How Does Madame Defarge Change Throughout The Novel

Madame Defarge goes from a seemingly peaceful character to one that symbolizes the chaos of the French Revolution. Dickens describes her as someone who: “. . . did not often make mistakes against herself in any of the reckonings over which she presided” (Dickens 31). Madame Defarge’s attitude realistically changes from a sense of self-control, unperturbed by others, to bloodlust and frustration shown when she tries to advocate to her husband why they should fight as hard as they can no matter how long it takes to achieve reform (Dickens 172). Madame Defarge’s movement from encouraging, smart housewife, to revolutionary happens quickly and intensely. Her attitude in Book the Second is significantly different from her attitude in Book the First. Madame Defarge’s husband in Book the Second describes her as a “strong woman . . . a frightfully grand woman” (Dickens 179), which is not as intense as the first introduction to Madame Defarge . The audience finally sees her lash out as she helps to rally others in the Storming of the Bastille, this is the where the reader can discern the entire shift of her character because she no longer holds compassion for those who have oppressed the lower-class (Dickens 207). …show more content…
Characters like Monsieur Defarge, the group of Jaques, the revolutionaries, and The Vengeance make Mme. Defarge cruel and ruthless. Her allies are wild, savage, and bloodthirsty, Madame Defarge doesn’t mind their actions, and if anything she builds her new character off of them. They are fuel to the fire, and their actions show her that she can be a cold killer. These people only share a few similarities, most revolving around the desire to enact revenge and corrupt justice. Consequently, this shift in ethics ties Mme. Defarge to the antagonistic side of the conflict, as she grinds against the aristocracy, but inappropriately ties her idea of justice to callous