A Tale of Two Cities Week 3

The first three sections of this week's reading all have a common theme - Miss Manette is a wanted woman. In the first section we see Darnay honorably go to Dr. Manette and profess his love for Lucie. Something about Darnay seems almost too perfect, though. He's very smooth and always has the right thing to say. Scenario 1 Darnay is a good guy who can be trusted and will end up with Lucie. Scenario 2 Darnay is a traitor who wants Lucie for reasons mysterious at this point but has control over Dr. Manette that has to do with that remark about being burried under the Eiffel Tower.

In the second section it is Stryver who says he is actually going to marry Lucie. This is the one guy who really doesn't stand a chance, but he doesn't care, he's way too self centered to realize that a woman might not want him. Dickens sets the scene up perfectly; he and Carton are together drinking. Carton has been worked to his brink by Stryver, yet he still gets no appreciation. Then, out of no where, Stryver announces that he's going to marry Lucie! Of course this is a major internal struggle for Carton because he loves her more than anything. Still, Stryver is his "friend" and he feels he must do whatever he can to serve him...even if it means giving up the love of his life. At this point, I was somewhat disappointed in Carton because he finally had the opportunity to stand up to Stryver, yet he sat back and said he could have her.

Of course in the third section, Carton actually does go to Miss Manette and profess his love, but not in the way we expect it. He tells her he loves her, but that he doesn't want to be with her because he would only drag her down. WHAT?? I was not expecting this delivery at all. While, yes, it is fitting to Carton's character, I really was expecting some romantic-hero moment where he swoops in and sweeps her off her feet. I still do think that there's hope for Carton in this love (what is it?) hexagon(?) by now. I really think Darnay is going to turn out to be an enemy of some sort and Stryver won't get far with her. I think Carton will come back into her life and in the end they will be together.

In The Honest Tradesman, we finally get to see what has been making Jerry's boots muddy. One night, young Jerry follows Cruncher as he goes "fishing." What he comes across is his father fishing in graves. I'm not sure if he's doing it for money or if he's removing the people themselves, but either way, it's good to finally know what's been going on. We also know now why he gets so viscious when his wife prays; it's as the result of the church looking down upon him. Jerry claims he doesn't believe in the Christian religion (if we look back to his A.D. comment) but his problem is that he overly believes in it. He believes his wife's prayers are heard and carried out to him by the "ghost of a giant" that looks upon him.

That next morning, young Jerry witnesses his father beating up on his wife again for he thinks she's prayed. The scene is quite disturbing and it's definitely not a sight that a young boy should be watching. Never-the-less, young Jerry tells his father that he would like to be a Ressurection man one day. This is sick! Young Jerry has just watched his father beat his mother senseless yet he still wants to be like him. I think Dickens does this to show that tradition carries on; that the king with the strong jaw and the queen with the fair face will perservere throughout time.

In the following chapter, Knitting, we are taken back to the wine shop where the Jacquess are meeting. The scene is quite melancholy and it's meant to show the sadness of the poor people. The Jacquess are planning a revolt against the king and it's the people in that bar whom they are revolting for. As the Jacquess are going up to the room above the wine shop, Dr. Manette is mentioned. What connection do they have with him other than he living up there? Was he involved with their treasonous activities?

One of the main reasons the Jacquess are meeting is because they have aquired a new member - the man who killed Marquis. He describes to them in vivid detail what can happen if somebody even attempts to kill the king. Some might think that this would deture the Jacquess from attempting to revolt, but instead it encourages them. The Jacquess will make a revolution happen and it's because the people are so oppressed that they will be successful.