Friday, January 3, 2020

The Role of Resurrection in A Tale of Two Cities Essay

Robespierre, the dictator of the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror once said, Terror is nothing other than [just], prompt, severe, [and] inflexible. If terror is just, would 30,000 men and women across France have lost their lives during the Reign of Terror? In Charles Dickens’s book, A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens uses the injustice in the French Revolution and the corruption in societies of that time to show the theme of resurrection along with many other themes. In the novel, the heroes and heroine use sacrifices to resurrect someone important in their lives. However, through the process of resurrecting another, some characters are also resurrected themselves. The two most important characters in relation to the†¦show more content†¦The theme is first shown in the second chapter of the book through the trial of Charles Darnay, one of the main characters in the novel. During the trial, Charles Darnay is accused of spying for the Americans during t he American Revolution. He would have been found guilty; however, Sydney Carton, the novel’s greatest hero, saved him from a death sentence. By showing the similarities between Darnay and himself, Sydney Carton destroys one of the witnesses’ statements. This shows again the theme of resurrection because Carton recalls Darnay to life from a near-death experience. Through Darnay’s resurrection, readers are also introduced to Sydney Carton, a lawyer who is, in the public’s eye, nothing but a lazy drunk who has never amounted to anything as shown in Charles Darnay’s trial. This description later gets contradicted once Dickens shows Carton to be a rather intelligent man who wasted his life by working for others rather than showing his worth to the public. Carton is even described as a jackal who is always working for the lion, aka Mr. Stryver, Carton’s business partner. As Book Two develops, it became obvious to the reader that Carton is a man in need of resurrection,Show MoreRelated Resurrection in A Tale of Two Cities Essay1211 Words   |  5 PagesResurrection in A Tale of Two Cities      Ã‚   Resurrection is a powerful theme found throughout the plot of A Tale of Two Cities.   Many of the characters in the novel are involved with the intertwining themes of love, redemption, and good versus evil.   The theme of resurrection involves certain aspects of all of these themes and brings the story together.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dr. Manette is the first person to experience resurrection in A Tale of Two Cities.   He is taken awayRead More Resurrection in A Tale of Two Cities Essay1157 Words   |  5 PagesResurrection in A Tale of Two Cities       In A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, many characters are given second chances as their lives are resurrected. 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