Tale Of Two Cities

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Recommended: Critical analysis of a TALE OF TWO CITIES

A Tale of Two Cities: The Lessons of Fate
During the French Revolution, amidst the turmoil, many fates collided in the bloodshed, which in turn changed outcomes for generations past that time. The generation of Charles Dickens felt ripples of that dark time and it inspired him to write A Tale of Two Cities. Remembrance of those horrific events sparks thoughts of fate. Dickens’ ability to intertwine these same fates in his book magnifies other elements in the work. Throughout A Tale of Two Cities, the theme of fate is best expressed through the symbols of: knitting, echoing footsteps, and water/fountain.
Knitting, a symbol so ominously used, highlights fate of the kind that is brought about by revenge. Dickens introduces this form when he …show more content…

A man who seemed to very strongly believe in the inevitable, Dickens reveals this when he remarks, “The water of the fountain ran, the swift river ran, the day ran into evening, so much life in the city ran into death according to rule, time and tide waited for no man…all things ran their course” (85). This passage introduces the reader to the idea of predestination without boundaries. Also revealed in these lines is the unwarranted and unrequited nature of destiny. Further developing the unbiased nature of destiny, Dickens gives his readers an example: “This gaoler was unwholesomely bloated, both in face and person, as to look like a man who had been drowned and filled with water” (199). No matter who or what the man was before he has been pulled into a vortex of fate. Completely stripped of any identity except for that of use to his new path of life, he has been overwhelmed by the waves of the revolution. As life moves on and time runs out things tend to come full circle and Dickens touches on that idea when he declares, “The basin fell to the ground broken, and the water flowed to the feet of Madame Defarge. By strange stern ways, and through much stained blood, those feet had some to meet that water” (284). The most prevalent idea in this passage is that of closure⎯ a fountain always ends at its source. Finally, Dickens also suggests that there is an ultimate opportunity to fulfill one’s purpose and he uses Miss Pross’ ultimate unselfish sacrifice as an example. In the end every circle continues on and comes back to its beginning, and fate takes a similar path that is also bumpy and

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