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Character analysis of Sydney Carton
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Sydney Carton, “one of Dickens’s most loved and best-remembered characters” (Stout 29), is not just another two-dimensional character; he seems to fly off the pages and into real life throughout all the trials and tribulations he experiences. He touches many hearts, and he even saves the life of Charles Darnay, a man who looks surprisingly similar to him. In Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities, Sydney Carton is a selfish man of habit, a cynic, a self-loathing drunk, and an incorrigible barrister until he meets Lucie Manette; throughout the novel Sydney is overcome by his noble love for Lucie and transforms from a cynic to a hero as he accomplishes one of the most selfless acts a man can carry out.
The elusive Sydney Carton is depicted as a “man of habit” (Sims 229-220). Because Carton is such a habitual man, it gives his character a sense of stability and, therefore, gives the novel a sense of stability also. Some readers even conclude that Carton’s habitual patterns contribute to him sacrificing his life. When he takes the place of Charles Darnay, he “brings to light the stability and constancy of his character initially occluded by his socially inappropriate or ‘elusive qualities’” (Sims 221).
Sydney Carton views the world through the eyes of a cynic. He presumes that the world is an evil place and that nothing exceptional will ever come of it or of him. This way of thinking goes back all the way to his days at Shrewsbury when Sydney is just a young boy. Sydney is highly uncompetitive by nature; therefore, he is constantly taken advantage of. Even as a schoolboy, he has the habit of allowing others to use him; he always does the exercises for the other boys instead of his own. This habit sticks with him all throughout...
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...ce within himself. Now, he is “the one great heroic character to be found in the works of Charles Dickens” (Petch 28), and just like he envisions, his story will live on forever.
Works Cited
Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. London: Chapman and Hall, 1859.
King, Florence. “Revenge on the Nerd.” National Review 44.15 (1992): 56. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
Petch, Simon. “The Business of the Barrister in A Tale of Two Cities.” Criticism 44.1 (2002):
27. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
Sims, Jennifer S. “Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities.” Explicator 63.4 (2005): 219-222.
Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
Stout, Daniel. “Nothing Personal: The Decapitation of Character in A Tale of Two Cities.” Novel: A Forum on Fiction 41.1 (2007): 29-52. Literary Reference Center. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
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
Some men in A Tale of Two Cities contrast greatly. Sydney Carton is a drunk who works for an unappreciative lawyer. He has no family; he is "a disappointed drudge who cares for no man on earth, and no man cares for him" (75). He is referred to as "the Jackal" who is necessary in society, but not welcomed or wanted (77). Sydney loves Lucie Manette, but he is not ...
The passage, “Carton’s depression”, takes place at the end of Book Two, Chapter 5 in the book A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. While they were talking about their day, Stryver mentions in front of Carton how he is up one minute and down the other minute showing how he has very easy mood changes. This is taking place 5 years after Darnay was on his trial. He was saved by Sydney Carton. This explains Carton’s feelings after the trial. Carton is basically contemplating his life. The main function of the passage is to enhance the depth of Carton’s character as well as how he relates to Darnay. This basically explains his mindset. In the passage “Carton’s Depression”, Charles Dickens is foreshadowing Carton’s actions at the end. However,
Sydney Carton is also shown in the novel to be somewhat immature in his actions
Lipking, Lawrence I, Stephen Greenblatt, and M H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume 1c. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2006. Print.
Greenblatt, Stephen, and M. H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print
...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.
Kalil, Marie. Cliffs notes on Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. Cliff Notes Inc, June 2000
Dickens responded to this "dog-eat-dog" social climate by writing A Tale of Two Cities as a vehicle to reform society. He intends to fortify Christian values within English culture, such as self-sacrifice and kindness, in a time when he feels these values are threatened and sometimes completely overlooked. In this essay, I will show how Dickens interweaves his moral agenda of Christian values into the novel by using contrasts, symbols, and the motif of doubles as well as the evolution of Sydney Carton into a Christ-like figure with the goal of inspiring the reader to the point of evolving into an ethically "good" human being.
Greenblatt, Stephen. The Norton Anthology Of English Literature. 8th. A. W W Norton & Co Inc, 2006.
Sydney Carton is introduced as a pessimistic introvert who struggles with his id and superego. Although Carton’s past is never revealed in the novel, a traumatic event clearly haunts Carton and prevents him from leading a pleasant life. According to Sigmund Freud, “the memories and emotions associated with trauma” are stored in the subconscious mind because an individual cannot bear to look at these memories (Dever 202). One part of the subconscious mind is the id, or “basic desires”, of a human being (Baker 4). Carton desires to drink as a way to detach from his past, and because of his lack of emotional strength, he allows his id to take over and Carton becomes an alcoholic. Based on Carl Jung’s ideas, Carton is considered an introvert because he is described as the “idlest” of all men and is viewed by society as a worthless drunk (Dickens 91). This displays Carton’s struggle with another element of the subcon...
At the beginning of the novel, Sydney Carton presents himself as a drunken attorney. When Carton converses with Charles Darnay, Dickens presents Carton as a drunk, "Carton, who smelt of port wine, and did not appear to be quite sober" (89). Carton appears constantly drunk at the beginning of the novel. Also, Carton has no sense of self-worth. When Carton drinks at the Bar with Mr. Stryver, Stryver describes him as, "[Y]our way is, and always was, a lame way. You summon no energy and purpose" (95). Dickens, also describes Carton as, "Sydney Carton, idlest and most unpromising of men" (92). As most people believe, Carton feels that he himself has no purpose. He agrees with the way other people feel about him and takes no initiative.
The character who goes through moral conversion to the greatest extent is Sydney Carton. Sydney is a frustrated alcoholic who does not really seem to care too much about life, because life for him has not been too good. His moral conversion begins the first time his eyes see Lucie Manette, the beautiful young daughter of Dr. Alexander Manette. This occurs during the first trial of Charles
He was first described at Darnay’s trial as slouching and not paying attention. He is seen as a drunk who has many personal issues. Carton feels that there is no hope for him, and that his life will never improve. He has much more potential and could be so much more in life, yet he chooses to remain in the shadow of others. Sydney has a dramatic life and is an alcoholic who sees nothing positive in himself.
Abrams, M.H., ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 1993.