Have you ever wondered what real corruption looks like in the government? Wonder no more! With the novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, corruption is explored as you follow the characters Madame and Monsieur Defarge, along with Lucy Manette and her father. You will find this corruption within the French aristocracy, in characters, and in the Revolutionary justice system.
The French aristocracy was very well known for being extremely corrupted. The King could do whatever he wanted—he had all the say, essentially. Aristocrats and nobles could spend money the government didn’t have on lavish clothing, jewelry, parties, etc. Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France and the wife of King Louis XV, was called Madame Déficit for this very reason. France plummeted into debt
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If they suspect someone is guilty of something “wrong”, the person will go on Madame Defarge’s register. Her register is a list of people who had, in some way, committed treason against the Revolutionaries and are to be executed via guillotine. Very often, the evidence of someone committing “treason” is spread by word of mouth and nothing else.
The revolutionary “justice” system is becoming the exact thing it is fighting against—a corrupted government. The guillotine is being used as a mental torture device for everyone. There is a constant fear in France—if someone says something just slightly out of line or not in the exact perfect tone, they will be executed. The trials of this system are set up so that the defendant cannot win. People can be accused, tried, and executed with little to no evidence.
In conclusion, corruption plays a very large part in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. The French started to revolt due to the corruption they dealt with, yet so many people became exactly what they feared—a small group of people with all the say, and nothing good being done for the