Ukah 1

Monica Ukah

Ms. Smedberg

English 2 Honors Pd.1

19 May 2010

Life+Death+Rebirth=Existence

It doesnt take a National Spelling Bee Champion to tell you that L-I-F-E spells life. The

small four letter word may not look that impressive on paper, and spelling it wont impress

anyone at dinner parties. Yet these four letters have the power to define who we are and what we

do with ourselves. Life is what makes humans different from hummus, trees different from

tables, and rockstars different from rocks. Though we take it for granted, life is a powerful thing.

However, theres more to life than differentiating animate from inanimate objects. Life is full of

smiles, tears, homework, friendships and joy, but a big part of life includes death and rebirth.

Charles Dickens was no stranger to this concept and in A Tale of Two Cities; he aims to show

that life, death, and rebirth are all connected through the role they play in determining the

direction of Mans journey. To do this, he employs the mastery of three characters, Carton, Dr.

Manette, and Madame Defarge.

Out of the three characters used to show the journey of man, Carton represents death the

most. Sydney Cartons journey is represented through Death by alcoholism and apathy, Life

through love and Lucie, then Rebirth through sacrifice. While his rebirth is noble, the readers

first impression of Sydney Carton isnt a very favorable. From his introduction in the Old Bailey

scene, to his drunken dinner with Darnay, his first acts leave an impression of sloth and

loneliness. Sydney spends the majority of his time in a state of extreme apathy and inaction.

Dickens first words in describing Carton are, [Carton]sat leaning back, with his torn gown
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half off himsomething especially reckless in his demeanorgave him a disreputable look

(Dickens 79). These words sum Carton up at this point of his life. He doesnt live life to the

fullest, and hes pretty much dead. He has no loved ones, no passion for life, and no zest or

happiness to add to his day-to-day existence. If hes not getting drunk, hes sleeping. If hes not

sleeping, then hes working. That kind of existence just isnt living and even Carton admits this.

With heartfelt and sincere sorrow he says, I am like one who died young. All my life might

have been (Dickens156). And he truly is dead, incapable of his own help and his own

happinessand resigning himself to let it eat him away (Dickens95). His self-loathing and

slovenly habits led him to destruction, yet he finds hope and renewal through Lucie. Lucie

injects a fusion of life and emotion into him, and his feelings for her are unlike anything hes

ever felt before. Before Lucie, he would drink to hide his misery and pain, and he had no social

contact besides the abrasive Stryver. After Lucie, he is able to cut back on alcohol and for once

in his life he welcomed into a home. He holds a special place in Lucies family, which earns

boundless appreciation from Carton. This inclusion, acceptance, and familial love is what finally

helps him turn his life around. He says, Miss Manetteyou have reclaimed me if anything

could (Dickens157). His love for Lucie enables him to die for her, her family, and her future.

Lucie gave him life and happiness, and he only finds it fit to return this favor. Sydney Carton is

reborn through sacrificial death. He suffers under the cruel hands of La Guillotine, but

figuratively, he will always live on in the hearts and lives of the grateful family he saved.

Cartons pre-death reflections are calm and peaceful saying, I see the lives for which I lay down

my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happyI see that I hold a sanctuary in their heartsI

see that child who lay upon her bosom and who bore my name, a manmy name is made

illustrious there by the light of his (Dickens 390). Richard Maxwell concludes, He is
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figuratively reborn in the hearts of others as a hero and a martyr. His death hopefully will

culminate in a better society, and his sacrifice lives on after him (Maxwell xxvii).

Another character Dickens uses to show life, death, and rebirth is Dr. Manette. Dickens

shows Dr. Manettes death in the form of a brutal eighteen year period spent in jail with no

human company, rebirth in the form of Lucie, and life in the form of the control of his past

torment. Dr. Manettes death came about early in his life, just as he was getting settled in. Hed

just been newly married when the Everemonde family called him out of his happiness and

sentenced him to prison for attempting to reveal their evils. His jail sentence was like a long,

slow and painful death. Every day spent in captivity killed him a little bit inside both mentally

and physically. Dickens describes his voice saying the faintness of the voice was pitiable and

dreadfulit was the faintness of solitude and disuse. It was like the last feeble echo of a sound

made long and long agoit lost the life and resonance of the human voice (Dickens 42). Poor

Dr. Manette hasnt used in voice in so long, that its a struggle for him to speak. His voice has

atrophied into a shell of what it used to be. Its so weak that like its owner, it doesnt even seem

human anymore. Dr. Manette is barely alive or human at this point with, his body withered and

wornvery bones of it seemed transparent (Dickens 43). Alexander Manette is reborn when

Mr. Lorry and Lucie find him and recall him to life. While at first he has no idea who either of

them is, he gradually comes to recognize Lucie, and with time he recognizes Mr. Lorry as well.

He is able to resume some level of normalcy because of the loving and tender care of his loved

ones, but his past still haunts him and it stops him from fully living his life. Manette is reborn

though, and functioning in society, yet he isnt completely recovered. While preparing to ask Dr.

Manette for Lucies hand in marriage, Darnay muses on the change in the doctor, saying He

was now a very energetic man indeed, with great firmness of purpose, strength of resolution, and
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vigor of action (Dickens 136). Dr. Manettes life isnt perfect, but its better than his fatal time

spent in prison. He is able to even resume his medical practices, and in healing others, he begins

the process of healing himself and taking control of himself. A part of him is always grateful to

Lucie for the role she played in bringing him back to a state of consciousness, but hes ready to

assume a more traditional father role. Hes glad to have that chance when the entire family is

under threat because of their relationship with Darnay. Dr. Manette steps up to the plate and in

doing so, comes full circle and comes to life. He started out as a poor, defenseless, wretched

victim of the aristocracy. Now, hes taking a stand against the tyranny that killed him and held

him imprisoned for eighteen years. This makes him happy and he contemplates on this change

saying, He took the lead and direction, and required them as the weak, to trust to him as the

strong. The preceding relative positions of himself and Lucie were reversed (Dickens 282). Dr.

Manette is finally in a position of strength because hes accepted his past as a prisoner, and uses

it to help out his loved ones by employing his influence to free Darnay from the clutches of the

revolution. Its a nice change to have Lucie crying, relying, and depending on him instead of it

being the other way around. This reversal back to the natural order of a father-daughter

relationship symbolizes the beginning of Dr. Manettes full life again and complete adjustment to

life outside of prison. Dr. Manettes ability to endure adversity is a testament to his strength that

comes from his love for his daughter, Lucie. His tragedies and sufferings are a major point in the

novel, yet he betters himself as a man, father, and role model through his pain.

No doubt one of the cruelest women to ever come to life within the inky pages of a book,

Madame Defarge strikes fear into the hearts of people everywhere. R-U-T-H-L-E-S-S spells

Madame Defarge. While her role in the novel isnt a big one, she is still a principle character

used to illustrate the theme of death, life and resurrection. Her figurative death was the day her
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family and childhood were destroyed by the Evermonde family. The Revolution brings a chance

to exterminate the Evermonde descendants once and for all, figuratively restoring her to life. And

even though she died from a fatal gunshot, she was so entwined with the uprisings and

patriotisms that she will be reborn through the tales of revolutionary violence associated with the

French Revolution. The childhood of Madame Defarge was unhappy and filled with death and

misery, but the hatred she harbors in her heart is the ultimate cause of her childhood death.

While talking to her husband after the second condemnation of Darnay she says, Defarge, that

sister of the mortally wounded boy upon the ground was my sister, that husband was my sisters

husband, that unborn child was their child, that brother was my brother, that father was my

father, those dead are my dead, and that summons to answer for those things descends to me

then tell Wind and Fire where to stop, but dont tell me (Dickens 354). The murder of her

family leaves her feeling embittered and angry, but she lets these poisonous feelings fester deep

inside of her and grow stronger and stronger. These toxic emotions kill her sense of morality and

she becomes blinded with a monomaniac obsession of avenging her family. So obsessed that she

tells her husband not to even waste time trying to calm her down. It would be more productive to

try and stop a hurricane or inferno than to try and stop Madame Defarge. Richard Maxwell

states, Dickens notes that Madame Defarges hatefulness does not reflect any inherent flaw, but

rather results from the oppression and personal tragedy that she has suffered at the hands of the

aristocracy, specifically the Evermondes, to whom Darnay is related by blood, and Lucie by

marriage (Maxwell xxiii). From day one all she wants is the death of Darnay and his family.

She admits that, for other crimes as tyrants and oppressors, I have this race a long time on my

register, doomed to destruction and extermination (Dickens 353). Her tunnel vision attitude

means that she missed out on a lot of her life. She doesnt see anything because shes always
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knitting her register, and her lackluster replies and actions are far from animated. This all

changes when the revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille. While before, she stood

immovable (Dickens 229), but when attacking the governor of the Bastille she, suddenly

animated, she put her foot upon his neck, and with her cruel knifelong and readyhewed off

his head (Dickens 229). This kind of violence is what makes Madame Defarge come to life and

happiness. When attacking Foulon, Instantly Madame Defarges knife was in her girdle

uttering terrific shrieks, and flinging her arms about her head like all the forty Furies at once, was

tearing from house to house, rousing the women (Dickens 232). Madame Defarge is in her

element when surrounded by blood, gore, and action. This is what leads to her being shot by

Mrs. Pross, but even then she is reborn because her memory will live on. No one will miss her,

and the memories of Madame Defarge will be memories of horror instead of love, but years after

the Revolution people will tell of Madame Defarge and her contribution to getting it started.

Life, death, and rebirth are all prevalent in Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities. Yet

all three are also prevalent in real life. While a young man represents life, an old man represents

death, and children and newborns represent rebirth and the hope for us all. Life is a gift that we

must all make good use of, but death and rebirth have lessons to teach as well! Through death we

learn that all things are finite, but through rebirth we learn that all things are limitless in hope and

potential. So does that mean that our entire existence is just a paradox? Perhaps. But Charles

Dickens does a good job of summing it up with, It was the best of times, it was the worst of

times (Dickens 1).