Throughout the novel A Tale of Two Cities fate is shown as the force that cause everything to fall into place. By employing Lucie and Charles’ marriage and the revolution, Dickens uses the motif of fate, to manifest the thematic concept that fate is the universal governor over everything and to demonstrate that fate can both limit and expand people's freedoms
Fate played a major role in the unification of Lucie Manette and Charles Darnay. In Book one: Chapter 3, fate is shown to be pulling Charles and Lucie together. At Charles’ court case, Lucie was called to be a witness. Lucie is asked if she has seen this man— Charles Darnay— before, she answered yes, on a boat. Lucie stated, “When the prisoner came on board… he expressed great gentleness …show more content…
In the very beginning of the novel, Dickens personifies fate working in France. Dickens writes that, “[i]t is likely enough that, rooted in the woods of France and Norway, there were growing trees, when that sufferer was put to death, already marked by the Woodman, Fate, to come down and be sawn into boards, to make certain movable framework with a sack and a knife in it…” (Dickens 4). Personifying fate, Dickens depicts it— it being fate— marking trees to be used to create guillotines, the main way of execution in the French Revolution. In addition, the detail of Fate marking trees for further use, exemplifies that Fate was planning for something that was inevitable. Later on in the novel, Lucie is shown to be aware of something that is coming. As people come to Lucie’s house to visit the doctor, Lucie has a vision of hundreds of people running; “Perhaps. Perhaps, see the great crowd of people with its rush and roar, bearing down upon them, too” (Dickens 100). Lucie is aware of the “great crowd of people”— the revolution — coming and destroying her family. Of course she would never wish that upon herself, yet she is knows fate shows no mercy. By depicting Fate as a Woodsman marking trees, and Lucie’s vision, Dickens successfully conveys how fate planned out the Revolution to be
Fate played a major role in the unification of Lucie Manette and Charles Darnay. In Book one: Chapter 3, fate is shown to be pulling Charles and Lucie together. At Charles’ court case, Lucie was called to be a witness. Lucie is asked if she has seen this man— Charles Darnay— before, she answered yes, on a boat. Lucie stated, “When the prisoner came on board… he expressed great gentleness …show more content…
In the very beginning of the novel, Dickens personifies fate working in France. Dickens writes that, “[i]t is likely enough that, rooted in the woods of France and Norway, there were growing trees, when that sufferer was put to death, already marked by the Woodman, Fate, to come down and be sawn into boards, to make certain movable framework with a sack and a knife in it…” (Dickens 4). Personifying fate, Dickens depicts it— it being fate— marking trees to be used to create guillotines, the main way of execution in the French Revolution. In addition, the detail of Fate marking trees for further use, exemplifies that Fate was planning for something that was inevitable. Later on in the novel, Lucie is shown to be aware of something that is coming. As people come to Lucie’s house to visit the doctor, Lucie has a vision of hundreds of people running; “Perhaps. Perhaps, see the great crowd of people with its rush and roar, bearing down upon them, too” (Dickens 100). Lucie is aware of the “great crowd of people”— the revolution — coming and destroying her family. Of course she would never wish that upon herself, yet she is knows fate shows no mercy. By depicting Fate as a Woodsman marking trees, and Lucie’s vision, Dickens successfully conveys how fate planned out the Revolution to be