"Along the Paris streets, the death-carts rumble, hollow and harsh. Six tumbrels carry the day’s wine to La Guillotine. All the devouring and insatiate Monsters imagined since imagination could record itself, are fused in one realization, Guillotine." La Guillotine is the hallmark of the French Revolution. Charles Dickens remarkably portrays the era in his novel, A Tale of Two Cities. He drew upon his own life experiences to write this historical novel. He gained much inspiration from the people around him and the poverty they faced. This prompted him to write the extraordinary historical novel we read today. In his book, Dickens writes about the poor with a compassionate heart while still exposing the horror of La Guillotine. Throughout A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens leaned on his childhood to portray his life’s struggles, the cruel aristocracy, and the oppressed peasantry. …show more content…
He was one of eight children, and his father was sent to debtor’s prison when Charles was only twelve years old. These childhood experiences shaped his life and are reflected in his writing. Dickens went to work at age twelve to support his family. In England, the workers were paid low wages and lived in cramped housing. Dickens felt as if, “he could be easily cast away at such a young age.” (Biography.com). Later, Dickens was able to return to school temporarily, despite the poverty of his childhood. He eventually became a successful writer. “It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, and we had nothing before us” (Dickens, 1). In adulthood he lived a comfortable life yet still held compassion for the poor and their plight to overcome poverty. His sympathy for the poor and resentment of the lavish wealthy became central themes in his