it seems that Darnay's inability to stay free for very long must have been written in for reason. As much as I want to believe he is innocent, I can't help my suspicion. After all of that, I'm surprised they didn't catch him regardless of Madame DeFarge's death, to be honest.
In Charles Dickens' A Tale Of Two Cities, Dr. Manette was a sweet man and a victim of circumstance. Wrongfully imprisoned during the French Revolution, as many were, he spent time locked up that he would never be able to get back. When readers are first introduced to his character, he is rhythmically making a pair of shoes. His nature is almost robotic and trace-like, and he is not himself. While he is in prison, he loses himself to the craft of shoe-making which occupies his mind and takes over his entire world. This way of life shows its true impact on him upon his release from jail when he retreats back into the trace-like state at times. It seems like there are two of him, and this zombie is the other half of his personality. When Lorry and Pross destroy his shoe-making workbench, a murder metaphor is used because it is symbolic of Dr. Manette ending his submission to the brainwashing effect prison has had on him. His daughter Lucie guides him through his struggles, and becomes his crutch. Later in the story, however, these roles reverse. Dr. Manette goes through a huge transformation that is sparked by the wrongful imprisonment of his daughter's lover, Charles Darnay. Dr. Manette does everything he can to get Darnay released. It is evident that he sees some of himself in Darnay, and wishes that he should not have to go through the same hardships and struggles of prison. Dr. Manette then seems to become the only hope for Darnay and Lucie (before Sydney Carton's sacrifice, of course), returning the favor of strength and comfort to Lucie and her family that she had given him in his earlier time of suffering.
Doctor Manette was a very good and successful doctor before the events in which he was imprisoned and later found by Mr. Lorry and the doctor's daughter. As known as Manette was during his time, unfortunately his was unluckily placed in prison. He was in prison for such a long time that it began to take a toll on his mental health. He started to forget who he was and what his life was like before prison. He sort of became robotic in a way, and got into a habit of making shoes. However all of this changes when Doctor Manette sees his daughter again. After this event, Doctor Manette slowly brought his life back together with the help of his daughter, Lucie. The aristocrats that actually imprisoned Doctor Manette were the uncle and father of Lucie's husband to be, Charles. When Doctor Manette found out that Charles is in prison for similar reasons as himself, he does what he can to get him out of there because he knows that prison can do to someone and he does not want that to happen to Charles. Manette says that Charles should not have to be taken away to be imprisoned for something that his family had done. Once the problems settle out, Doctor Manette gives Charles the blessing of marrying his daughter. Overall, even after his worst times, Doctor Manette was a very thoughtful character.
Madame DeFarge is a very interesting woman in the classic A Tale Of Two Cities. When she was first mentioned in the book, particularly in the chapter The Wine Shop, I did not think much of her. I thought she was going to be a minor character, little did I know that she was going to be a driving force in the Revolution. She was always knitting, which was very interesting. She never left anywhere without her knitting needles and yarn. Madame DeFarge is an observant person. She is always surveying and taking account of the people around her. As the novel continued, the reader begins to see that knitting was an ongoing list of the people that should be killed during the French Revolution, specifically aristocrats. At this point, I did not know why she wanted this revolution to occur. It did not seem that there was a purpose for her to want one. She had food, water, wine, and a home. Madame Defarge always seemed very secretive and she kept to herself. Her true nature came out during the revolution. She was hateful and evil. She began killing people because they were wealthy aristocrats not because they wronged her in any way. Madame and Monsiuer DeFarge replaced the government that they despised with just a new version of it. Madame DeFarge had no empathy or compassion for the innocent people that she brought to the guillotine. Did anybody else think it was weird that she did not care if Charles Darnay, beloved husband of her husband's former master, died? She began to kill for the sake of killing. Madame DeFarge became mad when she went back to murder Lucie, who did not do anything to deserve that. Once it was known that Madame DeFarge was the hidden sister of the peasant family who were killed by Charle's father and uncle it became clear why she was angry. However, her angry blinded her from the fact that Charles is not his father or uncle. He was just a young boy at the time and he could not do anything to stop the actions of his father and uncle. Madame DeFarge went from a quiet, harmless woman to a devilish, deceitful, and hated woman in Paris.
ReplyDeleteOddly enough, I feel a little sympathetic towards Madame Defarge because she had such a traumatic past. I don't think she is justified in most of her actions but I can understand her perspective in the whole scheme of things.
DeleteIn the article I read for Tale of Two Cities, it talked a lot about the "twoness" of the novel- how so many aspects of the book had something to juxtapose it. I found it interesting that it explained that Madame Defarge and Lucie were set meant to oppose each other; while Madame Defarge is a cruel murderer and a dishonest wife, Lucie is the "perfect" young woman and wife. The difference is made much clearer when you look at their similar upbringings: both were raised as virtual orphans, courtesy of the Marquis. How they each reacted in the same situation highlights that they foil one another. So looking how Madame Defarge could have turned out, I do not pity her at all.
DeleteDoctor Manette is a very complex and mysterious character. From his first appearance in the novel, he seems weak and frail, unable to cope with being a free man back in the real world after his long time spent imprisoned. He is only able to cobble shoes, locked up in a room with little sunlight. After spending so much time in a prison cell under terrible conditions, Manette was not able to cope with his newfound freedom. However, after reuniting with his daughter and spending time under her care, he is brought “back to life” in a sense, as he regains his mental faculties and his physical and intellectual strength. However, the mental repercussions of his trauma are still buried beneath the surface. While Doctor Manette is a very strong man, it is evident that even the strongest men may break. Doctor Manette remains a mystery throughout much of the novel; the cause of his imprisonment is not known until the last book of the novel. It is revealed through an older letter Manette had written that he was imprisoned by the Evremondes, who Manette knew had raped a peasant woman and killed and injured her brothers. He has witnessed many tragedies, such as caring for and seeing the abused woman and her brothers die, as well as living through his own mistreatment in the prison he was sent to because he knew about the Evremondes’ secrets. Throughout all of this tragedy, Doctor Manette remained a loving man. Being a caring and loving individual is central to his character. He loves his daughter very deeply. Although his daughter is the only family he has left, he only wants what will make her happy. He is supportive of her marriage to Darnay, and, when Darnay is imprisoned by the French, works hard and does everything in his power to save Darnay from being executed. An ironic facet of his character is that, although he tries desperately to free Darnay, it is own letter that is used to sentence him to death in his final trial. Despite this unfortunate occurrence, Manette illustrates how his views differ from that of Madame Defarge and the Republic. Though he wrote of the horrific crimes of the Evremondes, he does not condemn Darney for his uncle’s actions. Although he knows that Darnay’s uncle was the man who committed the atrocious crime that resulted in his own imprisonment, he still wholeheartedly attempts to free Darnay because he knows Darnay is not at fault for the actions of his family, unlike Madame Defarge who condemns the whole family line out of anger and vengeance. Doctor Manette is a character that has been faced with so many difficulties, some of which still scar him many years after the fact, but he remains a courageous, silent hero, not willing to back down after all of the suffering he has been through.
ReplyDeleteDoctor Manette was definitely a character who was able to bring himself together as the book carried on. So my question is, How would things have been different with the events that he was involved such as fighting to save Charles if Doctor Manette had not been able to recuperate after being in prison?
DeleteCharles Darnay was my least favorite character in the novel, yet, his actions were very noble and just. I did not like Darnay because I felt that he did not go through as many trials as the other characters did, which made Darnay seem a bit too lucky and fortunate. Furthermore, I think Darnay is meant to be seen as the hero of the novel, due to his respect and courage, but he never really uses his imagination and knowledge to act like a hero (as did Sydney Carton). The most heroic action that Darnay did was to return to Paris to save the imprisoned Gabelle. On the other hand, what interested me the most about Darnay was that he was able to turn away from the society that he was raised in. He had enough intuition and independent thought to leave the aristocracy and live a clean life away from the aristocratic reputation. He represents the individualism in the French ruling class, because he had his own ideas about the aristocracy. Also, Darnay gives up his life in the dark destruction of Paris to be another person in England which showed a bright future away from the hierarchy in Paris. Therefore, I definitely respect Darnay for his denial of riches as a way of refuting the cruel French social system.
ReplyDeleteI think Darnay is a respectable character. He loves Lucie very much and treats her well. He gave us his inheritance and rejected his family because he knew how cruel his family was and did not want to be like them. I do not however, think he is the hero. Although he does go back to save Gabelle,risking his own life, he was not the savior of the novel. Sydney Carton served as the Christ figure since he gave up his own life for others to live.
DeleteThroughout the majority of the novel, Madame Defarge is an elusive and seemingly-mysterious character. In the beginning of the novel, the reader only really sees small glimpses of her, and they are not very telling; it’s usually something along the lines of “Madame Defarge was sewing intimidatingly in the corner” or “Madame Defarge etched the person’s name metaphorically into her cloth, but really she just was having an impeccable memory.” Something along those lines. By the end of the novel, though, the reasoning behind her classist nature reveals itself fully, completing the image of who she is. The reader finds out at the end of the novel that the fate of Madame Defarge is linked fatally to Charles Darnay, for it is his family, the affluent Evremonde family, that is responsible for the deaths of her own father, brother, brother-in-law, and sister. Once the reader discovers this, her actions become a bit clearer. The reader understands why she does not show much sympathy or compassion, why she has such determination, and certainly why she is set on condemning Darnay for the crimes of his family. Once her tragic story is known, it is easier to sympathize with Madame Defarge. She was taken advantage of by the upper class, and for this reason she is committed to taking revenge. It isn’t hard to relate to the concept of revenge. The revenge inside of Madame Defarge, though, is not the harmless kind. It is slow and patient, and it hits in the most vulnerable place. Before the revolution, the reader is witness to her time-bidding nature; she knows that if she acts too soon, her revenge would never be attained. This would stem from her life as one of the poor, since, in France, the people of the lower classes were not allowed to speak out, and when they did, they were ignored, or worse. The reader knows that this is the case in the way that Monsieur the Marquis reacts to running over a poor boy with his carriage. Upon hearing that the boy is dead, “Monsieur the Marquis ran his eyes over them all, as if they had been mere rats come out of their holes. He took out his purse” (Dickens 116). The Marquis looks at these people as if they are less than human, and thinks that their lives can be made up for with money. It makes sense that Madame Defarge is ruthless and wants revenge, having been raised in this kind of environment. It is lucky for the Manettes that Miss Pross intercepts Madame Defarge at the end of the novel, for a woman with her background and strong will would not give up hunting the Manettes too easily.
ReplyDeleteMiss Pross is an admirable character due to her demonstration of unwavering loyalty and love. She served as a maternal figure to Lucie, raising her as her own until Lucie was fortunate enough to cross paths with her once imprisoned father. She was an ardent lover of the motherland, England, and never failed to profess her pride in all things English. Although Miss Pross had strong ties to the Manette family throughout A Tale of Two Cities, she had her own independent purpose. Her connection to her brother Solomon, also known as John Barsad, would prove to be very useful to Sydney Carton’s plot to free Charles Darnay. In this way, Miss Pross played a vital role to the progression of the plot.
ReplyDeleteMiss Pross was constantly supportive of Lucie, even if she felt that her brother, Solomon, was the only man good enough for Lucie. It is ironic that she believed this considering Solomon had betrayed her and stole all her possessions for his own. To me, Miss Pross’s opinion of her brother, despite his obvious flaws, once again highlighted how much love she has and how her love for a person is much greater than any other force. It also indicates that Miss Pross’s big heart may at times blind her from reality. Miss Pross’s ultimate act of love was standing firmly against the notorious, Madame Defarge, in order to protect those closest to her. Miss Pross was always portrayed as very tough and strong, and this moment emphasized those characteristics. The little Englishwoman proved to be Madame Defarge’s ultimate match; their battle culminated in Madame Defarge’s gun firing and killing herself. It is interesting that an act of love would materialize in the form of violence. I think this final act of murder, accidental or not, was a betrayal of Miss Pross’s true character, and it certainly would pay a mental toll on Miss Pross. She would be constantly reminded of that moment due to the gun shot causing her deafness.
In anticipation of what is to come at the end of the novel, it is easy to glide over Miss Pross’ altruism and heroism. However, the sacrifice that Miss Pross was willing to make towards the end of the novel is not much different than the one that Sydney Carton is deemed heroic for. Miss Pross’ willingness to sacrifice is often not connected to Sydney Carton’s act for two reasons: she did not die, and she is generally a more static character, while the reader can see Sydney’s change over the book into a more selfless and passionate individual. Miss Pross demonstrates immeasurable devotion to Lucie throughout the novel. When Lucie had no one, Miss Pross stepped up to the plate to act as her mother and father, and loving her enough to make up for the loss of both parents. However, this love could periodically give way to jealousy: “‘It is really doubly and trebly hard to have crowds and multitudes of people turning up after him (I could have forgiven him), to take Ladybird’s affections away from me’” (Dickens 101). Upon hearing this, Mr. Lorry notes that while Miss Pross was quite jealous, she was also unequivocally selfless and completely devoted to Lucie’s well being. This is seen as she comes to terms with Lucie loving Charles and later in following the family to Paris and staying there, even when her stay became dangerous. At the end of her stay, she was willing to risk it all so that her Ladybird could escape Paris with Charles. Miss Pross is ready to fight Madame Defarge even if it means that she gets herself injured or eventually killed, and is clearly willing to hurt Madame Defarge if it means saving Lucie. Miss Pross explained to Madame Defarge, “I am desperate. I don’t care an English twopence for myself. I know that the longer I keep you here, the greater hope there is for my Ladybird. I’ll not leave a handful of that dark hair upon your head, if you lay a finger on me!” (359). Miss Pross seems to be contradictory in her statement to Miss Pross: in one sentence, she did not care for herself at all, and another she would tear out all of Madame Defarge’s hair if she hurt her. However, Miss Pross’ self preservation was not for herself, but to keep her guard over Lucie. Miss Pross knew that if Madame Defarge killed her, she would not be able to keep guard over Lucie’s vacant room. So, she is willing to get injured to protect Lucie, but knows that she cannot die, at least not before Lucie and her family have sufficient time to escape. As long as Miss Pross stays alive, there is a chance that Lucie and her loved ones will not be caught and executed for plotting. Here the reader can see that Miss Pross’ will to sacrifice her health for Lucie is quite similar to Sydney’s will to die so that Lucie and her loved ones do not have to.
ReplyDeleteDoctor Manette is first presented in the novel at the wine shop, where he displays insanity and cobbles shoes. The condition he is found in is attributed to his imprisonment in the Bastille. Although his sanity is restored by his daughter Lucie, the reason to his incarceration remains a mystery for much of the novel. This mystery constitutes to a statement Dickens makes regarding how everyone has secrets. Any mention of a prison makes the Doctor uncomfortable, and when he discovers Darnay’s true identity he relapses into insanity. It is then revealed the Doctor was sentenced by Darnay’s uncle, the Marquis. With this discovery, it is understood that the Doctor had casted away any feelings of hate towards the Evermonde family because of his love for Lucie. In the Doctor’s letter read during Darnay’s trial, the Doctor regards the Evermonde family with utter abhorrence when he denounces the family to death. Yet, he understands Lucie’s love for Darnay and does everything in his power to protect Darnay. It is quite interesting how love can conquer hatred and how Doctor Manette dealt with this on his own.
ReplyDeleteI think it was amazing how Doctor Manette could cast away his feelings for the happiness of his daughter. Dr. Manette is the epitome of the perfect father, and I am even more surprised that he tried to use his social standing to help save Darnay.
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ReplyDeleteMadame DeFrage was a very interesting character to me. I had no idea that she was going to become the character that she did. In the beginning of the novel she was only mentioned a few times and seemed like a quiet woman who watched the wine shop, knitted, and minded her own business. She was always seen knitting. She soon became a powerful leader in the revolution. The entire time that she was knitting she was knitting the names of powerful and wealthy arisocrats that they needed to kill in their fight of the revolution. Madame DeFrage is a very cruel and ruthless woman. I was shocked when she was beheading the arisocrats. She has a driving fire within me which causes her to be such a strong force in the revolution. She feels so strongly about the revolution because she is the surviving sister of the family that Darney’s father and uncle killed. She wants revenge so badly that she sees no issue with Darney dying for his father’s and uncle’s sins. She ignores the fact that Darney rejected his family and the riches he would inherit since he did not wan to be cruel like them. Darney is in fact the opposite of what his father and uncle were but Madame DeFarge is blinded from this. Seeing the true side of Madame DeFarge come out astonished me. She ended up being a vile woman.
ReplyDeleteYes, Madame DeFarge is a ruthless revolutionary, but is her cause (the French Revolution) justifiable? If you were in Madame DeFarge's shoes would you do anything possible for true freedom or would you forget about the pain and suffering of the lower classes, the class that Madame DeFarge was in, and be a "nice" person? I do not say that Madame DeFarge is not a "vile woman" but I do think she is a fierce French revolutionary who would do anything for her people (which is also very cool because she was a woman and not many women had leading roles in anything back then).
DeleteWhile reading this novel, I did not expect Miss Pross to have as much significance as she did by the end of the book. To me, she just seemed to be around occasionally but never did anything of extreme importance. Despite this, I did notice her constant loyalty to the Manette's, Lucie in particular. Because Lucie did not have her parents growing up, Miss Pross was there to act as a parental figure for her. Lucie's character is gentle and kind and Miss Pross, who is tough and devoted, feels very protective of her. Miss Pross also believes that the only man suited to be Lucie's wife is her own brother. This is another example of her loyalty because Miss Pross has not seen or heard from her bother in a very long time but still trusts that he is a good man and would make Lucie, whom she would never put in danger, happy. Pross is also unceasingly patriotic in that she remains loyal to England without question. During the altercation between Miss Pross and Madame Defarge at the end of the story, it became clear that they are foils of one another. While both women express extreme allegiance to their respective causes, Miss Pross to Lucie and Madame Defarge to the revolution, Miss Pross acts out of love while Madame Defarge's actions stem from hate. Miss Pross wins the scuffle but unfortunately loses her hearing as a result. This sacrifice protected the Manette's but is a bit overshadowed by the sacrifice made by Sydney Carton.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to have read your response because it opens up my mind to the foil between Miss Pross and Madame Defarge. I now see it and that adds another layer to my reading experience. Also, Miss Pross is devoted to her king while Madame Defarge is devoted to the revolution against her king.
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ReplyDeleteDoctor Manette was an extremely interesting character to follow throughout the book. At first, the reader pities him, seeing him in his desolate state, shoemaking in the wine shop. He appears to have lost mental stability; he does not understand questions that are asked of him and insists on continuing his work. Once he is united with his daughter, Lucie, he transforms and becomes attached to her at the hip. Everything he does in his life, for here on, is with Lucie in mind. Manette even forgives the Evermonde family when Charles Darnay professes his love for Lucie. Manette attempts to remove himself from his past life of imprisonment, and does not discuss his time in the Bastille or his time in the wine shop. He remains somewhat of a mystery to readers and to the other characters. When he is separated from Lucie, he becomes emotionally vulnerable and falls back into his past routine of shoemaking, as he refuses to remove the workbench from his living space. His love for Lucie appears to be the only thing that keeps him truly grounded, which is why it was such a big sacrifice give his blessing for her marriage to Charles Darnay.
ReplyDeleteDoctor Manette was an extremely interesting character to follow throughout the book. At first, the reader pities him, seeing him in his desolate state, shoemaking in the wine shop. He appears to have lost mental stability; he does not understand questions that are asked of him and insists on continuing his work. Once he is united with his daughter, Lucie, he transforms and becomes attached to her at the hip. Everything he does in his life, for here on, is with Lucie in mind. Manette even forgives the Evermonde family when Charles Darnay professes his love for Lucie. Manette attempts to remove himself from his past life of imprisonment, and does not discuss his time in the Bastille or his time in the wine shop. He remains somewhat of a mystery to readers and to the other characters. When he is separated from Lucie, he becomes emotionally vulnerable and falls back into his past routine of shoemaking, as he refuses to remove the workbench from his living space. His love for Lucie appears to be the only thing that keeps him truly grounded, which is why it was such a big sacrifice give his blessing for her marriage to Charles Darnay.
ReplyDeleteMiss Pross is a caring, simple minded woman who wouldn’t let anything happen to her ‘ladybird’. She seems to be simple-minded because of how she acts in certain situations. Originally she is seen protecting her ‘ladybird’, Miss Manette, from Mr. Lorry because she believes that he is hurting her by providing her too much information at once. Mr. Lorry is only trying to give Miss Manette important information on the whereabouts of her father and Miss Pross stops him after she thinks he has gone too far. Personally I think Miss Pross was born in to a poor family that could not afford a tutor for her so she went on without an education. I believe she never had children but always wanted to, so she took to caring for Lucie as if she was her own daughter. Miss Pross enjoys her job because she loves her ‘ladybird’, and she feels as though she has nothing else to do with her life. Her main role in life is Lucie’s guardian, and she fulfills this role when she protects her from getting captured by Madame Defarge. This is Miss Pross’s crowning achievement because she used her sheer strength to protect her ‘ladybird’ and she succeeded.
ReplyDeleteDo you think, had Miss Pross not stopped Madame Defarge, Darnay would have been caught? If they made it to England would the authorities have allowed officials of the revolution to apprehend Darnay and his family?
ReplyDeleteThat thought makes me anxious. It depends on what you think of Darnay's "fate" in the story. If you believe he was supposed to be free, then maybe that's why Miss Pross ended up killing Madame DeFarge, and that's why he ended up being free. But I can't help thinking that for some reason Darnay's fatemust have involved him being caught (maybe something in his past made him deserve it?). It seems uncanny to me that the authorities were after him repeatedly. Considering it is a novel, it seems that Darnay's inability to stay free for very long must have been written in for reason. As much as I want to believe he is innocent, I can't help my suspicion. After all of that, I'm surprised they didn't catch him regardless of Madame DeFarge's death, to be honest.
DeleteIn Charles Dickens' A Tale Of Two Cities, Dr. Manette was a sweet man and a victim of circumstance. Wrongfully imprisoned during the French Revolution, as many were, he spent time locked up that he would never be able to get back. When readers are first introduced to his character, he is rhythmically making a pair of shoes. His nature is almost robotic and trace-like, and he is not himself. While he is in prison, he loses himself to the craft of shoe-making which occupies his mind and takes over his entire world. This way of life shows its true impact on him upon his release from jail when he retreats back into the trace-like state at times. It seems like there are two of him, and this zombie is the other half of his personality. When Lorry and Pross destroy his shoe-making workbench, a murder metaphor is used because it is symbolic of Dr. Manette ending his submission to the brainwashing effect prison has had on him. His daughter Lucie guides him through his struggles, and becomes his crutch.
ReplyDeleteLater in the story, however, these roles reverse. Dr. Manette goes through a huge transformation that is sparked by the wrongful imprisonment of his daughter's lover, Charles Darnay. Dr. Manette does everything he can to get Darnay released. It is evident that he sees some of himself in Darnay, and wishes that he should not have to go through the same hardships and struggles of prison. Dr. Manette then seems to become the only hope for Darnay and Lucie (before Sydney Carton's sacrifice, of course), returning the favor of strength and comfort to Lucie and her family that she had given him in his earlier time of suffering.
Doctor Manette was a very good and successful doctor before the events in which he was imprisoned and later found by Mr. Lorry and the doctor's daughter. As known as Manette was during his time, unfortunately his was unluckily placed in prison. He was in prison for such a long time that it began to take a toll on his mental health. He started to forget who he was and what his life was like before prison. He sort of became robotic in a way, and got into a habit of making shoes. However all of this changes when Doctor Manette sees his daughter again. After this event, Doctor Manette slowly brought his life back together with the help of his daughter, Lucie. The aristocrats that actually imprisoned Doctor Manette were the uncle and father of Lucie's husband to be, Charles. When Doctor Manette found out that Charles is in prison for similar reasons as himself, he does what he can to get him out of there because he knows that prison can do to someone and he does not want that to happen to Charles. Manette says that Charles should not have to be taken away to be imprisoned for something that his family had done. Once the problems settle out, Doctor Manette gives Charles the blessing of marrying his daughter. Overall, even after his worst times, Doctor Manette was a very thoughtful character.
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