The French Revolution, notorious for its barbarous bloodshed which occurred continuously throughout the war, is an undeniable turning point in history, inspiring millions. The revolution was a response to the ruthless and selfish upperclass, stripping the lower class of their wealth, quality of life, and identity. Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities was intended as a parallel to the revolution, encapsulating the effects it had on the lower class citizens by using the lives of French and English citizens. In the novel, Dickens maintains the recurrence of only a handful of characters throughout the story line, Dr. Alexandre Manette being one of the most important as the father of Lucie Manette and father in law to Charles Darnay. Through the
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His character's personality drastically changes throughout the book, however his story begins with a man broken from years of imprisonment by the monarchy. “He sat, with a steadfastly vacant gaze, pausing in his work. He never looked at the figure before him, without first looking down on this side of himself, then on that, as if he had lost the habit of associating place with sound; he never spoke, without to speak.” (Dickens, Book 1, Chapter 6, Pg. 33) With this quote, it is dramatically apparent that Dr.Manette is insecure, he looks down at himself before he looks at anyone. In addition, it shows to intensity to which prison has broken him and his pride, character, and confidence. Above all, Dickens creates the image of a man that is extremely anxious and untrusting of anyone that tries to help him. Furthermore, Dickens directly coordinates this description with the progression of the revolution. For example, the lower class Frenchmen in the 3rd estate were beginning to see the extent of inequality, but they were too intimidated by the upper class to discuss a revolution or too do anything about the inequality. Altogether, it is apparent that Dickens directly relates the mental and physical state of Dr. Alexandre Manette to the lower class in France, making Dr. Manette, a Frenchman by birth, a symbol of the revolutionaries in
His character's personality drastically changes throughout the book, however his story begins with a man broken from years of imprisonment by the monarchy. “He sat, with a steadfastly vacant gaze, pausing in his work. He never looked at the figure before him, without first looking down on this side of himself, then on that, as if he had lost the habit of associating place with sound; he never spoke, without to speak.” (Dickens, Book 1, Chapter 6, Pg. 33) With this quote, it is dramatically apparent that Dr.Manette is insecure, he looks down at himself before he looks at anyone. In addition, it shows to intensity to which prison has broken him and his pride, character, and confidence. Above all, Dickens creates the image of a man that is extremely anxious and untrusting of anyone that tries to help him. Furthermore, Dickens directly coordinates this description with the progression of the revolution. For example, the lower class Frenchmen in the 3rd estate were beginning to see the extent of inequality, but they were too intimidated by the upper class to discuss a revolution or too do anything about the inequality. Altogether, it is apparent that Dickens directly relates the mental and physical state of Dr. Alexandre Manette to the lower class in France, making Dr. Manette, a Frenchman by birth, a symbol of the revolutionaries in