Morality In Charles Dickens A Tale Of Two Cities

Everyone is evil. Nurturing mother, proud brother, and ignorant child are all lawless and corrupt. In every action, which could feasibly be carried out, that one does not make to ethically better oneself and others, there is evil; but, surely, the serial killer and the rapist are more at fault than the innocent bystander? No - there is no such hierarchy of what is more evil than something else. Anytime one does not make the moral choice, one’s own intrinsic immorality is shown. With that being said, no one could ever aspire to be completely moral, regardless of what the blurred lines of society may say regarding the supposedly perfect. This ideology can be used to examine Charles ‘Evremonde’ Darnay of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. Charles leaves France and all of his duties, starting a new family in England, without regard to his aristocratic baggage. He also opts to leave and endanger everyone around him by returning to France. Lastly, he allows Sydney Carton to be guillotined on his behalf. While Dickens’ writing may attempt to excuse these actions, a deeper reading into the facts shows another story. To begin, …show more content…
Through looking at his decisions carefully, readers can see that he is irresponsible in abandoning his title as the Marquis, selfish in leaving his settled life in England, and unappreciative of Carton for his mortal sacrifice on his account. In summary, there can be no true morality in the real world, for even though people have certain moral values in mind, somewhere along the way, everyone falters in living up to them. And so, society shields its eyes from the misdeeds of those it deems to be good or perfect. But at the end of the day, one should acknowledge that it is fruitless to attempt to obtain the sublimity of morality. While there is a positive natural desire to improve oneself and loved ones, it is also wise to accept these fundamental flaws in each and every human