Theme+Analysis

=**__Love, sacrifice and resurrection__**=

Notes on Theme

 * == Characters that go through resurrection: Manette, Darnay, Carton, Cruncher ==
 * == Lucie is a symbol for pure goodness-"golden hair" "blue eyes" ==
 * ==love cannot exist without hate/darkness in the world==
 * ==constant duality between themes-love/hate, forgiveness/grudge, mercy/vengeance, revenge/justification, death/resurrection==

=Theme Statement:= Dickens juxtaposes his characters to symbolize reoccurring themes in his novel such as the price of sacrifice, love and resurrections. His use of light vs darkness, doubles, and imprisonment as motifs throughout A Tale of Two Cities. He states his belief of personal resurrection on a social and mental level. Many of his characters become "transformed". For example, Doctor Manette is recalled to life after being imprisoned for 18 years. At first he isn't able to overcome the struggles he faced at La Bastille, but through Lucie's love and tender care, he is able return to the world. Carton, who is at first a drunk, lazy joker, turns into the angel of resurrection at the end of the novel. He sacrifices his own life for his love of Lucie to save Lucie and her family. Even though he rivals Darnay, his opposite of the novel, he still switches fates with him as he turns into a compassionate and brave man. Although Darnay represents an archetypal hero, Carton represents the more relatable, sympathetic sweet-heart who saves the day. Even one of the most trivial characters, Jerry Cruncher, who brings comic relief to the novel, is able to undergo a transformation when he vows to be a better husband and to let his wife pray. Dickens also commonly uses the shadow and light to reveal the mood and tone of the chapter. Madame Defarge is often accompanied by darkness whereas Lucie always brings a small bright light to her surroundings. However, Madame Defarge's shadow overwhelms Lucie's, symbolizing that good and evil are equally balanced in this story, and sometimes the dark will prevail. Most of his characters also undergo a type of imprisonment whether it be physical or mental. Manette and Darnay both were physically jailed for years, however, Carton feels imprisoned through his attitude and personality. Dickens implies that sacrifice is key to achieve happiness since it is the selfless acts that contribute good to the world. He also elaborates on the consequence of vengeance without reason. When Madame Defarge sought after Lucie, the pure model of kindness, she dies from her own gun. Eventually the evil will fail, and the good will pull through. Just like the relatively happy ending of his novel, Dickens reinstates his belief that there must be a happy ending.