Sydney Carton Character Analysis Essay

807 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Settings in a tale of two cities

Novel Study: “A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens
Ben Davison

CHARACTER

1. Sydney Carton is an example of a dynamic character.
2. At the beginning of the novel, Sydney Carton appears as a lazy, rude, alcoholic attorney. He has no interest in anything, not even in his own life, which he describes as a waste of time. He cares for nothing and no one. This changes as he begins to develop feelings for Lucie Manette. Before Lucie and Charles Darnay get married he professes his love for her. This is a very big moment in the transformation of Carton; it is because of the love that he has for Lucie, that he sacrifices his life for Darnay’s so that Darnay and Lucie can get married. He transforms into a selfless, noble, courageous person by the end of the novel. The narrator asserts that Carton has finally filled his life with meaning.

SETTING

The story takes place in both England and Paris, the main action however, occurs in Paris during the French Revolution.

The time period greatly influences the characters’ lives in the novel. Taking place before and during the French Revolution, there is lots of conflict. The aristocrats, who show no pity or mercy on them, treat the impoverished characters cruelly. Mme. Defarge is planning the deaths of many, and innocent people are being wrongfully accused of crimes they did not commit.

SYMBOLISM

Mme. Defarge’s knitting is symbolic as she knits a registry of names into her work, condemning them to die in the revolution. The knitting is symbolic, representing the stealthy, cold-blooded vengefulness of the revolution. Appearing to be harmless and innocent, Defarge is a violent killer, motivated by revenge. Similarly, the French peasants appear helpless and simple, however it is them who rise...

... middle of paper ...

...ileged people of France that the French Revolution began.

Human Nature:

The image of humankind that emerges from this work is that people are generally good, but when oppressed they will resort to means of violence. For example, the peasants in this book were continually pushed to their limits and finally broke. They probably had no wish to turn to violence but they felt it was their only chance to live freely in peace.

Human Freedom:

The characters do not have much freedom as they are being heavily oppressed by the French regime.

They do not make choices in complete freedom. This is why they begin the Revolution.

Because of the majority of the characters have poor social ranking they are driven against their own will by the forces of aristocrats and the government. The story although fictitious is based on a historical event, so the final outcome is known.

Show More
Related

  • Madame Defarge Quotes

    549 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the first book of the novel, the goal of Madame Defarge includes exterminating the noble race. She is constantly knitting in the wine shop she owns. The knitting shows a passive way to express her hatred towards others. “Her knitting was before her, but she had laid it down to pick her teeth with a toothpick” (Dickens 55). The quote shows how even in her first showing in the book, she is knitting. Her knitting and constant plotting brings frequent fear to her husband, Ernest Defarge, and all other wine shop patrons. Considering even her own husband is afraid for his life, Defarge keeps death in secrecy and shows extremely negative qualities. Defarge knits a register for the intended killing of the revolution in secrecy to show her hatred towards certain people. She has negative characteristics in regard to the loss of her family and her plot to kill all of her enemies. Madame Defarge lasts as the leader attributed to all women fighting in the revolution and

    Read More

  • Sydney Carton Quotes

    1498 Words  | 3 Pages

    This quote shows that Carton wishes he had been a better person, and knows that he could have been as successful as Darnay if only he had applied himself to his job or found love. Sydney Carton is a man deep in self-doubt and self-hatred. He is an alcoholic who is often moody and depressed (Moss and Wilson). Carton has an extremely low opinion of himself, and has no happiness or love in his life. Carton’s sacrifice ultimately purifies him, and saves him from his own self-loathing. Though Carton’s strength comes from his love for Lucie, his apathy for his life does as well; “he is a brooding individual, socially outcast, and both driven and tormented by an impossible love.” (Gonzalez-Posse 346) This quote shows Carton’s unattainable need to

    Read More

  • Madame Defarge Essay

    804 Words  | 2 Pages

    The relationship formed between these two characters intensifies their ultimate intentions in support of the Revolution. With provocation from The Vengeance, Madame Defarge’s thirst for the execution of Lucie and her child and the Revolution as a whole is amplified. Madame Defarge, her cronies,and her stitches “knitted, in her own . . .symbols, [it] will always be as plain to her as the sun” (Dickens 303) play a significant role in the headway of the

    Read More

  • Dreadfulness of Modern Experience

    1404 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...rs and situations to help explain the societal issues surrounding the time period. The dreadfulness comes from the controversial issues and feelings these characters experience. These characters must overcome these dreadful experiences in order to change what society deems as acceptable in the future.

    Read More

  • Gender Issues and Sexuality in Marge Piercy's "Sex Wars"

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel traces the historical lives of Victoria Woodhull, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Anthony Comstock as well as that of the fictional Freydeh Levin, mainly during the years of 1868 to 1874. The action is set in and around New York City. Also prime characters in this epic are the first women's movement and the post civil war re-constructionist gilded age, as they and their social ramifications intertwine with and impact the lives of the human characters.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Cruelty In A Tale Of Two Cities

    1432 Words  | 3 Pages

    Human beings are an impressionable race who learn from each other what they should and should not do. While this is sometimes a useful trait, in other instances it can lead to death and cruelty. This is showcased copiously in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. The book starts off with the French nobility horribly mistreating the destitute peasants, beating them and starving them without feeling any guilt whatsoever. To the rebels, it does not matter whether the people they execute are innocent or guilty of crimes against them, and instead see the entire upperclass as responsible for what a portion of them actually did. In this way, the cycle comes to a complete

    Read More

  • Power and Corruption in Charles Dickens´ A Tale of Two Cities

    658 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the 1800s, the aristocracy of England and France lived in luxury and possessed an enormous amount of power in the society while peasants live in poverty. Dickens links the two countries with the theme of how history repeats itself. Dickens compares the social rankings, rulers, and events of the two countries and warns how if the English aristocracy did not change their ways, what happens in France would happen to them. In the novel, Dickens portrays the character, Monseigneur as an individual character as well as a social class of France. Monseigneur is a character who Dickens portrays as the entire class of the French aristocracy in the way of which he abuses his power. Dickens describes how the Monseigneur was having chocolate prepared for him by four men who are wearing gold watches as peasants were starving and dying. Dickens uses the actions of the Monseigneur to represent the entire population of the aristocrats in the city of St. Antoine. Another way in which Dickens shows how the Monseigneur was corrupt was how he appointed people to be officials not by their skill but by the way they would appraise him or by their status. Dickens foreshadows how France would become corrupt over time from the action...

    Read More

  • Symbolism in Jackson's The Lottery

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...l human character. Writers of American literature have many different opinions on the society. In order for readers to understand an author’s view on the society, they must look at many different aspects including the writer’s life and the time period in which the work was written. Though writers have different theories about the society, they express their philosophies into their work. The town who seem horribly uncivilized, where a son stones his mother, yet they can easily be compared to today's society.

    Read More

  • Violence, Corruption, and Wealth in American Popular Culture

    1298 Words  | 3 Pages

    A passage from page 180 describing Tom and Daisy reads "They were careless, Tom and Daisy, they smashed up things and creatures then retreated back into their money or vast carelessness, or whatever it is that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made." This quote in essence describes the entire book and our culture. People will do whatever they believe is necessary to further themselves, then leave the mess for someone else to clean up, as long as they are happy. It doesn't matter what means the use to rise to the top, whether it be corruption, crime, violence, etc. Whatever means necessary. This mentality will keep spreading unless we somehow put a stop to it. As long as violence and corruption are portrayed as building blocks to wealth and power, people will use these tactics to improve their status in society.

    Read More

  • Essay on Loss of Freedom in The Giver

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    previous quote is referring to how the people are controlled.  They have no say in their own life style.

    Read More

  • "Recalled to Life" in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...he will do anything for her, even die for someone she loves. Lucie recalls Sydney by opening him up to doing something with his life. He later uses this new mindset to save Charles’s life. After Sydney is inspired to make something of his life he vows to do something good. To do this, he dies for Charles Darnay to show his love for Lucie. This is how Sydney Carton is recalled to life.

    Read More

  • Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities

    617 Words  | 2 Pages

    He had a promise to Lucie, and he wasn’t going to disappoint her. Sydney Carton picked up the pieces of his life and became a new man, which allowed him to die with a positive view on life instead of the recently changed negative outlook. His love for Lucie changed him for the better in so many ways and let him experience feelings that he had held inside of him for a long time. He became a compassionate individual and died with a clear conscience.

    Read More

  • General Sun My Brother

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    These characters are developed to have common traits with the historical persons. Jean- Michel was a medical student and a communist, traits that are common to those of the author, Jacques Alexis. Pierre Round’s character traits and life experiences in the book closely match those of Jacues Roumain who was arrested and later went into exile. The character Paturault has a common life with Elie Lescot who in real life became the president of Haiti in 1946. These characters whose traits are the same as those of real historical persons have been used in the book to create and portray what the author was viewing at his time and wanted to address.

    Read More

  • Around The World In 80 Days

    2113 Words  | 5 Pages

    The setting for this novel was a constantly shifting one. Taking place during what seems to be the Late Industrial Revolution and the high of the British Empire, the era is portrayed amongst influential Englishmen, the value of the pound, the presence of steamers, railroads, ferries, and a European globe.

    Read More

  • A Historical Interpretation of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

    1775 Words  | 4 Pages

    The main focus of Dickens’ novel is the French Revolution. This was a tragic time that took place between the years of seventeen eighty-nine and seventeen ninety-nine. It was the lower class revolting against the corrupt authoritarian government. The ideals that the French stood for were liberty, equality, and brotherhood. Dickens uses this for the background of his novel. Marie Shephard once said that Dickens was helped by his friend Carlyle for a background on the French Revolution, and tried to focus more on the plot than a character (51). Another historian said that “the French Revolution exists in the novel only insofar as Dickens’s characters vivify it, live through it, react to it, and make its reality manifest to the reader”(Allingham). Dickens understood this and used it to help him write the novel, and to help us in understanding it.

    Read More

More about Sydney Carton Character Analysis Essay

Open Document