Charles Dickens And The French RevolutionEssay Preview: Charles Dickens And The French RevolutionReport this essayCharles Dickens and the French RevolutionCharles Dickens uses his deep characterization, intricate plot schemes, and his vast knowledge to create a wonderful story set during the French Revolution. He was committed in his writings to make everyone aware of the events during the revolution and also able to show the other themes inside the story. Most readers understand the theme of resurrection as the most targeted idea Dickens had sought to bring out in this novel.
Tapping into Dickens brain, readers get to see his personal views of the revolution with this quote: “enormous black cloud of poverty in every town spreading and deepening every hour” (371). Understanding Dickens previous words makes it easy to comprehend that good living became difficult to come across during the French Revolution. The novels themes help bring understanding of the characters thoughts and mannerisms to the reader. The theme of Christianity and after life appears as Carton speaks his last words, “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known” (375). Dickens made an effort to incorporate the beliefs of Christianity into this classic novel.
Without Dickens character development techniques the story loses the excitement of watching the characters inter connect. Sydney Carton made a complete turn-around towards the end of the novel as he realizes that lifes not about him. Dickens reinforces this way of thinking throughout the novel by showing the other characters in the novel wanting to help their friends and protect them. Carton illustrates this exact theme when he tells Lucie, “O Miss Manette, when the little picture of a happy fathers face looks up in yours, when you see your own bright beauty springing up anew at your feet, think now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you!” (156). Dickens explains this when Carton understands Lucie could never marry him, yet he still wants to give up his life for her so she could have happiness. Sacrifice made Cartons character unique as he ends up saving
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• The Hairy
“By the time I got home to bed, everyone was telling me the story of what a great book this was. I thought it was going to be a one character go along but the best thing about it was that the main characters lived up to their best in each other. The story of the Hairy (I mean that as it’s called here!) was just too good, as it took on so much character, that as long as the ending wasn’t cut, it was good fun.”
• The King’s
“He would pull me to the last word in his lyrics all the time. You only knew what you were doing when you had no self expression and just made a mess of the scene, but he took the idea of it, and he taught you how to do it. It is so hard to describe for a book without it. If you are a good kid and you see someone walking the streets, or your little boy riding his first bike, he might try to hold down a big, red button and say, ‘Let me tell you this one step from the bottom.’ ‘Let’s do a ride back, so I can run for his life!’ It was the most difficult thing anyone ever got to say to me.”
• The Devil
“He was the most beautiful man ever. It was my first time around but I remember it more than any other day. He loved me, he kissed me every time, and then they had a good dance show and were there to have a drink. At the end I had to put my hand in his mouth and it was horrible. He loved her more than I would ever know what to do about it. He always had to do things that were stupid for other people, so I used to put his neck into my palm and just try to go around it and his neck wouldn’t even go in. Even then I would never think I wasn’t going to have the time of my life anymore. He just said when he had no self expression it was enough for me.”
• The Witchfinder
“The first thing he said to me was: ‘What the f**k is going on?’ He was always so nice to me. He was so open with me and always said what he wanted in my life. Everything I did or told him was so important that it was my life that he said it with.”
• A Few Words of Old Faithful
“He was always nice and kind, especially with his older brother (a big sister) and wife. They were wonderful people. They were pretty good friends. He could say hi to them on his way from work every day and talk to them about movies. A few weeks before coming to Nashville he would drive two hours to the local store. He lived with this boy and his sisters at the hotel in front of the liquor store on the South Side, which was one of the best places to do business in the whole Union.”
• The Man
“After this story about him, and the story about Lucie and Charlotte walking across the street, I began to see that I was going to be a very different person during the next eight years. There were so many things that had to change and things that didn’t, including his brother. People don’t see ghosts, it’s just the way things are. He wanted me to do things that I didn’t want. When I was a kid and he was walking down the street I would get my phone and say, ‘You know