Jeremy Keeshin

A Tale of Two Cities – Character Examination: Jerry Cruncher

In A Tale of Two Cities the character Jerry (fully Jeremiah) Cruncher is a

multidimensional tradesman, honest to some, but truly not, as well as a conscientious

father and self-conscious individual. He is first introduced to the reader in the second

chapter entitled The Mail. He is a messenger who is delivering a note to the banker from

Tellson’s named Jarvis Lorry. The first line we hear uttered by Jerry is, “Is that the Dover

mail?” (Dickens 6). This doesn’t really give us insight into Jerry’s character, but the next

chapter does. In chapter 3 called The Night Shadows we learn of Jerry’s physical

appearance, described as “raggedly bald, he had stiff, black hair, standing jaggedly all

over it, and growing downhill almost to his broad, blunt nose” (Dickens 10). Later his

spiky hair is emphasized by the next passage saying “that the best players at leap-frog

might have declined him, as the most dangerous man in the world to go over” (Dickens

10). He appears to have a striking character, or at least in his hair.

An interesting attribute of the specimen Jerry Cruncher is that he talks to himself.

He condemns himself for attempting to drink in chapter 3. As he says, “No Jerry, no!”

(Dickens 10). He seems, at this juncture, not the smartest person ever; in the way he is so

bewildered by this message that he delivered. He has an interesting way of thinking out

loud to himself. We learn much more about his character later in chapter 14 called The

Honest Tradesman. In a chapter dedicated solely to him, we learn into his other

occupation and his family life. In his further dialogue with his son we see that he has

some speech impediment or something of the sort because he talks with a different

manner. As he says, “What d’ye mean? What are you hooroaring at? What do you want to
 Jeremy Keeshin

conwey to your own father, you young Rip? This boy is getting too many for me!”

(Dickens 139). We see he at least talks with a different style than that of the norm.

The most fascinating part of his character, however, is the fact that he is a

“fisherman,” or more accurately titled, a resurrection-man; one who digs up bodies to sell

to scientists. This is the reason that his boots are clean at night, but then dirty again in the

morning. In his “fishing” line of work, he “opened a locked cupboard, and brought forth a

sack, a crowbar of convenient size, a rope and chain, and other fishing tackle of that

nature” (Dickens 144). The tools that he uses in this job suggest that it is shady. We learn

more from his son also in the fact that he followed him. This shows that his son wanted to

be like him. As the son asks, “May I go with you, father?” (Dickens 143). The denied

response leads him into following and later into questioning and aspiring to be a

resurrection-man. His quarrel with his wife also shows more into his character as how he

is trying to get by. Jerry Cruncher is definitely an intriguing character because of the

many facets of his work and the many components of his personality.