A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
A. Beginning
1. Exposition
Dr. Manatte was a physician, a member of Telsons bank. He had spent eighteen years in
Bastille (a prison in French). Because of that, he was mad and prematurely aged and his
activities were only cobbling shoes.
Dr. Manatte had a daughter named Lucy who was seventeen years old, pretty; blonde,
young woman an she has a golden hair. She had traveled with Mr. Jervis Lorry to look for
Lucys father after he had been imprisoned for eighteen years. Mr. Jervis lorry was sent by his
firm Telsons bank, in a confidential mission to Paris, his object was to find Dr. Alexander
Manatte. Jervis Lorry was sixty was still looked young.
Charles Darnay was one of French nobleman, prisoner and young man of about twenty-
five years old and he was tall. He earned a living as a tutor and courts. He had married Lucie
after a long competition with Sydney Carton (Darnays friend) and Sydney cartoon was a
lawyer in the court. Darnay was put on a trial a number of times because of his family.
2. Initial Conflict
When Lorry was an agent of Telsons bank, he had traveled from England to French to
find Dr. Alexander Manatte. On the way of his journey, every one whom he met was
suspicious people, exactly people in the coach that he had already gotten in, because on that
time the condition in both England and French were very frightening. It was an age when
even cities people might easily being robbed and killed by villains. After arriving at Dover ( a
city of England near to the beach ) Lorry waited for Lucie whom he had already sent message
for. Then, they continued to French to go to Earnest Devarges house. Earnest Devarge was
the owner of the wine shop in Saint Antonio that was miserable district of Paris. There Dr.
Manatte was saved after he had gotten out from the Bastille. Lucie and Lorry met Dr. Manatte
in the second floor. Lucy had fainted when she had seen her father was cobbling shoes.
Finally they induced
3. Rising Conflict
Five years later, Dr. Manatte, Lucie and Lorry were called to French to witness the aftermath
of a crime committed by two noblemen. The man of defendant was Darnay, and Dr. Manatte
also attempted to report the incident to the royal court. When the witness couldnt identify
Darnay clearly because of his likeness to Sydney Cartoon, so Darnay was acquitted.
Darnay and Cartoon enamored to Lucy. Then both of them said to Lucy and her father about
their feeling, and the lucky man was Darnay. Lucie and Darnay were married. After they got
married, Dr. Manatte floured up from his illness because he worried that Lucie would divide
her attention. Lorry knew about that condition, recently he called Lucie and her husband to go
back to her fathers house. Finally, Lucie could rescue her father that her love for Charles
Darnay wouldnt alter her love to her father.
B. Middle
1. Complication
In French 1789 people started to revolt, storming the Bastille, burning Chateaux, and
murdering or imprisoning the member of former regime. With the French revolution in full
fury and after eleven years of happy married and the births of Darnay daughter, Darnay
remembered his family in French and he decided to return to his native country. Without
telling to his wife he left to French. There he immediately seized and jailed as an enemy of
the state.
Lucie, Dr. Manete and her daughter arrived in Paris soon, they hoped to assist Darnay
if they can. When darnays trial finally came up Dr. Manatte could score his acquittal.
2. Suspense
Lucie was very pretty woman. Everyone who had met her would interest with her.
And the reader question is who can conquer her heart?
c. Climax
Unexpectedly, Darnay was rearrested in the someday because of madam Defarge, a
leading revolutions that went to exterminate the entire Evrymondes family for personal
reason. Finally, Darnay was tried, gotten punishment and sentenced to death by Tribunal.
This condition made Dr. Mannate relapsed from his old demented.
d. End
Sydney Carton has known Lucie and her family condition from Lorry, so he
immediately arrived at Paris and learned of Darnay new trial and impending exception.
Carton told to lorry to have carriage prepared an hour before the execution. Then he
entered to Darnay cell through spy and informer. He dragged Darnay and changed places.
And under Mr. Lorry protection, Darnay, his wife, his child, Dr. Manatte successfully
escaped from French while Carton when to guillotine, he sacrifices himself for pure love
for Lucie Darnay, and for renewing the condition of cruelty state toward society to a
wealthy nation and society.
CHAPTER II
CHARACTER ANALYSIS OF A TALE OF TWO CITIES
A. PROTAGONIST
1. Dr. Alexander Manette
He was Lucies father, a prisoner for nearly eight years in the bastille because he has
witnessed the aftermath of a crime committed by two noblemen, the Evrymondes, and has
attempted to report the incident to the court. He gradually recovers from his imprisonment
with the aid of his daughter and later tries to pay back by rescuing her husband, Charles
Darnay from the guillotine. It seems that Dr. Manatte has been made a folk hero from French
revolution.
2. Lucie Manatte
She was pretty, blonde young woman who has a compassionate nature and power to
inspire a great love and loyalty in others. Lucie only learns of her father existence at
seventeen. When she summoned to rescue him with Mr. Lorry, then she get married Charles
Darnay. Finally, when her beloved husband seized and wanted to be executed to guillotine,
she together with her father and Mr. Lorry tried to assist Darnay from the prison.
3. Jarvis Lorry
He has paratactic role. He takes Lucie as an infant in England, rescues her father from
French and aids to escape of his friend French revolution. He was a bachelor and an elderly
man of business. He still has a great natural affection. He always befriends the Manettes
whom he performs many valuable services.
4. Sidney Carton
He is Darnays double and alter ego, a frustrated alcoholic. He analyses cases for the
lawyer who makes fortune picking in his brains. The only noble part of his live is his caste
love for Lucie. We tend to assume that a mature man would havent forgotten about Lucie
when she married Darnay and would have found someone else, but Carton insists on loving
Lucie till has sacrifices himself to save his friend to the guillotine because of the devotion to
Lucie. He is the culture- hero who ritually slaughtered of his own free, so the society might
renew it, a prospect of his envision before he dies.
5. Charles Darnay
He is French nobleman in England. He rejects his father and everything the
Evrymonde stand for, moves to England and Anglicizes his mothers name and Renounces
his family inheritance. He earns living as a tutor and court and marries Lucie Manette. He is
put on trial a number of times because he is considered as en enemy of the state motivated
by family honor and desire to expiate his family crime. He keeps being imprisoned from
which he must be rescued.
6. Ernest
He was a Dr. Manette as a boy and he seems to have filial reverence for him during
the revolution. As a revolutionary leader Defarge generally follows his wife, but he wants to
spare the doctor and Lucie and her daughter.
B. ANTAGONIST
1. Marquis ST Evrymonde
He is Darnays wicked uncle, a predatory aristocrat who is murdered by revolutionist.
He is the cause of Madam Defarges family tragedy and of doctor Manates long
imprisonment. His concept honor consists of getting what you want regardless of the
consequences. But he has no influence at court and viciously frustrated.
2. Madam Defarge
She is the wife of Ernest Defarge, a fierce, vindictive woman. Because her entire
family perished when she was young girl, Madam Defarge wants revenge not merely on the
family that caused the evil but on the entire class from which it comes. What makes her such
a threatening figure is her stubborn patience, which bides its time until it can strike. In this
she is like such natural force and when the opportunity arrives, she is ferocious an
unrelenting.
Her secret management of Darnays re-arrested is cunning, but it shows immense
cruelty as well. In seeking to avenge her family she acquired some the trait of the man who
did that wrong. Her knitting represents both her patience and her urge to retaliate since the
knits the names of her intended victims.
3. Monseigneur the marquis
He is a greedy, mercenary France aristocrat whose goods and property are confiscated
during the revolution.
C. Mayor Character
1. Dr. Alexander Manette
2. Lucie Manatte
3. Jarvis Lorry
4. Sidney Carton
5. Charles Darnay
6. Ernest Defarge
7. Madam Defarge
8. Marquis ST Evrymonde
D. Minor Character
1. Jacques one, two, three, and four
They are secret society of revolutionaries who plan and precipitate the French
Revolution.
2. Jeremy (Jerry) Cruncher
He was the porter at Telson and Jarvis Lorrys errand-man, a rough, surely, comic
figure who is secretly a body-snatcher.
3. Mrs. Cruncher
Shes Jerrys wife, a pious woman who is frequently beaten by her husband for
praying.
4. Young Jerry Cruncher
He was the son of Jerry Cruncher
5. Roger Cly
He is a police spy in English who also informs against Darnay and who becomes a
prison in revolutionary France.
6. John Barsad
Hes a police spy in England who also informs against Darnay and who becomes a prison
spy in revolutionary France.
7. Gabelle
He is the steward of Everemondes and a local tax collector who is imprisoned and released
during the revolution.
8. Gaspard
He is the assassin of Marquist St. Everemonde after the marquis run his child down
9. Young Lucy Darnay
She is the child of Lucy and Charles Darnay
10. Foulond
He is an arrogant aristocrat who is hanged after the storming of the Bastille.
11. A Seamstress
She is a pathetic pas young woman who was sentenced to be executrd with Darnay.
12. Road-Mender
He is a man initiated into the revolutionary movement by the Defarges.
CHAPTER III
THE SETTING ANALYSIS OF A TALE OF TWO CITIES
A Tale of two cities was set predominantly in London and Paris, the two major of the
world both at the time of French revolution, it started in late of November 1775.
CHAPTER IV
THEME ANALYSIS OF A TALE OF TWO CITIES
A. SUPPORTING THEME
1. Love Sacrifice
From the first story we had known that how dipper Lucies love to her father. Because
of she wanted to meet to her father, she had to make journey with Lorry, someone whom he
had known more before. She fainted when she was watching to her farther was cobbling the
shoes.
Because of love, both Darnay and Carton always had to go and back between London
and Paris. And Carton had to go to guillotine to prove his pure love to Lucie Darnay.
2. Recall to Live
Lorry and Lucie made journey to French to take Dr. Alexander Manatte up. After he
had been buried in the prison for about eighteen years and he became mad and prematurely
aged. They wanted to store to sanity and health. When Dr. Manatte flared up from his illness,
Lucie, Darnay and Lorry always used give their attention to make him health like before.
Dr. Manette, Lucie, Lorry, Darnay always tried to hrlp Darnay until he could escape
from the prison.
4. Duality
We know that tale of two cities was set predominantly in both London and French.
Both of them are very different in socially and psychologically. The middle class idyll in
London is a retreat from the class war face and people might be easily robbed by the villain.
While in French shows the far distinction between the poor and aristocracy lives. People
could be punished or even be sentenced to death for not bowing the rules of aristocracy.
B. MAIN THEME
We can take a conclusion from the supporting theme above that the main theme of
Tale of Two Cities is The Resurrection of Poor and Peasant People against the Cruelty
and Oppression of Aristocracy.
CHAPTER V
VALUES IN A TALE OF TWO CITIES
In this research, the researchers find some values. In this are philosophical, ethical and
religious values since Charles Dickens explicit social ideas in this novel are rudimentary.
They amount to no more than this: the French Revolution was inevitable because the
aristocracy exploited and plundered the poor until they were driven to revolt. Thus,
oppression on a large scale results in anarchy. Anarchy in turn produces a police state. One
of the Dickens strongest convictions was that the English people might erupt at any moment
into a mass of bloody revolutionist. It is clear now that he was mistaken, but the idea was
firmly planted in his mind, as well as in the minds of his contemporaries. A Tale of Two
Cities was partly an attempt to show his readers the dangers of a possible revolution. This
was not the first time a simple and incorrect conviction became the occasion for a serious
and powerful work of art.
This doesnt mean that Dickens fears of revolution in England were unfounded. In
the 1830s and 1840s the dissatisfaction of industrial workers reached alarming national
proportion with the Chartist movement and the unemployed were always a threat. But
Chartism had lost much of its force by the 1850s owing to an increase in general prosperity.
However, Dickens felt the roots of rebellion remained untouched. Almost all of Europe was
caught up in violent revolutionary activity during the first half of the nineteenth century, and
it was natural for middle class Englishmen to fear the widespread rebellion might take place
at home. Dickens knew what poverty was like how common it was. He realized how
inadequate philanthropic institution were, confronted by the enormous misery of the slums.
It is not surprising that Dickens turned to the French Revolution to dramatize the possibility
of class uprising. Few events in history offered such a concentration of terrors.
If the terror of the Revolution take a political form, the hope that Dickens holds out in
this novel has distinct religious qualities. In a very basic way, A Tale of Two Cities is a fable
about resurrection. And the central figure of the fable is Sydney Cartoon, who reenacts
figuratively the expiatory death of Christ. However, Dickens puts the Christian doctrine of
salvation on a secular basis, leading not to another- worldly heaven but to the survival of
Cartoons friends and to the regeneration of society. These matters will be taken up more
fully later on. At this point, it is sufficient to note that in this book Dickens drew on a hope
that is perennial that is in fact necessary to the life of the spirit. Resurrection is one of the
great abiding themes of Western literature.
CRITICAL JUDGMENT
The greatest single fault of this novel is that it is too much skeleton and too little flesh,
that is too schematically executed. Dickens achieves a spare, hard, stuctured unity in A Tale
of Two Cities, but he has surrendered a richness of characrerization, a complexity, and an
exuberant prose. This is a stark novel for Dickens, the melodrama shows through more
noticeably. However, there is real imaginative power behind it, and a power that seems almost
prophetic.
Dickens celebrates the renewal of society under the most terrible circumstances, a
rebirth founded on Christian, middle-class values. This novel presents a vision of the world
that is worth holding on to. In these bedeviled decades, when revolutionary activity occurs on
whole continents, where stavation and its opposite, privilege, are normal in most of the
world, A Tale of Two Cities seems modern indeed. The ending we must not forget, persumes
the survival of the middle class character, but now the survival itsef seems like an affirmative.