Christian Symbology In A Tale Of Two Cities

Christian Symbology in A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities is about London and Paris during the French Revolution. Dickens himself was born to Anglican parents and throughout his childhood was said to have attended services at a Baptist church. Charles Dickens uses Christian themes from his upbringing and knowledge about Christianity to explain his political viewpoint of the French Revolution in the novel. Charles Dickens used Christian symbology to illustrate Sydney Carton’s death and resurrection in Paris, Hell, in comparison to London as Heaven.
Dickens used Paris and London as symbols of Hell and Heaven. Chapter One began comparing the monarchies of France and England, “There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the throne of

It was an old-fashioned place, moreover, in the moral attribute that the partners in the House were proud of its smallness, proud of its darkness, proud of its ugliness, proud of its incommodiousness” (Dickens 2). Tellson’s Bank exemplified England because, despite what had happened there, such as the bank hanging debtors, it was well respected and had stood the test of time. The bank crafted noble employees like Jarvis Lorry, who helped lead Lucie Manette to her father. This can be compared to England as a whole because England is a long time respected world power, even though they have made mistakes in the past. Tellson’s Bank was representative of England as Heaven because people make mistakes, but the Bible proclaims “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7-2:2). We can repent our sins and still go to