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Round Characters In A Tale Of Two Cities

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Recommended: Critical analysis of a TALE OF TWO CITIES

The development of complex, round characters is a vital part of any story. Characters that are diverse, elaborate, and intricate are essential in making a story more interesting and enjoyable to the reader. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is an example of a fantastic novel that lacks this particular element. Though Dickens is often praised for writing a memorable novel that explores the injustices of the French Revolution while also establishing several underlying themes through the use of literary devices, he is validly criticized for the absence of character development in the central characters of the novel. Charles Darnay, Lucie Manette, and Madame Defarge are three such characters who do not undergo any change throughout the course …show more content…

In her case, she is unrealistically evil. First, Madame Defarge lacks sympathy. When Lucie begs for Madame Defarge to show mercy and compassion towards Darnay, Madame Defarge coldly responds, “Is it likely that the trouble of one wife and mother would be much to us now?” (Dickens 249). Madame Defarge completely dismisses Lucie, denoting her utter lack of sensitivity towards anyone associated with her enemies and making it clear that she only feels hatred and animosity towards them. In addition, Madame Defarge harbors intense feelings of vengeance towards the aristocrats, especially the Evrémondes. Madame Defarge confesses, “I was brought up among the fishermen of the seashore, and that peasant family so injured by the two Evrémonde brothers, is my family,” revealing her reasoning for the collective guilt she forces onto Darnay and his family (Dickens 313). Her vengeance fuels the revolution. She feels that she must execute all aristocrats, especially the remaining descendants of the Evrémondes, even though they had nothing to do with the horrible deeds the Evrémonde brothers had committed. Furthermore, Madame Defarge is excessively bloodthirsty. When her husband wonders when she will stop the revolution, she replies, “At extermination,” referring to the mass execution of the aristocratic class (Dickens 312). This ruthless and savage ambition to …show more content…

Charles Darnay, Lucie Manette, and Madame Defarge are clear examples of this: Charles is the archetypal hero who embodies virtue and morality, Lucie is a divine woman who is the epitome of love, grace, and purity, and Madame Defarge is a vengeful and brutal revolutionary who symbolizes the chaos of the French Revolution. This major flaw that is present throughout the book is a key to comprehending that even literary works that are considered “classics” can be

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In the novel “A Tale of Two Cities” written by Charles Dickens, we find that several characters have strong ideals and are driven to take the path that they do. Dickens gives credible motivation to each of his characters to explain why the characters are doing the thing that they are. Two characters with exceptionally strong drive throughout the story are Miss Pross and Madame Defarge. Miss Pross is a symbol of love in the story and we find that all of her love and dedication is driven by Lucie. On the contrary, Madame Defarge is a symbol of hate and that is derived from the horrendous things that the Evrémonde brothers had committed to her family.

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Imagine going on social media and seeing two pictures, one of Hitler and one of Donald Trump. The viewer would then have to compare the images. Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is a novel that focuses on the events in France and England, more the French Revolution. In the book, it focuses at one point on two specific characters, Carton and Stryver. Charles Dickens uses imagery to describe them and imply things about the two men.

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In The Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, the French Revolution is painted in contrasting shades of light and dark. Light represents the good in characters and the overall setting, while darkness is used to convey the increasing malice in France during the French revolution. As the novel continues, the darker elements of the book begin to show themselves in the main protagonists. The French revolution brings about “circumstantial darkness”, affecting the mentalities and behaviors of the participating characters to take drastic measures to protect themselves and the ones they love. The revolution affects Dr. Manette, Madame Defarge and Carton’s psyche, highlighting their inner “darkness”.

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In the novel Charles Dickens uses the repetitions of the motifs light and darkness to show the duality of the two characters Lucie Manette Darnay and Madame Defarge.

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