Ambiguity In A Tale Of Two Cities

One particular debate that has bedeviled humanity since its inception is the question of the nature of human morality. We as humans argue about the source of morality: most religious fundamentalists argue that morality comes from a deity, whereas secularists tend to argue that morality comes from within and is subjective. We also argue about its objectivity, and many will attest that their moral code is a paragon above all others. Morality is a code by which most sane humans live their lives; it would seem logical that such a dominant force in human interaction would foster such discourse. Amongst all the uncertainty in the nature of morality, however, there is but one certainty: morality is based entirely on perspective. A Muslim child raised in the Middle East will undoubtedly have different conceptions of morality compared to a child raised in a secular environment. After coming to this conclusion, it becomes apparent that it is impossible to choose objectively the best set of strictures by which to live and that these disparities in moral perception are the most prevalent causes of conflict amongst humans. The notion of morality’s fickleness was not lost upon Charles Dickens, who, vicariously through characters such as Carton or Madame Defarge in A Tale of Two Cities, creates a commentary on the ambiguous nature of human …show more content…
Unless one examines her character critically, it would seem glaringly obvious that Madame Defarge is an insane, violent, and cold revolutionary whose insatiable bloodlust is matched only by her hatred of the aristocracy; the novel is replete with evidence to support this claim: “I care nothing for this Doctor, I. He may wear his head or lose it, for any interest I have in him; it is all one to me. But, the Evrémonde people are to be exterminated, and the wife and child must follow the husband and