A Tale of Two Cities Week 6

In the first section of reading, I came to slightly dislike Madame Defarge even though I liked her up until this point. When she visits Lucie, she has a very cold demeanor and basically says that Darnay will receive no mercy - the revolution will not stop for him. While that was the first part that made me dislike her, the second part was much worse.
She states: "The wives and mothers we have been used to see, since we were as little as this child, and much less, have not been greatly considered? We have known their husbands and fathers laid in prison and kept from them, often enough? All our lives, we have seen our sister-women suffer, in themselves and in their children, poverty, nakedness, hunger, thirst, sickness, misery, oppression and neglect of all kinds?"
There are many reasons I take issue with this statement of hers. A) She is turning Lucie and Darnay into an example for all other wealthy people, even though they're not greedy and mean. B) She says the women of her country have suffered as a result of their husbands being gone - well, what is she doing to Lucie??? and C) Madame's attitude toward the revolution is not one that inspires a better life for others. It seems more like she is only out for revenge. At this point she knows she wants the rich out of power, but what does she intend on doing after she goes on her rampage?

In the second chapter we begin to notice a change in Dr. Manette's character. The man is starting to feel that his time spent suffering in prison has turned into strength and worked in his favor. He is being quite confident even without Lucie by his side and he thinks of his actions as a way to pay her back.

While I was reading this section, there was a paragraph about how "the new era began." When I read it I thought that Dickens actually did something cool. The main focus is the Manettes and Darnay, however they are just a few people out of the thousands in France. It's kind of crazy to think maybe something similar to this happened during the revolution - it just shows that time stops for nobody and individuals will live their lives despite what happens around them.

As the chapter goes on, it's stated that the prisons are "gorged with people who had committed no offense." This is another reason why I have problems with Madame. What she and her "patriots" are doing is no different than what the king and wealthy did to them. If Madame were to become the leader of France it would be in just as bad of ruins, if not worse.

Following that, it talks about the guillotine. The invention is finally in the spot-light and the way Dickens describes it is beautiful yet destructive. The guillotine "pollutes the ground, a rotten red" which is a throw-back to the scene at the beginning of the book where the wine spilled everywhere. The guillotine also "hushed the eloquent, struck down the powerful, abolished the beautiful and good." When reading this it's hard to believe that this actually led to a peaceful country. I myself am not into war and it seems that throughout time many things about it have changed, but innocent people will always fall victim to the violence.

In the next chapter, "The Wood-sawyer," we are reunited with the mender of roads who has lost his humanity and appears to be enjoying the killing. By the way he's singing his song about chopping off heads, I imagine it's a representation of the rest of the country as well. His manner fits in with the following line: "Republic One and Indivisible. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, or Death!" Well, he's obviously part of the republic, but how are some of these people able to fratenize with such murderers? I understand that they want a revolution, but killing innocent people is not the way to go about that. I think the Jacques have gone way to far with their power.

In the following chapter, Darnay is finally called up for trial. He's lucky he has Manette working on his side because 5 people were instantly sentenced prior to his session without being heard. However, with the Dr.'s influence the people are willing to hear him out, if not for Manette, for shear entertainment. Women "ate and drank as they looked on, many knitted."
After many testimonies, and evidence readings it is found that Darnay is innocent. However, this is just a technique used to fool the reader into thinking things are going to be fine when they're really not. It's just a build up so that we can be let down in the next chapter.

Within the first two paragraphs of "A Knock at the Door" there are elements of foreshaddowing. Though her husband has been saved, she still feels a great fear for him, and the second is that "the shadows of the wintry afternoon were beginning to fall." Winter of course meaning death is upon them. Of course there are multiple deaths going on at that moment, I think it's supposed to be specific to the Manettes.

Something that enticed me within this chapter, before the commotion, was the relationship forming between Miss Pross and Jerry Cruncher. They seem to have a little thing for each other, and I think that could be interesting to follow.

Toward the end of the chapter is where the main action happens. Lucie hears footsteps coming on the stairs and is highly shocked by them. What I find interesting is this - at her house in England, the footsteps didn't bother her that much, but now, she is in the middle of the revolution and she has no choice but to look it in the eye and it frightens her. Of course we all know that Darnay is rearrested on order of the Defarges. They are truly horrible people, and I do not understand their reasoning, other than the fact that Darnay is an Evremonde. When the soldiers come for Darnay I think it is a major blow to Dr. Manette. He was so proud that he saved Charles and now they're back at square one.

Another enticing thing about Miss Pross is that she continuously calls Lucie Ladybird. I know she's called her this before, but she's doing it more frequently now. I'm guessing that this means Lucie is free in some way or maybe that the key to freedom lies with Miss Pross (?) something along those lines...

The next chapter was quite an eventful follow up to the previous one. Miss Pross and Jerry are out to buy wine (hmmm wonder why they want that *wink *wink) and Miss Pross runs into her brother Solomon. It seems like a great thing at first, but Jerry, though he can't remember the man's name, recognizes him. He begins questioning him about his name when suddenly, a 4th party breaks in - it's Carton(!) who says the man is Barsad, the English spy. Barsad is the same man we saw a while back at the wine shop whose name Madame knitted. This is big news when we find out he is involved in the arrest of Darnay.

In this chapter, I was very impressed with both Jerry and Carton. Jerry played a key roll in getting the confession when he stated that Roger Cly (Barsad's associate) was not actually dead. He seems to play mind games with Barsad and we haven't yet seen the intelligent side of Jerry. Carton, though he was drunk, was also quite cunning. He knew he could work the cards in his favor to make Barsad talk and succeeded. Now he's basically blackmailing him into helping save Darnay. What I question is how Carton was able to come to France. He would be considered an emigrant, would he not? Never-the-less, I think my prediction may be coming true; Darnay and Carton will switch places and Carton will become the sacrifice.

I found the final chapter of this week's reading to be the best chapter in the entire book. It wasn't necessarily the most action packed, but I was finally able to appreciate Dickens's writing, as well as Sydney Carton as a character.

Clearly, Carton has a secret plan that will save Darnay which he won't tell anybody else (pretty sure it's mine!) but it's in this chapter that we get to see how Carton spends his final night alive. Carton's final journey begins when he "stopped in the middle of the street under a glimmering lamp." In sacrificing himself for Lucie, he has found an inner energy within himself as well as with God and it's when he comes into this light that he can be considered a good person.

It's obvious that the man is suicidal when he stops into the chemistry shop and buys two different chemicals which are lethal when taken together, it's only a matter of time before he dies and the journey he makes around town is beautiful, heart breaking, and also reassuring that he will be okay with his decision. When Sydney crosses "over the Seine to lighter streets" he is crossing over into a new spiritual place where he can do nothing but serve others. He even helps a small child by carrying her across the muddy street. The fact that he is willing to get himself dirty in order to keep her pure shows that the is a true Christ figure.

"I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die." Carton repeats this statement continuously and I think it's his way of saying he will be more alive after he dies than he ever was on earth. In his current state, he's viewed by many as a belligerant fool, but if he sacrifices himself for Darnay and Lucie, he will be seen as a wonderful man by all - even though Lucie's opinion is the only one that truly matters. This is why lights continue to fall on him. Instead of the sun setting on his death on page 294, it rises signifying that the man is starting a new life in a better place.

Of course the end of this chapter has a good twist to it, but I think Carton's last night was the best part of the book.