Figure Of The Double In A Tale Of Two Cities Analysis

Great Essays
The Figure of the Double in A Tale of Two Cities The doubling technique is used to compare and contrast two different objects. In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens uses this in order to portray something to the extreme either positively or negatively. He compares two different circumstances to bring the lightness and darkness out of either one of them. In the novel, Dickens foils the environment in England and France during the French Revolution because during this time period, everything is very tense and chaotic. Also, he contrasts the mobs in those countries. Even though the throngs have similar goals, there are still distinct traits that separate them from one another, and Dickens wants to display that. Lastly, even though Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay have similar appearances, they have two clashing personalities. The figure of the double is useful in A Tale of Two Cities because to show the similarities and differences between England and France, the mobs in France compared to those of England’s, and how different the characteristics between Carton and Sydney truly are. Dickens juxtaposes the two main settings of the novel, England and France. He portrays that the environment in France is darker than that of England’s because many …show more content…
In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens masters the technique of foiling to show how the similar yet different England and France are, whether it is the mobs or the corruption of the economy and government. He portrays some of the conditions to the extreme because he is personally against some of the actions taken. Lastly, he uses foiling in order to show the readers how even though Carton and Darnay may be different in the beginning, in the end, they are very similar in terms of their character

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Charles Dickens, the author of A Tale of Two Cities, shows a pitiful attitude towards his character Sydney Carton, and uses pathetic fallacy and juxtaposition to demonstrate this. At first sight, Sydney Carton was intended to be an insolent alcoholic and brilliant lawyer who was appropriately nicknamed “the jackal” because of how he gets no recognition whenever he wins court cases. Carton’s irresponsible habits are exemplified when he drinks excessively after he helps save Charles Darnay from imminent execution, demonstrating his lack of concern for anything other than a stock of wine. He is a man who describes himself as a “man who died young”.…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Charles Dickens portrays Madame Defarge, Sydney Carton, and Charles Darney as morally ambiguous characters. Dickens’ background as a muckraker dissected into it to reveal the hidden story boiling underneath human nature. Muckrakers are incredibly objective, as was Dickens’ writing style. His past experiences gave him an insight of morally ambiguous characters to use in his novel. Madame Defarge can clearly be described as hasty, vengeful, whatever nasty adjective seen fit.…

    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The motif of darkness assists the context in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens whilst directing to the inscrutable quality of human nature, the foreboding mystery in its setting, and the overbearing obscurity over clarity. First, Dickens conveys the motif of darkness through the characters’ reactions and sentiments. For instance, Dickens portrays the dehumanizing nature of society through relevant characters when he illustrates, “Those who had been greedy with the staves of the cask, had acquired a tigerish smear about the mouth; and one tall joker so besmirched, his head more out of a long squalid bag of a night-cap than in it, scrawled upon a wall with his finger dipped in muddy wine-less –BLOOD” (Dickens 32). This is intriguing as it displays the savage-like features the civilization had acquired as they yearned for a revolution that would act upon…

    • 1084 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” the novel, A Tale of Two Cities written by Charles Dickens, opens up in 1775 in the face of the French Revolution. The classic novel takes place in England and France where Sydney Carton and Madame Defarge both contrast greatly. Carton changes his life as an indolent, alcoholic to a man of bravery who sacrifices his own life whereas Madame Defarge, the antagonist, is a vengeful woman representing the French Revolution. Both Sydney Carton and Madame Defarge show dedication for different reasons which portrays the theme, good vs. evil. Sydney Carton is introduced as a drudge whereas Madame Defarge is introduced angry and mysteriously.…

    • 888 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In a novel like A Tale of Two Cities, historical fiction can express the impact of historical events, “through the joys, trials, sufferings, and victories of characters”(Allingham) as the readers experienced. In the novel, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, the theme of sacrifice lets the reader realize the cost of life as well as the progression of the plot through the sacrifices made by the Seamstress, Miss Pross, and Sydney Carton. The seamstress seems as though she has no significance to the plot of the novel but the reader learns that she is making an ultimate sacrifice. The seamstress is one of the innocent people who gets killed by the guillotine in order to save France.…

    • 1126 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is a story focused on the conflict in France, where poverty is the source of the entire country’s economic decline, where the upper class neglects the lower class into starvation, and how a revolution breaks out. A Tale of Two Cities is written by Charles Dickens who illustrates that rebirth contributes to the acceptance of unfortunate occurrences. Dr. Manette is a man who is freed of incarceration because of the family of Charles Darnay who is secretly a French aristocrat living in England, but his identity is soon discovered as Evremonde, and results in Sydney Carton redeeming himself of being a drunk by replacing Darnay underneath the guillotine. In A Tale of Two Cities, the author, Charles Dickens uses the imprisonment of Dr. Manette, the aristocratic life of Charles Darnay, and the redemption of Sydney Carton to contribute to the theme of the novel that rebirth is possible through sacrifice. Dr. Manette is a…

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Dickens utilizes imagery and symbolism to expose the violence of a total secular revolution. In the first part of his novel, Dickens employs imagery to set up the violent environment of the French Revolution. On a street in Paris, in front of the Defarge’s wine shop, a wine cask deliverer spills a cask of red wine. The wine runs down the street.…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Charles Dickens uses the literary device of foreshadowing to build a suspenseful plot in Tale of Two Cities. Foreshadowing is the act of planting a seed earlier in a story that will predict an event that will be later revealed. Dickens uses the literary device in mentioning the French Revolution, “a time of great change and great danger,” predicting many deaths to come, and lastly, using the figure of Doctor Manette to compliment the plot. Through this, Dickens creates one of the most popular novel of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. First, the French Revolution is foreshadowed by Dickens in many forms including, the breaking of a wine cask, footsteps continuously echoing, and the mob’s thirst for death.…

    • 1214 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Justice is something that people use to get revenge when they have been wronged, and should be used in order to fairly punish an unacceptable action instead of getting back at someone with the same action. In A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, characters seek revenge by inflicting the same pain upon the person who has done them wrong. By doing this, Dickens shows his audience the actions of the French are similar to the conflict that was happening in England at the time. Also during the time of Charles Dickens was the transition from Romanticism into the Victorian era. Because his writing was affected by both, this novel has a surfeit of Biblical references and realism, along with dramatic scenes used to emphasize Lucie’s perfection,…

    • 1486 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Dickens’s thrilling novel A Tale of Two Cities effectively informs the reader of the barbaric events of the French Revolution whilst expressing his increased sympathy toward the French…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The two cities, London and Paris, provide the setting for the novel. Both cities are the capital of their countries, and are suffering with cruel rulers. Contrasting London, Paris 's citizens had rebelled against their administration. The French Revolution provided a way for British officials to reflect on what was wrong with the French 's government, and allowed them to debate on how to prevent that in their own country. The opening paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities uses doubles to show opposites, such as 'best of times ' and 'worst of times '; 'wisdom ' and 'foolishness '; 'belief ' and 'incredulity '; 'light ' and 'dark '.…

    • 1123 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The characterization used in Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities does not detract from the novel’s ability to speak to the human condition for some characters while it does detract from the novel’s ability to speak…

    • 1402 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    One major themes we saw in The Tale of Two Cities was the idea of secrecy and the result given by the secrets we keep. Dickens introduced the idea of humans being secrets themselves when he stated, "A Wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human…

    • 1314 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities, author, Charles Dickens, takes readers back to London and Paris during the time of the French Revolution and utilizes metaphorical comparison to comment on events of his current state in the 1850’s. As the story develops, it becomes evident that the motif of resurrection is highly prevalent and essential to the plotline, predominantly through the narratives of Sydney Carton’s life. However, it is not only the characters that undergo examples of this motif, but also society and the cities of Paris and London. Although this theme is more potent in specific areas of the book, such as the death of Carton, it is undeniable that the suggestions of Dickens’ belief in resurrection was intentional and with much complex fortitude.…

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Revenge: An Acceptable Answer? The French Revolution was a dangerous period in France when the peasants, influenced by the American Revolution, decided to overthrow the monarchy. The plot of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is set around this chaotic time. During this period, many characters take their revenge on others who have wronged them. Through his examples of revenge, Dickens provides insight towards whether or not revenge is acceptable.…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays