Sydney Carton Essay

Sydney Carton is the most significant character in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. This novel takes place in both France and England in the 1700s during the French Revolution. Sydney Carton is a man who finds comfort in alcohol and sees no value in his life. He first meets Lucie Manette and her father at the trial of Charles Darnay. As he gets to know them more, he finds himself attracted to Lucie, but sees no advantages to their relationship. His love for Lucie Manette becomes prominent once her husband, Darnay, is sent to prison in France. Carton is significant because he saves Darnay from being imprisoned in England, creates conflict in Lucie Manette’s love life, and gives his own life for the sake of the ones he loves. Dickens introduces Carton’s
The strikingly similar appearance allows Carton to swap places with Darnay in prison. In order to protect the ones that he loves, Carton told Darnay he was “dying for him...and his wife and child” and they changed clothes (365). This moment changes the perspective of Carton to be a man of no value and no self confidence, to a brave man with the biggest heart in the story. From the beginning of the novel, Carton wastes his life, but once he makes this bold and heroic decision, he proves his importance. He gives up his life for Darnay by switching places with him, leading him to face the guillotine. Before he faces the guillotine, he befriends a fellow prisoner who says that if it wasn’t for “[Carton], dear stranger, [she] should not be so composed”(384). Carton shows his soft side and ability to give himself up for others in this interaction. Carton causes the calmness and serenity of this woman’s last few hours alive because he is such a loving man. His importance is vast and his presence is vital within this novel. Thus, Sydney Carton gives himself up for others as emphasis of his importance and