Tale Of Two Cities Mob Analysis

In A Tale of Two Cities, the peasants frequently join forces in attempts to overthrow their oppressive government and remove the cruel nobility from power. From the storming of the Bastille to the final trial of Darnay, masses of revolutionary commoners arrive to incite wanted change. Often, these groups have a leader that rallies the peasants and leads them towards the fight. This leader, however, can lead the mob to goals that are completely different from its initial goal. A lust for blood and revolution can sweep over the mob because of the corrupted leader, blinding them from their primary objectives. This violent depiction of the mob mentality shows how people in masses tend to lose sight of their true intentions and begin to blindly follow orders.

A mob grew, led by Madam Defarge, to exact revenge on the aristocrat. Defarge rallied the peasants before the raid, fueling the initial small amount of anger in the mob to a wildfire of emotion. The mob rushed through the gates and began to ravage the Bastille, calling all oppressed peasants to join the cause. This rampage, however, turned into a “blind frenzy” (232). The people of the mob lost sight of their true goal, to kill Foulon, and started to turn their violence towards their “own friends” (232). The intentions of the mob were never to harm or kill their own revolutionaries, but to exact revenge on Foulon; however, once the killing began, the blood blinded the peasants and they lost track of their objectives. This frenzy shows how the mob mentality is detrimental in provoking change. While attempting to revolutionize, the peasants begin to blindly follow orders from Madam Defarge which greatly promote violence and aggression. Ultimately, this will harm the cause more than it will progress