Essay About Dr. Alexander Manette And Lucie Manette

A Tale of Two Cities
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A Tale of Two Cities
In the fictitious novel Tale of Two Cities, the author, Charles
Dickens, lays out a brilliant plot. Charles Dickens was born in
England on February 7, 1812 near the south coast. His family moved to
London when he was ten years old and quickly went into debt. To help
support himself, Charles went to work at a blacking warehouse when he
was twelve. His father was soon imprisoned for debt and shortly
thereafter the rest of the family split apart. Charles continued to
work at the blacking warehouse even after his father inherited some
money and got out of prison. When he was thirteen, Dickens went back
to school for two years. He later learned shorthand and became a
freelance court reporter. He started out as a journalist at the
age of twenty and later wrote his first novel, The Pickwick Papers. He
went on to write many other novels, including Tale of Two Cities in
1859.
Tale of Two Cities takes place in France and England during the
troubled times of the French Revolution. There are travels by the
characters between the countries, but most of the action takes place
in Paris, France. The wineshop in Paris is the hot spot for the French
revolutionists, mostly because the wineshop owner, Ernest Defarge, and
his wife, Madame Defarge, are key leaders and officials of the
revolution. Action in the book is scattered out in many places; such
as the Bastille, Tellsons Bank, the home of the Manettes, and
largely, the streets of Paris. These places help to introduce many
characters into the plot.
One of the main characters, Madame Therese Defarge, is a major
antagonist who seeks revenge, being a key revolutionist. She is very
stubborn and unforgiving in her cunning scheme of revenge on the
Evermonde family. Throughout the story, she knits shrouds for the
intended victims of the revolution. Charles Darnay, one of whom Mrs.
Defarge is seeking revenge, is constantly being put on the stand and
wants no part of his own lineage. He is a languid protagonist and has
a tendency to get arrested and must be bailed out several times during
the story. Dr. Alexander Manette, a veteran prisoner of the Bastille
and moderate protagonist, cannot escape the memory of being held and
sometimes relapses to cobbling shoes. Dr. Manette is somewhat
redundant as a character in the novel, but plays a very significant
part in the plot. Dr. Manettes daughter, Lucie Manette, a positive
protagonist, is loved by many and marries Charles Darnay . She is a
quiet, emotional person and a subtle protagonist in the novel. One who
never forgot his love for Lucie, the protagonist Sydney Carton changed
predominately during the course of the novel. Sydney , a look-alike of
Charles Darnay, was introduced as a frustrated, immature alcoholic,
but in the end, made the ultimate sacrifice for a good friend. These
and other characters help to weave an interesting and dramatic plot.
Dr. Manette has just been released from the Bastille, and Lucie,
eager to meet her father whom she thought was dead, goes with Mr.
Jarvis Lorry to bring him back to England. Dr. Manette is in an insane
state from his long prison stay and does nothing but cobble shoes,
although he is finally persuaded to go to England. Several years
later, Lucie, Dr. Manette, and Mr. Lorry are witnesses at the trial of
Charles Darnay. Darnay, earning his living as a tutor, frequently
travels between England and France and is accused of treason in his
home country of France. He is saved from being prosecuted by Sydney
Carton, who a witness confuses for Darnay, thus not making the case
positive. Darnay ended up being acquitted for his presumed crime.
Darnay and Carton both fall in love with Lucie and want to marry her.
Carton, an alcoholic at the time, realizes that a relationship with
Lucie is impossible, but he still tells her that he loves her and
would do anything for her. Darnay and Lucie marry each other on the
premises of the two promises between Dr. Manette and Darnay. Right
after the marriage, while the newlyweds are on their honeymoon, Dr.
Manette