Tale Of Two Cities Jerry Cruncher Character Analysis

Jerry and Jerry, the Duality of Jerry Cruncher Light and dark. Inside and outside. Good and bad. These are just a few atoms in a world of contrasts. As one of the most prominent writers in history, Charles Dickens uses a plethora of simple but effective contrasts throughout his writing, particularly in his unique characters, one being Jerry Cruncher. Although a seemingly unimportant character in A Tale of Two Cities, Jerry Cruncher is an all-encompassing figure of duality; he displays the dichotomy between public and private, personal conflicts of good and evil, and the contrast with other characters. On the surface, Jerry Cruncher appears to be an “honest tradesman”; however, in reality Jerry is a criminal that egregiously disturbs the the deceased. Publicly, Jerry seems to be rather pure. One instance of this is when the narrator describes Jerry’s apartments saying, “they were very decently kept. . . the room in which he lay a-bed was already scrubbed throughout; and between the cups and saucers arranged for breakfast, and the lumbering deal table, a very clean white cloth was spread” (Dickens 48). Jerry is publicly viewed as an honest tradesman who lives in a clean, “very decently kept” home (48); however, in reality, this image provides a prodigious contrast to his …show more content…
Jerry represents the dichotomy between public and private, through his “honest tradesman” facade and his “resurrection-man” occupation. Jerry represents the conflict of good and evil through his seemingly hypocritical nature, spiritual growth, and eventual repentance. Jerry represents the duality between other characters through his contrasting nature with Jarvis Lorry and the Manettes. In a world of contrasts, Jerry Cruncher is on all the continents, countries, and