Sydney Carton Allusions

The influence of the Bible surrounds society and affects everyone, every culture, and every piece of art and literature even if people do not recognize it. In the novel, A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens shift of tone and biblical allusions portrays the inevitable death of Sydney Carton for him to find his purpose in life. The book takes place during the French Revolution, in 1789, where thousands of citizens were executed due to suspicion. Sydney Carton is a drunk, depressed person, and has wasted his life by trying to find the meaning and purpose in living. Besides some ambiguous remarks to his past and the disclosure of his parents' death when he was young, Carton's past remains an unknown mystery to the reader. However, the only honorable

aspect of his life is his love for Lucie, which leads to him sacrificing himself to save her husband. Thus Carton symbolizes a sacrificial hero who is brutally slaughtered of his free will in hope for society to rejuvenate itself– a prospect he envisions before he dies. Therefore, by dying, he redeems his sins and is reborn in the afterlife as he realizes his purpose in life is only achieved through his death. As the story advances, and the plot concludes, Dickens's attitudes towards Carton changes, this shift in tone from despairing to admirable foreshadows the journey of Sydney Carton discovering his role in society through his death.
As Dicken’s despairing tone of darkness surrounds the plot, Carton tries to fulfill Lucie’s role, by recalling Charles to life from his inescapable death.

As he contemplates his decision to sacrifice himself, “he stopped in the middle of the street under a glimmering lamp...[and continued down the] several dark and dirty streets…[that] remained uncleansed” (242). Dicken’s word choice, of the “glimmering lamp,” symbolizes Carton’s last sign of hope to cleanse himself of his dark past and save Lucie’s family. Besides, the “glimmering lamp” is also alluding to the Bible where the word of God “is a lamp for [Carton’s] feet, [and] a light on [his] path” (Psalm 119:105) to guide him through his decision, to find eternal peace. However, the road to peace would be a treacherous journey for Carton as the price for peace is his death. Therefore, as Carton’s decision was a “settled manner of a tired man, who had wandered and struggled,” (243) until he saw the end of his path (fate). Dicken’s diction of a “tired man,” characterizes Carton’s past as he is exhausted from the troubles of life and feels as he did not have a purpose to live like he is subconsciously lost. Also, Dicken’s characterization of Carton is seen as he transforms from being a drunk to a man who knows the world would be better with him dead. Thus, finding his real purpose in life by sacrificing himself to reunite Lucie’s family. After all, Dicken’s despairing tone and allusions towards Sydney Carton reveals his true

character of compassion towards Lucie’s family.
As fate would have it, Carton found his purpose in life and has been resurrected as a man born in the light and not in the shadows of his dark past.

Hence, Dicken’s tone shifts from despairing to admirable as Carton plays the heroic archetype of the story from his future actions. As the darkness settled and the rays of light began to collide upon the surface of the sky, Carton “crossed the Seine…[heading] for the lighter streets”(244). This climactic moment of the novel is where the tone shifts and Carton transform into a new man emerging from the shadows–symbol of the troubles he endured–to a man of noble character. Thus Carton is becoming the underdog of the story who stunned the readers, like David vs. Goliath, and came out as the hero by dying. As it was the morning of death, Carton spent his last day as a free man looking upon “the glorious sun...with reverently shaded eyes, [as he saw] a bridge of light [appear] to span the air between him and the sun” (244). Carton has indeed become “the resurrection and the light” (243) as he crosses the bridge to heaven through looking back at the past and following his fate towards the skies. Without a doubt, Carton’s depressed character has transformed into this figure of godly status as he enters the unknown into the abyss to save Charles from his inevitable death. Overall, the biblical allusion of light has guided Carton destiny into becoming a man of

character.
Ultimately, Dickens's attitude towards Carton changes in tone from despairing to admirable as Carton’s journey of discovering his role in society transforms him into a changed man. As some may see as displeasing, Carton learns that death is inescapable as he is heroically (while impersonating Charles) killed by the guillotine; however, his soul is freed from the restraints of his past, which held him down for so long in the shadows, from the troubles he had endured. Quite bitterly, a little girl asks Carton before they were both executed if she could hold his “brave hand” (276) to give her courage as she was little and frail. Hence, they both died with honor and bravery as Sydney Carton did not die in vain, while Charles was reunited with his family. Hence, biblical allusions surround society as Carton plays the role of Christ dying for the sins of Charles (the people), as Carton finds that was his purpose in life.