Sacrifice in A Tale of Two Cities written by Charles Dickens

1785 Words4 Pages

“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Romans: 5: 9-10; “United Church”). Characters like Sydney Carton are people that will give up their own life. Such is the case when Sydney Carton promises Lucie Manette to give his own life for her. He pretends to be Charles Darnay, and he perishes when he gets executed by the guillotine. By sacrificing himself, Sydney allows Charles and Lucie the opportunity of escaping the terror during the French Revolution. The story in which these events take place is called A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens. The central idea of A Tale Of Two Cities is that sacrifice is exemplified by the heroic power that the character demonstrates by surrendering his or her own life or a possession, that of which results from the struggles he or she faces. Furthermore, sacrifice is also exemplified by Charles Darnay, Dr. Manette, and Sydney Carton.
First of all, sacrifice is exemplified when a character gives up his own possession that results as a result of the obstacles they face, this of which Charles Darnay is an example of. In the novel, Charles Darnay is a French aristocrat and he chooses to live in England because he does not want to be associated with the cruel ways that his ancestors developed through generations. In fact, Darnay displays great integrity when he rejects the arrogant and cruel values of Marquis Evrémonde (SparkNotes Editors). During the tribunal in the Bailey courtroom, Lucie reports “There were no other passengers that night, but we four. The prisoner was so good as to beg permission to advise me how I could shelter my father from the wind and weather, better than I had do...

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... so can die for our sins. To Conclude, Sacrifice is the act of surrendering of a possession or life as an offering to God or to a divine (Merriam-Webster ).

Works Cited

SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on A Tale of Two Cities.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Dickens, Charles, and Gillen D'Arcy. Wood. A Tale of Two Cities. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003. Print.
"The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ." United Church of God. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014. .
"LitCharts | A Tale of Two Cities: Themes." LitCharts | A Tale of Two Cities: Themes. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014. .
"Sacrifice." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014 . .

Sydney Carton Quotes
1498 Words | 3 Pages
When Carton is being taken to the guillotine, he meets a young seamstress who was imprisoned with Darnay. She soon discovers that Carton is not actually Darnay, ““Are you dying for him?” she whispered. “And his wife and child. Hush! Yes.”” (Dickens 365). Caron is asked by the seamstress if he is sacrificing himself for Darnay. Carton replies that he is, but also for Darnay’s wife and child, Lucie and little Lucie. This shows why Carton is sacrificing himself. Carton, though he is saving Darnay’s life, is ultimately giving his life to save Lucie and her child, as well as the future children she and Darnay will have. His love for Lucie is the true reason he commits such an act of self-violence. Sydney Carton’s sacrifice is heroic because he willingly gives his life to save Darnay’s and to preserve the happiness of his family (Keck). Carton is ultimately driven by his love for the Manette family, and his desire to protect them and the love they have for one another. Though Sydney Carton is seemingly a failure, “his redeeming grace is his love for Lucie, which persuades him to sacrifice himself so that she and her family can escape” (Plot Summary). Again, this shows that Carton’s sacrifice is driven by the love he holds for Lucie. Everything Carton told Lucie he would do for her and her family has ultimately
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Charles Darnay is a French aristocrat who decides to move to England because he could not deal with the cruel ways of the French, especially his uncle, the Marquis. He is an ambiguous character because he is seen by society a negative person because he is a part of the Evrémonde family while he is actually the complete opposite. That was the reason he left his country, “because he had voluntarily relinquished a title that was distasteful to him” (Dickens 288) to get away from his family
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Charles Darnay is a French aristocrat who decides to move to England because he could not deal with the cruel ways of the French, especially his uncle, the Marquis. He is and ambiguous character because he is seen by society a negative person because he is a part of the Evrémonde family. That
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...ille. Another conspicuous sacrifice made for the sake of principle was made in Book The Second, also by Dr. Manette. Darnay revealed the truth about himself and about his family history. He lets Dr. Manette know his true identity and that he is the nephew to the Marquis St. Evremonde. In Book The Third, Sydney Carton makes an astonishing sacrifice for the sake of principle when he fulfills his promise to Lucie Manette, his true love, that he will one day sacrifice himself for the person whom Lucie loves. All of the above sacrifices were made with the intention of keeping morals and principles high in human life. Whether it is your life or your feelings towards someone, we have learned that it is always better to give for the greater cause.
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The theme of sacrifice is portrayed in A Tale of Two Cities in several ways through the actions of Dr. Manette, Mr. Defarge, and Sydney Carton, but all acts of sacrifice display audacity and show how much love and compassion there must be for that person. Giving up something or risking your life for another person or name is one of the hardest and bravest acts a person can do. Dr. Manette, Mr. Defarge, and Sydney Carton’s actions showed just how much they love Lucie Manette and their acts of sacrifice showed how they would do anything to please her. Sacrificing yourself or your name for someone not only lets you achieve inner happiness, but shows how courageous a person must be to do so.
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Sacrifice in A Tale of Two Cities written by Charles Dickens

Sydney Carton Quotes

Ambiguous Characters In A Tale Of Two Cities

Ambiguous Characters In A Tale Of Two Cities