How Does Sydney Carton Change

Charles Dickens’s, A Tale of Two Cities, describes how character’s personality traits change based off of one’s motives and religious views. One’s actions, personal thoughts, and reputations differ when they love or feel loyal to a person or their past. Overall, A Tale of Two Cities describes how one main character, Sydney Carton, changes from an irresponsible, foolish man to now a selfless, brave man. Charles Darnay, Lucie Manette’s husband, is sent to prison and is projected to die because of his family’s poor background. Carton changes his actions, thoughts, and reputation since he decides to die for Darnay. In addition, Carton has a religious awakening while walking alone at night which causes him to be selfless. Due to his selflessness,

To start, Carton is eager to sacrifice himself for others which changes his personality. Initially, Darnay is planned to die at the guillotine because of his family background. He is brave and finally faces the terms of his death. However, Carton appears in his cell and tricks Darnay into switching appearances by giving him drugs from the chemist shop. Carton takes advantage of Darnay’s loss of attention and focus, “Quickly, but with hands as true to the purpose as his heart was, Carton dressed himself in the clothes the prisoner had laid aside, combed back his hair, and tied it with the ribbon the prisoner had worn” (401). Carton drugs Darnay for the purpose of switching appearances. After the transformation, Carton and Darnay look nearly identical. Since Carton and Darnay switch appearances, Carton is going to die at the guillotine instead. This portrays that Carton is selfless because he decides to sacrifice himself for Darnay. Indeed, Carton begins to change because of his eagerness to sacrifice himself for Darnay. In addition, Carton’s personality beings to change because he has a religious awakening. One night, Carton walks around the streets of Paris thinking about his family and friends. He enters the chemist shop and muses about his parents and the religious phrases spoken at his father’s funeral. Carton walks around the city and reflects on the past, “...he had followed his father to the grave. His mother had died, years before. These solemn words, which had been read at his father’s grave, arose in his mind…” (357-358). Carton loses his parents when he was young, and faces emotional and religious hardships when thinking about their deaths. Carton discovers his religious connection when walking around the city streets thinking about his parents. As repeating religious words at his father’s grave, Carton has a