A Tale of Two Cities - Short

 Part B

• Sketch the character of Charles Darnay. [NU. 2015]

 Charles Darnay, a French aristocrat by birth, is the protagonist of the novel. He is unlike his father and uncle. By nature, he was a democrat and believed in equality and liberty. He does not like the prevailing system in France under which the aristocrats exploit the poor and do injustice to them. So, he left his family and started living in England as a tutor. There he falls in love with Lucie and marries her. He shows admirable honesty when he reveals to Dr. Manette his true identity that he is a member of the infamous Evrémonde family. He is also very sympathetic and courageous. When his family servant, Gabelle, writes him a letter seeking help, Charles returns to Paris to rescue him. But on his return to Paris, he was arrested and imprisoned for being an emigrant. On the trial, he is sentenced to death. But he is saved through the supreme sacrifice of Sydney Carton who takes Charles and is executed in place of Charles. Thus, Charles Darnay is an ideal man,  a noble friend and a faithful husband.

• What is the significance of Madame Defarge's knitting? [NU. 2015]

/Short note on Madame Defarge’s Knitting.

In the novel “A Tale of Two Cities” (1859) by Charles Dickens (1812-1870), Madame Defarge’s Knitting is a significant event. Her knitting is a complex hobby and a powerful symbol. It is a symbolic representation of her role as a vengeful revolutionary. It refers to themes of revenge, fate, the outcomes of actions, and the relentless pursuit of justice during the French Revolution.

Madame Defarge’s knitting represents the plot she is crafting to kill those condemned to death by the revolutionary tribunal. Like the knitting, Madame Defarge is weaving the plot together. The knitting is a work in progress, just like the plan. She takes revenge on the aristocracy who have oppressed and tortured the ordinary people for so long.

The knitting also symbolizes the idea that revolution is a ruthless force that cannot be stopped. Just as Madame Defarge’s knitting needles never stop. The revolutionaries are determined to continue their quest for justice no matter the cost. It leads to widespread chaos and violence.

Madame Defarge’s knitting also warns the reader about the dangers of unchecked/uncontrolled anger. Her pursuit of revenge ultimately leads to her own downfall. She becomes destroyed by her desire for vengeance.

In short, Madame Defarge’s knitting symbolizes the destructive power of revenge and the chaos of the French Revolution. It symbolizes the destruction of uncontrolled anger that destroys individuals and societies.

[ A symbol refers to an object or thing that represents something else, often something more abstract. Symbols in stories work to help the reader understand larger themes and concepts. A symbol is something that stands for something other than itself. ]

• What does the broken wine cask symbolize? [NU. 2018]

/What is the significance of the broken wine cask?

In literature, symbolism is an essential part of any literary work. It conveys deeper meanings and themes of any literary work like drama, novels, fiction etc. The broken wine cask is a symbolic element in the novel “A Tale of Two Cities”. Various symbols are used in the novel to describe different issues of contemporary society. 

The novel “The Broken Wine Cask” symbolizes the contrast between the rich and the poor in French society during the late 18th century. The story unfolds impoverished citizens of Saint Antoine in Paris, who gather around the spilled wine when a wine cask breaks. This scene highlights the lower classes’ extreme poverty and suffering. The sight of the common people running to collect spilled wine from the streets reflects their hopeless circumstances. The novel portrays the working class as reduced to the level of animals. They are willing to tolerate shame and indignity even for a little food. 

“The Broken Wine Cask” also symbolizes a foreshadowing of the upcoming revolution. The spilled wine acts as a metaphor for the people’s bloodshed in their dream of justice. It indicates the bloodshed that occurred during the French Revolution.

In summary, the broken wine cask is a multi-layered symbol that conveys themes of injustice, inequality, and desperation. It foreshadows revolution, waste, and revenge.

• Write a short note on Tellson Bank. [NU. 2016, 2017]

Tellson’s Bank is a well-known financial institution in London and Paris. It is used several times in the novel “A Tale of Two Cities”. Tellson’s Bank is portrayed as a traditional institution. It has great significance in the novel. It stands for the London Bank. It is near the Temple Bar, a gate dividing London from Westminster. It is defined in the novel as “very small, very dark, very ugly, very incommodious.”

Employees of this bank boast of its traditional values. The employees of this bank are aged persons. This bank’s old-fashioned setting indicates its conventional way of business. Mr Jarvis Lorry, along with other employees, works at Tellson’s Bank. Despite its ugly environment, the authority refuses to reform it. Instead, the authority feels proud of it and runs the bank, collecting money from the reputed businessmen of the locality.

Finally, the bank has a strange rule. It does not allow junior employees to engage in important banking functions. This bank is indeed a symbol of capitalism. It assures the customer’s stability in times of crisis. Thus, in this historical novel, this bank serves as a safety weapon in hard times.

• Comment on the death of Madame Defarge. [NU. 2013]

Madame Defarge is a pitiless woman. She is merciless towards Charles because his uncle and father had done wrong to her sister who died and killed her brother who died also. When Charles is imprisoned in France, she heads towards Lucie's apartment to try to catch Lucie and her child. But Lucie with her family has already departed Paris. She arrives at the apartment, finds only Miss Pross and demands to know Lucie's location. But Miss Pross refuses to give any hints about where Lucie has gone. As a result, they begin to fight. Miss Pross grabs her round the waist and holds her tight. Madame Defarge then pulls out a gun to kill her opponent. When she tries to take out the pistol, it explodes and Madame Defarge gets killed by her own pistol. 

Madame Defarge's death is ironic since it is the result of her own aggression. The aristocracy's oppression has made her an oppressor. Her own oppression makes her the victim of oppression. In this way, her own hateful philosophy that is "Tell the wind and fire where to stop, but don't tell me" becomes her own destruction.

• Critically comment on the trial scene in ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. [NU. 2019]

The trial scene is one of the vital moments in the novel A Tale of Two Cities. It symbolizes disappointment. This scene occurs during the turbulent time of the French Revolution. The trial reflects the heavy injustices and brutality of the era.

Charles Darnay is the central character in the novel. When Charles Darnay arrives in France to rescue Gabelle, he is imprisoned as an emigrant and an aristocrat. Hearing this news Lucie, Miss Pross, and Dr. Manette go to Paris.

Darnay is brought before the dread tribunal consisting of five judges, a public prosecutor, and the jury. A large crowd assembled there to see the trial. Charles testifies that he is not an emigrant because he left his French title and started living in England by his own hard work and has married a French woman named Lucie Manette in England. He is released after fifteen months. But on that evening Darnay is arrested again because of the letter from Dr. Manette. Defarge reads the letter to the tribunal. In it, Dr Manette had marked that his imprisonment was at the hands of the Evrémonde brothers because he tried to report their crimes. The fact of the crime is that Darnay’s uncle, Marquis kidnapped and raped a peasant girl. 

Dr Manette tries to convince the jury that it was years ago, but now Darnay is his soul. So he requests the jury forgive Darnay. But the jury accepts this letter as a proof of Darnay’s guilt. Then, Darnay is condemned to die.

Dickens uses the trial scene to criticize the British legal system. The trial scene symbolizes the disorder and injustice of the French Revolution. It portrays Sydney Carton‘s redemption through self-sacrifice. So, the scene highlights the brutality of the revolution and the corrupt system of contemporary society.

• Describe the attack on the Bastille. [NU. 2017]

/What do you know about the storming of the Bastille?

The Bastille was the prison of Paris. People who raised a voice against the monarchy of France were imprisoned there. So, people attacked the Bastille first of all. The Storming of the Bastille took place in Paris, France on July 14, 1789. The Storming was led by Monsieur Defarge and his wife, Madame Defarge. Twenty-five thousand revolutionaries struck the stone walls and the eight great towers. 

Finally, the Bastille surrendered and the crowd rushed into the prison. Monseiur Defarge grabbed one of the prison officers and demanded to be shown One Hundred and Five, North Tower, the cell where Dr. Manette was imprisoned. In the cell he found two initials scratched in the wall – "A.M." which stands for Alexandre Manette, and the words "a poor physician". Digging into the walls of the chimney, he found a piece of paper that contained Manette's whole story. 

On Defarge's orders, his men set all the pieces of furniture on fire. The mob grabbed the governor of the Bastille and brought him to the Defarges. They stabbed and killed the governor. Madame Defarge then put her foot on the neck of the governor and cut off his head with her knife. They released seven prisoners and beheaded seven guards. Thus, the fall of the Bastille was completed.

• How does Sydney Carton sacrifice his life to save Charles Darnay's life? [NU. 2016]

/How does Sydney Carton save Charles' life? [NU. 2020]

Sidney Carton and Charles Darnay are physically similar and look alike. They look like twin brothers. Moreover, using this opportunity, Sidney Carton was able to save the life of Charles Darnay. When Darnay arrives in France to rescue Gabelle, he is imprisoned as an emigrant and an aristocrat. He is released after fifteen months. But on that evening Darnay is rearrested because of the letter from Dr. Manette. In this letter, Dr. Manette had pronounced curse upon the Evremonde family. When the letter was read out in the court, the audience shouted that no mercy could be shown to Charles. Charles is sentenced to death and he was ordered to be executed within the next twenty-four hours. 

Before his execution, Carton enters Charles' cell with the help of Barsad. He forces Charles to change boots, hair-ties, and shirts with him and then tells Charles to write a letter to Lucie. While Charles is writing, Carton makes him senseless by putting a handkerchief soaked in chloroform, near his nose. He orders Barsad to carry the unconscious Darnay to the carriage waiting outside Tellson's. Barsad carries out the order. At two o'clock, guards take Carton from Darnay's cell, believing him to be Darnay. Meanwhile, Barsad delivers the real Darnay to Lucie. Thus, Carton saves Charles at the cost of his own life. He sacrifices his life as a reward for his love for Lucie.

• What role does Sydney Carton play in "A Tale of Two Cities"? [NU. 2020]

/Critically comment on the death of Sydney Carton. [NU. 2014]

Sydney Carton is an assistant of the ambitious lawyer Mr. Stryver. He is an alcoholic and often does not take credit for his work. He is a man of word and courage. He falls in love with Lucie Manette but does not declare his love for her directly. He enters the Manette house and laments his wasted life and tells her that there is no possibility of any improvement in his way of life. 

Carton promises that though he will not get her as his life partner, he will try to help Lucie and those who are dearest to Lucie. Sydney Carton declares:

“I would embrace any sacrifice for you and for those dear to you.”

Sydney keeps his promise by saving Charles' life at the cost of his own life. He dies on the guillotine. He does this for the sake of his love for Lucie and humanity. The death of Carton signifies a new life for others. These are Darnay, Lucie, and Carton himself. He is a Christ-like creature who saves other people's lives. He will be resurrected. He is reborn in people's hearts and those whom he died to save. Just before his death, he imagines that a time will come when vengeance in France will end. 

Thus, Sydney Carton dies for others to live and achieves resurrection by dreaming of a better world for mankind and for himself.

• Sketch the character of Madame Defarge. 

Madame Defarge is the wife of Ernest Defarge. She is a cruel and vengeful woman. She has records, in her knitting, the names of all those who had to die. She represents the bloody and violent aspect of the revolution. Madame Defarge is a symbol of fate. 

Madame Defarge is a woman of action. While the Bastille is attacked, she leads the women revolutionaries. When the revolutionaries seize the governor of the Bastille and bring him to the Defarges, Madame Defarge puts her foot on the neck of the governor and cuts off his head with her knife. She is also a pitiless woman. When Charles is imprisoned in France, she goes to Lucie's house to see Lucie and her child so that she could plan to sentence them to death as they are Evremondes. Lucie pleads for mercy for her husband. Madame Defarge then leaves without ever promising to help. At the end of the novel, she gets poetic justice as she is killed by her own pistol.

• How does Madame Defarge die?

Madame Defarge is very merciless towards Charles and his family because Darnay's uncle and father killed her sister and her brother also. When Charles is imprisoned in France, she goes to Lucie's house to see Lucie and her child so that she could plan to sentence them to death as they are Evremondes. Before the execution of Charles, she heads towards Lucie's apartment to try to catch Lucie and her child. But Lucie with her family has already departed Paris. She arrives at the apartment, finds only Miss Pross in the apartment and demands to know Lucie's whereabouts. But Miss Pross denies giving any hints about where Lucie has gone. As a result, they begin to fight. Miss Pross grabs her round the waist and holds her tight. Then Madame Defarge tries to get hold of her pistol. When she tries to take out the pistol, it explodes and Madame Defarge gets killed by her own pistol.

Thus, Madame Defarge unintentionally kills herself when she attempts to use a gun against Ms. Pross.