The French Revolution: A Symbol of Injustice

The French Revolution was a period of radical social and political upheaval, lead by the lower class of France, which began the decline of powerful monarchies in France and the rise of nationalism and democracy. In A Tale Of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens, he highlights these aspects of the war between classes and makes them personal to the reader. Throughout the novel, Dickens’ establishes and develops several symbols in order to help the reader better understand the Revolution and the way people acted during this time. He shows that while emotion, desperation, and irrationality run high, humanity, justice, and morality are scarce. The blue flies, Madame Defarge’s knitting, and the sea are three of Dickens’ symbols that develop his theme of man’s inhumanity to his fellow man throughout the novel.

Dickens’ uses the symbol of blue-flies to represent the spectators in Darnay’s trial and their corrupted feelings and enthusiasm in regards to another man’s misfortune. Darnay has been accused of treason for passing information to France, and if he is found guilty, he will be sentenced to death. A large crowd is drawn to the courtroom to watch his trial. Dickens describes their eager anticipation as he states, “When the Attorney-General ceased, a buzz arose in the court as if a cloud of great blue-flies were swarming about the prisoner, in anticipation of what he was soon to become” (Dickens 50). The courtroom cannot wait for the approaching drama that they are about to see firsthand. They act as if they are watching a play or another form of entertainment, and they disregard the fact that this is a moment of life or death for another human being. As the trial continues, Darnay catches Lucie eye, sees her intense compassion and...

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... day, after the mass of murders, the poor are still poor, and the hungry are still hungry.

The blue flies, Madame Defarge’s knitting, and the sea are just three of Dickens’ many symbols that develop the theme of man’s inhumanity to his fellow man in A Tale of Two Cities. Although Revolutions are not particularly humane in themselves, the individual characters and the majority of the peasantry in this book took inhumane to its extreme. Because the revolutionaries follow their ruthless leader, Madame Defarge, they do not question the humanity or morality of the massacre of the aristocracy. In a Revolution meant to free peasants, peasants should be last on the list of those being murdered, and this injustice should be realized. In the French Revolution as well as A Tale of Two Cities, the oppressed become the oppressors and the main cause behind the revolution is lost.