Similarities Between Charles Darnay And Sydney Carton

Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton both had points in their lives that were the best of times, and at the same time the worst of times. Often it was in self sacrifice either physically, or mentally that they showed this. Sydney Carton made many sacrifices in his life, and ultimately gave his life for another. For him, these moments were still the best moments of his miserable life. One example was when he professed his love for Lucie (Dickens, pg. 158), and rejected himself before she could even say if the feeling was mutual. This was good for him because he got it off his chest, and he thought that by some miracle she may love him back. With the miserable life he had had up to this point, almost anything, even something as little as this, became one of the best moments in his life. At the same time though, it was also terrible. He knew that he could never have her; that it wasn't meant to be. There was also the chance that she would take no pity on him and blatantly say no. Another example is when Sydney Carton goes to the guillotine in the place of Charles Darnay (Dickens, pg. 386). It is one of the best moments in his life because he never had really done anything good in his life. His sacrifice made him feel at peace, because he had fulfilled his debt to society for all the bad things he had done. Sacrificing himself was also a bad thing for him, because of course it meant he had to die.

They represented perfectly the best, and the worst of times. Charles Darnay is glad that he escaped the wrath of the guillotine, but at the same time hates himself for the fact that he let another man go in his place. He is also happy he is away from that which causes him to be a bad person, but then he is put on trial in England for treason. Sydney Carton is at peace because he feels that by dying he is repaying the world for the bad things that he had done, but he is also scared to death that he is going to