Resurrection in a Tale of Two Cities Essay Example

Resurrection in A Tale of Two Cities Resurrection is a powerful theme found throughout the plot of A Tale of Two Cities. Many of the characters in the novel are involved with the intertwining themes of love, redemption, and good versus evil. The theme of resurrection involves certain aspects of all of these themes and brings the story together. Dr. Manette is the first person to experience resurrection in A Tale of Two Cities. He is taken away from his pregnant wife and then imprisoned for eighteen very long years. Over the years, his condition deteriorates until he forgets his real name and mindlessly cobbles shoes to pass the time. In Book the First, he is released by the French government and then put in the care of Monsieur Defarge. He is suddenly recalled to life(19, 35). However, his rebirth has just begun and does not become complete until he is reunited with his daughter; Lucy Manette. In Book the Second; The Golden Thread, the resurrection theme appears several times. At the start of this book, Charles Darnay is on trial for treason in England. He has been traveling back and forth between France and England and is thought to be a spy. The people in the crowd are sure that he will be found guilty, the punishment for this crime being death. Darnay is saved by the ingeniousness of Sydney Carton, and he too is suddenly resurrected or recalled to life. In both Book the Second and Book the Third, the reader gets different perspectives of the resurrection theme. Jerry Cruncher is a body-snatcher and he refers to his late night activities as though it is an honest trade. His son knows of his father's nocturnal activities and expresses his desire to follow in his fathers footsteps: Oh, Father, I should so like to be a resurrection-man when I'm quite growed up! (166). This parodies the resurrection theme because it is a simple physical resurrection of corpses from the graveyard with seemingly little meaning. The reader later realizes the significance of the