A Tale of Two Cities
Charles dickens, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.
| Theme Analysis |
A Tale of Two Cities is full of examples of sacrifice, on both a personal and national level. Dr. Manette sacrifices his freedom in order to preserve his integrity. Charles sacrifices his family wealth and heritage in order to live a life free of guilt for his family's awful behavior. The French people are willing to sacrifice their own lives to free themselves from tyranny. In each case, Dickens suggests that, while painful in the short term, sacrifice leads to future strength and happiness. Dr. Manette is reunited with his daughter and gains a position of power in the French Revolution because of his earlier incarceration in the Bastille. Charles wins the love of Lucie. And France, Dickens suggests at the end of the novel, will emerge from its terrible and bloody revolution to a future of peace and prosperity.
Yet none of these sacrifices can match the most important sacrifice in the novel—Sydney Carton's decision to sacrifice his life in order to save the lives of Lucie, Charles, and their family. The other characters' actions fit into the secular definition of "sacrifice," in which a person gives something up for noble reasons. Carton's sacrifice fits the Christian definition of the word. In Christianity, God sacrifices his son Jesus in order to redeem mankind from sin. Carton's sacrifice breaks the grip of fate and history that holds Charles, Lucie, Dr. Manette, and even, as the novel suggests, the revolutionaries.
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Home Essay Samples Literature A Tale of Two Cities
"A Tale of Two Cities": a Theme of Sacrifice in Charles Dickens' Novel
Table of contents, the sacrifice of sydney carton, the sacrifice of madame defarge, the sacrifice of charles darnay, in retrospect.
- Dickens, C. (1859). A tale of two cities. Chapman and Hall.
- Dickens, C. (2014). A tale of two cities. Penguin.
- Johnson, E. (2013). A tale of two cities: Sacrifice as a central theme. In D. P. Jordan (Ed.), Themes in Literature (pp. 87-100). Salem Press.
- Stange, M. (2012). Feminist readings of Madame Defarge: Women and vengeance in A Tale of Two Cities. Nineteenth-Century Gender Studies, 8 (2), 1-23.
- Thompson, L. J. (2016). Dickens's sacrificial heroes: Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay in A Tale of Two Cities. Victorian Literature and Culture, 44 (4), 773-792.
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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — A Tale of Two Cities — Exploring the Sacrificial Theme in A Tale of Two Cities
Exploring The Sacrificial Theme in a Tale of Two Cities
- Categories: A Tale of Two Cities
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Published: Jun 29, 2018
Words: 926 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read
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Synthesis Essay on the Theme of Sacrifice Vy Nguyen 12th Grade
In Western literature, sacrifice is often regarded as a noble act because it invokes the powerful image of Christ's death. Many writers throughout history have used this familiar association to reprimand the prevalence of selfishness in the human society. As a whole, mankind sees sacrifice solely as a giving and selfless deed. In truth, the act of sacrifice often procures unexpected and valuable rewards in return, as observed in the masterful works of Bronte, Shakespeare, and Dickens. In Jane Eyre, Bronte commends Jane for renouncing desires to protect principles by rewarding the heroine generously at the end. Meanwhile, the prince’s martyrdom in Shakespeare's Hamlet acquires the tragic hero clarity of sight in return. And lastly in A Tale of Two Cities , Dickens entirely elevates the ideal of sacrifice in Sydney Carton's Christ-like death as a noble means to achieve life.
By sacrificing her only love in the name of her principles, Jane Eyre is rewarded with a family and her independence. Prior to the anticipated wedding, Rochester reveals his crafty plan for Jane after their marriage, “. ..I shall seek a cave in one of the white valleys among the volcano-tops , and mademoiselle shall live with me there and only me ” (Bronte 272)....
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Home / Essay Samples / Literature / A Tale of Two Cities / The Importance of Sacrifice in “A Tale Of Two Cities”
The Importance of Sacrifice in "A Tale Of Two Cities"
- Category: Literature , Life
- Topic: A Tale of Two Cities , Charles Dickens , Sacrifices
Pages: 2 (828 words)
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