"Dickens, Charles - A Tale of Two Cities" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dickens Charles)

Paris. The emotion-charged events serve to make the setting
memorable.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES: THEMES

Some of the main themes of A Tale of Two Cities are listed below.
Notice that some themes form contrasting pairs, forces in conflict.
Dickens never declares outright which force triumphs. You must
decide, weighing the accumulated evidence of the story.

1. RESURRECTION

The idea of being "recalled to life" penetrates every aspect of the
novel. Characters "recalled" from either a symbolic or impending
death include Dr. Manette, Charles Darnay, and, in an ironic way,
Roger Cly. Jerry Cruncher, "resurrection man," brings the dead back
into this world in a grisly way; Lucie Manette, gently restoring her
father's memory, brings the doctor back in a loving way.

In your own reading you may find Sydney Carton the most striking
example of this theme. Dying in order to save Charles Darnay, Carton
becomes the "Resurrection and the Life."

2. SACRIFICE (RENUNCIATION)

If we accept Carton's death as the greatest sacrifice in the novel,
we can't overlook its connection with the theme of resurrection.
Actually, Carton makes a double sacrifice. Long before he gave up
his life, he renounced all claims to Lucie Manette. Would you
consider it a great sacrifice to give up the person who might be your
one chance for worldly happiness?

Other important sacrifices are made by Charles Darnay, Dr. Manette,
and Miss Pross, who loses her hearing for Lucie's sake.

3. FATE

In A Tale of Two Cities the sweep of history and the flow of everyday
life seem beyond individual control. Society's collective excesses,
the greed and selfishness of the French aristocracy, bring about a
revolution. As you read, be alert for correspondences between
individual evil, and cruelty on a large scale. The unjust
imprisonment of Dr. Manette by the St. Evremondes leads directly to
the unjust imprisonment of Charles Darnay by the people. You'll
notice that aristocratic oppression both causes and resembles the
Revolutionary Terror.

4. LIGHT/DARK

The world of the novel seems naturally to divide into the forces of