Mr Lorry Quotes

Double Sided Persona
Media makes celebrities seem as if they live life facing no problems or hardships. In reality, they do not live a perfect life, but that characteristic of celebrities' life tends to go unseen. In Charles Dickens’s, A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens develops Mr. Lorry into a character where business engulfes his life. Mr. Lorry continually tries to suppress his emotions using many different strategies. Even though business is always Mr. Lorry’s top priority, he always has a special place in his heart for the people he cares about, the Manette’s. Through the use of characterization and dialogue, Charles Dickens uses Mr. Lorry to promote how humanity overrides one’s business side no matter how hard they try to suppress it.
First

of all, Dickens uses direct characterization to develop Mr.Lorry as a businessman to show that Mr. Lorry tries to suppress normal emotions. In the midst of the first ever business interaction between Lucie Manette and Mr. Lorry, Dickens uses visual imagery to describe Mr. Lorry. The author depicts Mr. Lorry as, "[v]ery orderly and methodical . . . with a hand on each knee, and a loud watch ticking a sonorous sermon under his flapped waistcoat, as though it pitted its gravity and longevity against the levity and evanescence of the brisk fire" (Dickens 17). The use of the words "orderly" and "methodical" emphasizes that Mr.Lorry thinks and plans out everything in a business fashion. He does this to show a lack of emotion through perception. Also, the "watch" and "waistcoat" create imagery of a well put together business man because both are very expensive items of clothing that the upper class wears. The appearance of Mr. Lorry introduces the symbol of business throughout the novel. Similarly, Mr. Lorry covers up his emotions through facial expression. In the first business interaction with Lucie and Mr. Lorry, Mr. Lorry has no emotion. But, Lucie’s expressions are so influential that it makes it hard for Mr. Lorry to uphold his business composure. Mr. Lorry hides his emotions from Lucie, but "[a] face, habitually suppressed and quieted, [is] still lighted up under the quaint wig by a pair of moist bright eyes that it must have cost their owner, in years gone by, some pains to drill to the composed and reserved expression of Tellson’s Bank" (Dickens 17). The diction of "suppressed", "composed", and "reserved" further reiterates the business persona Mr.Lorry tries to force upon himself, even when he tries to suppress the emotions he wants to let out. He tries to portray the "expression of Tellson's Bank" by forcing himself to be emotionless in order to uphold the Tellson name. The physical actions and descriptions of Mr. Lorry show that emotion is being repressed and that business is the cause. Furthermore, Mr. Lorry’s whole life is about business and upholding the Tellson name for as long as he lives. The depiction of Mr.Lorry throughout the book reinstates the idea that "[Tellson’s] bank is shown to have a particular hold on the mind, having invaded, for instance, every aspect of Lorry's consciousness" (Malton). The bank takes over not only his consciousness, but it takes over his life. Mr. Lorry did not have a traditional wife with family and friends because business was all he thought about. Business, most of the time, cut him off from the social and emotional side of life because he pushed emotions away to hide his human nature. Business will continue to be his priority for as long as he works for Tellson’s and he will continue to push his emotions down.
Concurrently, Charles Dickens uses indirect characterization to show how Mr.Lorry’s human nature overtakes his business persona. The Manettes are a family Mr. Lorry has deep care for even though they are his business clients. Mr. Lorry is a strict businessman and "[a]lthough he claims to speak only as a man of business, repressing any personal feelings or opinions, he is a loyal friend to the Manettes and often acts from deep emotional commitment to them"(Davis 360). Mr. Lorry tends to think that business has cut him off from the social side of life, yet it has brought him to the people that he truly cares for, the Manettes. Humanity overshadowed the strict business side, and allowed Lorry to build a deep connection with the Manettes. Before Mr. Lorry had a deep connection to the Manettes, he felt as if he could not show any emotion towards them and it all had to be strictly business. In the first business interaction with Lucie Manette, the author emphasizes his actions and physical descriptions. The emotions start to creep out, but then "After this odd description of his daily routine of employment, Mr. Lorry flattened his flaxen wig upon his head with both hands (which was most unnecessary, for nothing could be flatter than its shining surface was before), and resumed his former attitude" (Dickens 23). The author emphasizes Mr. Lorry flattening his wig by saying it was "most unnecessary", and after flattening his wig, he “resumed his former attitude.” Dickens does this to emphasize that Mr. Lorry’s emotions start to push through, but Mr. Lorry acts out of habit to suppress that emotion because he does not want to be portrayed as anything but a businessman. Even though Mr. Lorry acts from emotions, there are times when business will get in the way of his personal life and he has to choose between the two. When Little Lucie and Lucie Manette arrive in Paris and Need Mr. Lorry’s help, Mr. Lorry decides that "his own possessions, safety, life, he would have hazarded for Lucie and her child, without a moment's demur; but the great trust he held was not his own, and as to that business charge he was a strict man of business" (Dickens 269). Dickens uses the diction “strict man of business” to demonstrate that Mr. Lorry goes back to the business mindset where he tends to hold back his true human nature and repeat that he is a man of business. Even when family friends are in need he pushes them away because he does not want to be perceived as an emotional human, especially in a work environment. Business affects Mr. Lorry' social side of life, yet his emotions still shine through as much as he tries to suppress them.
Furthermore, Dickens uses dialogue to show how the force of humanity overcomes Mr.Lorry. During Dr. Manette's second relapse in the Manette's home, Mr. Lorry helps Dr. Manette get through his relapse. When Mr. Lorry went in to Dr. Manette’s room, Mr. Lorry kept repeating the statement, " Doctor Manette. My dear friend, Doctor Manette! . . . You know me, my dear friend? . . . Think, dear friend!" (Dickens 196-197). Mr.Lorry continues to reinstate "dear friend" to Doctor Manette which shows how loyal Lorry can be towards the Manette family. The repetition also shows that Mr. Lorry truly means what he says and cares for Manette. Mr. Lorry’s worry for Manette shows that he has a true friendship, and can not hide his affection around the ones he loves. The Manette's accept Mr. Lorry as a member of the family, and he plays a big role in that family as well. That acceptance of Lorry in the Manette household shows "Lorry's effective governance of the family-- a microcosm, of course, of the nation state-- testifies to both his professional acumen and moral turpitude. He perpetually intervenes in family affairs and becomes a kind of paternal substitute" (Malton). Mr. Lorry plays an important role a father figure and helps make many decisions in the Manette household. He shows a lot of emotion towards them because he is seen as a part of the family and can not hide his humanity around them. As a member of the Manette family, he tries to help both the Manette's in all the ways he can. After Dr. Manette's second relapse, Mr. Lorry comes up with the idea to get rid of Dr. Manette's work bench, but he did not want to do it without Dr. Manette's consent. Mr. Lorry politely gives the suggestion, "I would recommend him to sacrifice it. I only want your authority. I am sure it does no good. Come! Give me your authority, like a dear good man. For your daughter's sake, my dear Manette!" (Dickens 206). Mr. Lorry asks for consent to destroy Manette's work bench before destroying it which shows that he does not want to hurt Manette's emotions by destroying his workbench. He is very considerate of others emotions and wants to do what is best. Dr. Manette is a true friend because Mr.Lorry allows himself to show sentiment a true emotions around the Manettes. Mr. Lorry has an affectionate element to his persona that tends to be hidden from the outside world which is unable to be contained at all times.
Additionally, Dickens uses dialogue to show how businessman strive to be emotionless, even though they are not successful in doing so.

Throughout the novel, Dickens repeats the symbol of business multiple times. Dickens is able to create a business symbol because "Dickens manipulates both emotional conflict and its solution by 'splitting' in the technical, psychoanalytic sense: his characters distance their emotions from an immediate, and disturbing, reality" (Hutter 51). In business interactions, Mr. Lorry acts very machine-like and focuses only on business, and therefore does distance himself from emotion. He tries to keep interactions only business related, further proving that Lorry forces his emotions down to create an image of business. Additionally, Mr. Lorry continually reinstates that he is a man of business in the first interaction with Lucie. Then, he goes on to tell Lucie, "These are mere business relations, miss; there is no friendship in them, no particular interest, nothing like sentiment" (Dickens 23). The diction “no friendship” shows that he does not care to become friends or be nice to his clients when in actuality he does. Mr. Lorry has the urge to reinstate to his clients that interactions between them are “business relations”, but later on he creates a family-like bond with the Manettes. The bond shows that Mr. Lorry was unsuccessful in being fully forcing himself to be emotionless. Mr. Lorry realizes that being emotionless has also cut him off from his social side of life while in Paris. Mr. Carton and Mr. Lorry were having a heartfelt conversation about the accomplishments of Mr. Lorry in his lifetime, and Mr. Lorry can not remember a time when business was not a part of his life. Mr. Lorry told Mr. Carton, "I have been a man of business, ever since I have been a man. Indeed, I may say that I was a man of business when a boy" (Dickens 315). Business centers around Mr. Lorry's whole life because that is all he has ever known. It causes

him to miss out on a lot of social interaction in life. Missing out on social interaction is a cause of not letting himself be a subject to human nature. He considers himself as a businessman and not much more.
Dickens uses Mr. Lorry as a character to display that human nature overshadows ones unwavering business side. There were two sides to Mr. Lorry, the emotional and the business side, but he tried to stay away from the emotional side as much as he could. The emotional side still crept through occasionally. Everyone has a side to them that they try to keep from others, especially celebrities and social media stars. Celebrities portray a perfect life, yet they face their own problems everyday.