Sydney Carton was transformed from a scoundrel to a hero.

He was an illmannered, arrogant alcoholic who had an immature outlook on life. His love for Lucie served as a turning point in his life. He became a man worthy of life through his actions and his concern for the feelings of others. It is rare for a man to go from sinner to saint and that is partially what makes Sydney Carton such an interesting character. When the reader is first introduced to Carton he is a lazy, self-centered alcoholic who has no interest in anything. He is intelligent (as is exampled by his work with Mr. Stryver) and attractive yet he walks through life like a lost puppy, living the lives of other people. He belittles his own actions and life simply because he believes that he deserves to be unhappy. Carton spends his days drinking, most likely to the point of passing out, and uses his habit as a way to escape from his miserable life. In short he has very few redeeming qualities in the beginning of the novel. A decisive moment in the development of Sydney Carton is when he realizes that he loves Lucie Manette. Though he is in love with her, his actions negate his feelings and he acts like a middle schooler with a crush, awkward and somewhat rude. Carton lives in his head and Lucie has become an important part of his imaginary world. While he may not be the life of the party, he is entirely devoted to the things or people he cares about. His love for Lucie is ultimately his demise yet contradictorily it is the one thing that saves Darnay from death and Lucie from the pain of heartbreak. When Carton professes his love to Lucie, he tells her ...there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you, in the end it is this promise that leads him to the guillotine. It is mentioned several times that he thinks his life worthless, squandered away by years of drinking and indifference. His physical similarities with Darnay enable him to do something that no one else can, save an innocent man from being executed. He dies for Darnay because he believes that it is the only thing that can make his life significant. Though he had selfish reasons, his actions were nothing but honorable. The personal growth that occurs within Sydney Carton is astounding. He was once an haughty, frustrated drunk who did not even value his own life. His love for Lucie, whether real or simply an illusion, contributed to his transformation of self. Both his devotion to Lucie and his ever present self-deprecation lead him to make the most courageous decision he had ever faced. Sydney Carton goes from a man no one could care for, to an honorable man who finally finds peace through death.