Tale Of Two Cities Rebirth Analysis

Two Cities Worth of Second Chances When faced with horrible situations, it is easy to assume that recovery is impossible. One can believe that at a certain point, things are broken beyond repair, and a life or a society is ruined. Yet there can be hope in even the direst of circumstances, and sometimes by rebuilding what was lost, a stronger thing is found. A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, uses the constant rebirth of the characters and locations facing hardship into stronger versions of themselves, to reveal that any mistake or catastrophe can be overcome, and redemption is always possible. Dr. Manette’s return to sanity shows that anyone can be saved from seemingly crippling catastrophe. When the reader is first introduced to Manette,
When Carton is first introduced, he is drunk and depressed, calling his life a wasted one (Dickens 108). As Liu Dingyuan and Hou Xiaohua explain, “Carton has had an unfavorable life and has no inspiration… [He has] nothing to live for” (Dingyuan and Xiaohua 90). During this section, Carton is set up to be pitied and looked down on. As with Manette, the presentation of his life suggests that he will not recover. However, Carton bravely saves Charles from execution in Paris, sacrificing his own life, and using his final moments to console another prisoner (Dickens 433). In these scenes, Carton is reborn, and his rebirth shows that any mistake can be surpassed and recovered from. Besides the metaphorical redemption of his character, Dickens also gives the reader a more literal rebirth of Carton, when in his prediction of the future, he sees “that child who lay upon her bosom and who bore my name…. [M]y name is made illustrious there by the light of his” (Dickens 462). Since this child’s birth is only possible due to the act that redeems Carton’s character, he represents Carton’s rebirth, and the future good he will do proves that redemption is always
The city begins rioting in the book, and its transformation leads to countless innocent lives lost. Paris is described in a harsh way during the revolution. “Far and wide lay a ruined country, yielding nothing but desolation” (Dickens 278). In this scene, Paris’s transformation is meant to be seen as just as crippling as Manette’s insanity, and just as grave a blunder as Carton’s original life choices. Everything about Paris looks irredeemable. Yet this novel uses countless parallel examples to show it can be saved. Carton explains during his vision of the future that “I see a beautiful city and brilliant people rising from the abyss, and… I see the evil of this time… gradually making expiation for itself and wearing out” (Dickens 462). The many other personal examples of rebirth throughout the novel help guide the reader to this conclusion with Carton. As Liu Dingyuan and Hou Xiaohua state, “Although the novel dedicated much time to describing the atrocities committed both by the aristocracy and the outraged peasants, it ultimately expresses the belief that this violence will… give way to a new and better society” (Dingyuan and Xiaohua 93). All of this shows the reader that nothing is truly the end, and even entire societies can move on and grow again. Despite its dark setting and events, A Tale of Two Cities is a surprisingly optimistic novel.