Character Analysis in A Tale of Two Cities

The narrator’s character continues to take shape in chapter 3. He/she reflects upon the secrets most people keep from one another, even closest confidantes, so we all remain strangers. People take their secrets to the grave, so there is no way to truly know a person (even, as the narrator laments, “the darling” of his soul) before they die.

Jarvis Lorry likens Dr. Alexandre Manette's eighteen-year imprisonment in La Bastille to being in a grave. Dr. Manette's release into the world is like being brought back to life, and Jarvis worries about how he will handle his newfound freedom after so many years in a dungeon.

Lucie Manette is the ideal pre-Victorian woman. Her physical characteristics—"short light, pretty figure” and “blue eyes"—and submissive dutifulness model the ideal feminine behavior of this time.

The young Cruncher, though apparently like his father in many ways, has become suspicious of Jerry’s inexplicably rusty hands. Though we know little about Jerry’s other work (other than that he digs up bodies), the rust suggests that Jerry is not the honest tradesmen he professes to be.

Judas, one of the thirteen disciples, betrayed Jesus Christ to Pontius Pilate for thirty pieces of silver. The comparison between Barsad and Judas demonstrate that Barsad is not the "unimpeachable patriot" he claims to be.

Dickens often uses red wine to symbolize blood and revolutionary sentiment—specifically the growing public outrage that would initiate the French Revolution in 1789. As we shall see, Sydney Carton becomes increasingly dissatisfied with his lot in life. His penchant for wine suggests that he may be capable of violence.

Sydney and Charles are initially foils for each other: Sydney's drunken laziness highlights Charles' honor and hard work. Because of this, however, Sydney hates Charles. Charles is always a reminder of what Sydney could have been (and accomplished) if he'd applied himself.

Jackals—small, nocturnal, and opportunistic scavengers—appear frequently as a symbol throughout the novel. Victorians often associate jackals to hard labor with little payoff because they hide their prey in order to hide it from large predators. Sydney Carton is akin to a jackal who performs tedious, laborious tasks for Mr. Stryver, the larger predator.

The Marquis indicates that upper-class power relies on the oppression of the lower classes. Therefore, the Marquis is not concerned that—as his nephew, Charles Darnay, worries—his family name “‘is more detested than any name in France’”; the hatred of the peasants simply affirms his family’s status.

The Marquis’s furniture dates back to the reign of King Louis XIV, somewhere between 1643 and 1715. The outdatedness of the Marquis’s furniture suggests not only his resistance to progress but also the prestige of his family name.

A “flambeau” is a flaming torch. Dickens repeatedly mentions flambeaux (the plural form) in his description of the Marquis’s chateau. The image of a flaming torch, along with the formidable stone architecture of the building, suggests historical regression and cruelty—two key characteristics of the Marquis himself.

Recollection (especially recalling “to life”) is an important theme in A Tale of Two Cities. In this case, Dr. Manette begs Charles Darnay to not disclose his true identity because it will “recall” memories that might trigger the resurrection of Dr. Manette’s trauma-induced amnesia.

Charles Darnay’s love for Lucie Manette is “disinterested” because it is genuine and disconnected from self-serving motivations. As we shall see, Charles’s authentic affection for Lucie is meant to be contrasted with the attentions of a potentially less-suitable man.

A “bumper” is a glass or cup filled to the brim—in this case, with alcoholic punch. Sydney Carton, who is inclined to use alcohol to cope with depression and disappointment, is clearly distressed by Mr. Stryver’s intentions to propose to Lucie Manette.

Ostentatious behavior is pretentious or ingenuine, with the purpose of pleasing or manipulating another person. Mr. Stryver is frequently ostentatious; in this case, he is being friendly towards Sydney Carton in order to prepare him for a potentially unpleasant “disclosure.”

The adjective “incorrigible” means incapable of change or improvement. Sydney Carton believes that his character—and therefore his lot in life—is unable to be reformed.

Identity transformation is an important theme in A Tale of Two Cities. Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, who closely resemble one another, are dissatisfied with their lots in life. Charles rejects his identity as an aristocrat by changing his name from Evremonde to Darnay, whereas Sydney wants (though without action) to be successful instead of lazy and immoral.

A “profligate” is a corrupt and promiscuous person. Sydney Carton believes that his immorality transcends redemption—he is incapable of change and therefore unworthy of Lucie’s affection.

Mr. Stryver’s ego is particularly fragile. He is offended that Lucie does not want to marry him. However, rather than acknowledge her rejection, he claims that he decided not to marry after all.

Though Sydney has been in love with Lucie since they met at Charles's trial (and though he came to hate Charles), he has finally come to accept the inevitable—that Lucie would never choose an alcoholic lout like Sydney. However, Sydney doesn't want to cut the couple out of his life; he wishes to continue a genuine friendship, though he has no intention of changing otherwise. He offers himself as a sort of sacrifice to Lucie, telling her that he will do anything for her or anyone she loves—as long as she remembers him as selfless and loyal.

Dickens compares Jerry Cruncher to Charon, the ferryman of Hades who newly-deceased souls across the rivers Styx and Acheron to Hades in the Underworld. Charon required payment for passage, so some bodies were buried with a coin in their eyes or on their mouths. Jerry Cruncher, who digs up corpses to sell, also makes a profit from the dead.

Madame Defarge wants to add Mr. Barsad’s name to her knitted “register,” or the coded list of people to be executed once the revolution begins. Madame Defarge’s “cool business air” can be likened to Jarvis Lorry’s staunch pragmatism. However, as we shall see, Madame Defarge seems to lack Mr. Lorry’s kindheartedness and empathy.

Lucie Manette's character serves as a symbol for redemption and liberation, although she is not the exact replica her father imagined. Later in the novel, she restores Dr. Manette's sanity and unites the family.

The noun “revulsion” here likely means to either abruptly change one’s response to a situation or to withdraw. Dr. Manette is both responding erratically and withdrawing in response to learning Charles Darnay’s true identity.

Dickens repeatedly distinguishes between “‘folks of business,’” clear-headed and pragmatic but unemotional, and people who are carried away by excess emotion. However, neither extreme yields positive results: Madame Defarge lacks feeling entirely, and the blood-thirsty revolutionaries commit violence on a whim (no clear-headedness).

Dr. Manette’s dramatic “‘revival,’” which today might be classified as a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder, is another indication of Dickens’s opposition to solitary confinement. Furthermore, it is significant that the otherwise-brilliant physician transforms into a confused shoemaker when his traumatic past is recalled. Dr. Manette’s shoemaking implies that imprisonment (as it existed in 18th-century Western Europe) undermines the Enlightenment ideals of rational thought, innovation, and social progress.

Mr. Lorry repeatedly presents himself as a pragmatic, business-minded individual incapable of being distracted by feelings or relationships. In reality, however, he clearly cares a great deal for the Manettes and appears to be significantly distressed by Dr. Manette’s latest “‘relapse.’”

In this context, “magnanimous” refers to courageousness, nobility, and loftiness of character. Lucie Manette is not convinced that Sydney Carton is an inherently bad person; she believes he must be reformed, or figuratively “resurrected.”

A “dissolute” person is disreputable, immoral, and lacks integrity. Sydney Carton is committed to his identity as a “‘dissolute dog’” and seems unconvinced that he might be capable of change.

The narrator’s classification of Charles Darnay’s contrived obliviousness as “natural” is sarcastic. However, Charles’s politeness—which derives from “good-humour” and “good-fellowship”—is entirely genuine. He does not wish to embarrass Sydney Carton (or himself) by admitting any recollection of Sydney’s drunken behavior.

The verb “to predominate” means to exercise remarkable influence or control over a situation or person. Lucie’s nurturing influence, however, is “predominate nowhere”; she weaves her symbolic “golden thread” without apparent exertion.

Dickens suggests that Lucie (the “Golden Thread”) figuratively knits her family into a close, nurturing community. Lucie’s figurative knitting can be contrasted with Madame Defarge’s literal knitting of people’s names into her register. Both women “knit” in secret: Lucie passively exerts her quiet influence, and Madame Defarge knits in a code that only she can understand.

It is highly unlikely that the wife of a “starved grocer” would be fat. Dickens suggests that The Vengeance, though appearing to fight on behalf of the impoverished peasants, is as selfish and corrupt as the French aristocrats.

Dickens's use of punctuation mimics Darnay's pacing and racing thoughts. The punctuation suggests that his sanity is slowly deteriorating, similarly to Dr. Manette's during his time in the Bastille.

Mr. Lorry assumes that Madame Defarge intends to identify Lucie and her daughter in order to protect them from the violent revolutionaries. However, it is possible that she wishes to evaluate Lucie’s loyalty to the French Republic. It is illegal to mourn the punishment of a prisoner, so Lucie would be judged an enemy of the republic if she appears concerned about her husband.

Dickens is likely engaging in wordplay by using the noun “trust” here. Mr. Lorry, a strict man of business, often acts as a trustee for his clients. (He manages assets on behalf of a third party beneficiary.) His relationship with Tellson’s Bank resembles that between a trustee and a beneficiary; therefore, it is crucial that he avoid endangering the Bank by allowing Lucie and her daughter to stay under its roof.

If Miss Pross and Jerry Cruncher purchase all of their goods in one shop, they will give the impression that the Manettes/Darnays are privileged—therefore associating them with the greed and corruption that provoked the peasants in the first place. They avoid this association by spreading out their shopping among multiple shops.

Mr. Barsad is an enemy to the republic in two ways: he spies on behalf of the French government and was formerly an English spy (and therefore “the enemy of France and freedom”). He will certainly be executed if Sydney Carton reveals his identity.

Sydney views his sacrifice as a sort of double resurrection: he will resurrect Charles from certain death while redeeming himself of his flaws. Sacrificing his life for Lucie's happiness is the only form of love Sydney can offer: he doesn't think he can be resurrected during his lifetime through reformation, so he opts for dying in the name of honor and loyalty.

Sydney Carton expects a degree of redemption (and figurative resurrection) from the great sacrifice he plans to make for Lucie and her daughter. His impending sacrifice will involve a dual resurrection: his soul and Charles Darnay’s life.

Sydney Carton wants to ensure that the Defarges (and, by extension, the revolutionaries in charge of allowing people to enter and exit through Paris’s checkpoints) know that he and Charles Darnay are identical. Otherwise, Charles Darnay will not be able to escape even after Sydney Carton changes places with him.

The noun “cravat” refers to a dressy woolen or silk cloth tie. Sydney Carton attempts to make himself presentable and switch places with Charles Darnay by adjusting his "loose cravat."

Sydney imagines Lucie having another child and naming it (if it's a boy) after Sydney because of his heroic sacrifice. Sydney has finally found a purpose for himself: trading places with Charles at the guillotine not only saves Charles's life, but also Sydney's life. Sacrificial death is his redemption from the sins of intemperance and laziness.

Sydney Carton imagines a resurrection for himself in heaven and in the form of Lucie’s son. His sacrifice will place him in an honored position in the Manette family and erase his legacy as Mr. Stryver’s “jackal.”