Fate In A Tale Of Two Cities

“There is no such thing as accident; it is fate misnamed. “ – Napoleon Bonaparte. The idea that we control our own destinies has existed since the 16th century. Charles Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities, written in 1859, depicts a story of loss and love during the French Revolution of 1789. Throughout the novel, Dickens uses many symbols and characters to develop the theme of fate and destiny. Many symbols used in Tale of Two Cities revealed the fates of many characters and foreshadowed conflicts. A character analysis of Sydney Carton also reveals that fate guided his path to make the ultimate Christ-like sacrifice to save the Manette family. The fate of the major characters such as Darnay, Carton, and Dr. Manette were all like through

each of their own destiny.
Many symbols used throughout the novel displayed fate being carried out. Months after Darnay’s trial in England, Lucie and company listen to the rain and hear echoes of footsteps from other streets. Lucie imagines that the echoing footsteps are the “echoes out to be the echoes of all the footsteps that are coming by-and-bye into our lives” (99). Lucy’s imagination foreshadows their fate of colliding with the people of France over the dispute of Darnay’s case. Enroute to meet Dr. Manette, Lorry and Lucie witness a wine cask falling on the pavement on the streets of St. Antoine. “It had stained many hands, too, and many faces, and many naked feet, and many wooden shoes. The hands of the man who sawed the wood, left erd marks on the billets…” (28). Through the depiction of French citizens fighting for the pool of wine and longing for justice, Dickens foreshadows their fate to overthrow the aristocracy class of Paris. After Monseigneur le Marquis sips his luxurious chocolate and heads out to the country, his carriage stops to witness a dead child lying under its wheels. During this time, Mme. Defarge “had stood conspicuous, knitting, still knitted on with the steadfastness of fate” (108). As Mme. Defarge witnesses from afar, she seems harmless, but she is secretly defining Marquis’ fate and sentencing him to death for the atrocities the aristocrats have done. In conclusion, the use of symbols by Dickens proves to be an important aspect of developing fate.
Carton’s entire character development is an excellent example of a life that is controlled by his destiny. In the midst of the trial taking place in England against Darnay, carton points to Darnay’s lawyer, Stryver, of their fortunate similarity in hopes of freeing Darnay. “Look well upon tat gentleman, learned friend there… and then look well upon the prisoner. How say you? Are they very like each other?” (72). This lucky resemblance between Carton and Darnay later gives Carton the opportunity to swap places in a situation of certain death. Carton, after wandering near the Manette’s homes, builds up his confidence to tell Lucie of his wasted life and ends with a simple pledge. “O Miss Manette… when you see your own bright beauty springing up anew at your feet, think now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you!” (148). This pledge that Carton gives destinies his future of gibing his own life for Darnay and nothing, not even the French Revolution would get in the way. In Carton’s final imagined moments, he envisions a child will bear his name carries Carton’s legacy. Carton says to himself, “and I hear him [Lucie’s child] tell the child my story, with a tender and a faltering voice” (364). By sacrificing his life, Carton shaped his fate and was remembered as a legend for his great sacrifice, especially after spending many years of his life hiding as a ’jackal’. To sum up, Sydney Carton’s desires shows how prevalent the theme of fate is in his life.
Through fate, all of the major characters’ imprisonments helped each other ‘recall to life.’ As Carton steps up the stairs leading to the guillotine, Carton collects his thoughts and envisions the future where he foresees Lucie and Darnay having a son, who they name after him.

Carton thinks, “I see a child who lay upon her bosom and who bore my name, a man whining his way up in that path of life which once was mine. I see him whining it so well, that my name is made illustrious there by the light of his” (364). The child that Carton foresees will become the man Carton always wanted to be. Not only did his fate benefit Darnay and his descendants, but Carton was rid of his past miseries that made him a prisoner during his life. Upon hearing about Darnay’s imprisonment, Dr. Manette attempted to change Darnay’s fate of dying by the guillotine. Dr. Manette promised, “I knew I could help Charles out of all danger; I told Lucie so” (253). However, Dr. Manette’s forgotten past of his unjust imprisonment in Bastille reappears through his own letter denouncing Darnay, giving Carton his golden opportunity to give himself for Darnay. After taking the letter addressed to the Marquis St. Evrémonde, Darnay was surprised upon reading the letter to know that his loyal servant Gabelle was in danger and felt compelled to save Gabelle. “...the winds and streams had driven him within the influence of the Loadstone Rock, and it was drawing him to itself, and he must go. Everything that arose before his mind drifted him on, faster and faster, more and more steadily, to the terrible attraction” (234). After Carton fulfilled his fate of sacrificing himself, Darnay was freed from his attachment with France and settled in England once and for all. Through the connections of the character’s imprisonment, Dickens illustrates that only a sacrifice could change the fate of

history.
In conclusions, it is evident that Dickens used fate throughout the novel to develop themes and characters. The symbols played a role in foreshadowing the fate of characters. Carton character development also shows how fate guided him to sacrificing his life for Lucie. The protagonists’ fate of ending their imprisonment also shows how important destiny was throughout the novel. If you were given the choice to sacrifice something for a change in destiny, would you?