The Powerful Women of A Tale of Two Cities

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The Powerful Women of A Tale of Two Cities

Strong women dominate some of the lead roles in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Lucie Manette, Miss Pross, and Madame Defarge are all examples of strong women. Some of these women are physically strong, and some are strong at heart. Some use their strength to help others, and some use their strength to get revenge. In the end, the women who used their strength for good were always victorious.

Lucie Manette is a beautiful young woman with golden hair and blue eyes. She is very kind, compassionate, and sensitive to others. Lucie has many qualities that reveal her strength. When she sees her father for the first time, she is frightened, but eager to love him. She finally is near him and is not afraid, though Mr. Lorry and Mr. Defarge are worried that her father might hurt her. Lucie commands the two men to not come near her and her father. She brings her father back to life, and only she can bring him back when he reverts to being the prisoner that he used to be for eighteen years. When Sydney Carton went to see Lucie one day, he confided with her his deepest feelings. She listened with a warm heart and showed nothing but compassion. When Lucie and Charles Darnay were to be married, Lucie told her father that she would not marry Charles if it would separate her from her father. Lucie had a daughter and then a son. When her son died, Lucie had to be very strong to deal with his death. Because she is strong, she was able to continue life after his death, and lived very happily with her husband and daughter. She was unselfish and was always trying to please others before herself. Miss Pross was similar to Lucie in th...

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...ough both were alike in stature and size, motivation is what separate the two. Madame Defarge's motivation is hate and Miss Pross' motivation is love. Love is always stronger than hate and so Miss Pross defeated Madame Defarge.

Lucie Manette, Miss Pross, and Madame Defarge are three very strong women in this book. The motivation for Lucie Manette and Miss Pross is love, while the motivation for Madame Defarge is hate. Since love always defeats hate, Lucie and Miss Pross live happily ever after. Madame Defarge is defeated, not only by the loss of her life, but also because her revenge was never completed.

Works Cited and Consulted:

Collins, Philip, ed. Dickens: The Critical Heritage. London: Routledge, 1971.

Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. The Oxford Illustrated Dickens. 1949. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1987.

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