Violence In Charles Dickens A Tale Of Two Cities

Mason Fleischauer

Final Draft

Ms. Slevin, Mr. Hendricks

Regis Collegio

Violence is Not the Answer The environment of England and France in the late 1700s was filled with violent conditions and class struggles which ultimately led to the French Revolution. In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens fills the pages with numerous incidents of violence. There are lots of examples to choose from, but three scenes in particular convey Dickens’s feelings on the use and ill effects of violence in society. Dickens shows us physical abuse, rape, murder and brutal executions. He illustrates the environment of England and France in the late 1700s, and he describes the conditions and class struggles leading up to the French Revolution. In the words of Dickens,

This portion of the novel is filled with brutality, execution and violence, and Dickens uses the La Guillotine to symbolize that violence is the dominating aspect of society. He also wants the reader to sense that violence is causing society to spiral out of control. In Book 3, Chapter 4, we learn that at least eleven hundred defenseless prisoners have also been beheaded. In Book 3, Chapter 13, Dickens tells us that there are fifty-two people waiting for execution by La Guillotine on that given day alone. In the last chapter of the novel, Dickens describes how Carton is led to La Guillotine, how the crowd watches and analyzes his facial expressions and how they exclaim “Twenty-Three” when Carton’s head is held up by the executioner (389). The fact that Carton’s beheading in the final scene was referred to as only a number illustrates how common and widespread violence was for these people. It also drives home Dickens' belief that violence only leads to more violence. As highlighted above, in A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens portrays violence as a method of revenge, as a display of power and as a tool used between and within classes of society. In each instance, the perpetrator of the violence genuinely believes that the violent act will lead to improved conditions and a better society. However, as Dickens narrates the continuing spiral of violence

This portion of the novel is filled with brutality, execution and violence, and Dickens uses the La Guillotine to symbolize that violence is the dominating aspect of society. He also wants the reader to sense that violence is causing society to spiral out of control. In Book 3, Chapter 4, we learn that at least eleven hundred defenseless prisoners have also been beheaded. In Book 3, Chapter 13, Dickens tells us that there are fifty-two people waiting for execution by La Guillotine on that given day alone. In the last chapter of the novel, Dickens describes how Carton is led to La Guillotine, how the crowd watches and analyzes his facial expressions and how they exclaim “Twenty-Three” when Carton’s head is held up by the executioner (389). The fact that Carton’s beheading in the final scene was referred to as only a number illustrates how common and widespread violence was for these people. It also drives home Dickens' belief that violence only leads to more violence. As highlighted above, in A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens portrays violence as a method of revenge, as a display of power and as a tool used between and within classes of society. In each instance, the perpetrator of the violence genuinely believes that the violent act will lead to improved conditions and a better society. However, as Dickens narrates the continuing spiral of violence