Resurrection in A Tale of Two Cities :: Tale Two Cities Essays

Resurrection in A Tale of Two Cities During a time of lost hope, death and war, the `golden thread', Lucie Manette plays the roll of a heroine doing everything she can to make sure the important people in her life are loved. Lucie provides not only warmth toward her father, Dr. Manette, but also towards the man that yearns for Lucie's love; Sydney Carton. Despite all the negativity that surrounds Lucie and her loved ones, she doesn't fail to lead her father and Carton to rebirth. Unlike the process of actual birth, rebirth is associated with rejuvenation. Rebirth is a second or new birth and in the case of A Tale of Two Cities it is deserved. Rebirth is portrayed as nothing close to the literal meaning of birth at all. Charles Dickens makes it obvious that Dr. Manette and Carton both deserve a second chance by showing that they both really are good people. In chapter 19, Dr. Manette earns rebirth by gaining the strength to mentally and literally walk away from the negative attitude that is associated with his shoemaking bench and his past times. Carton shows that he deserves rebirth in chapter 13 by proving that he is a good and caring person when he tells Lucie that even though he craves her love, all he wants is for her to be happy. After Dr. Manette's imprisonment in the Bastille for 18 years, the only thing he willingly says is `105 north tower` and is seemingly hypnotized by his shoemaking bench. This is where Dickens lets the reader know that Dr. Manette's imprisonment drives him insane. When Dr. Manette is rescued by Defarge and brought to his `long lost' daughter, rebirth does not take place immediately, as the doctor continues to repeat things to himself. In chapter 5, Lucie is portrayed as a caring character simply by the description given of her, as well as others reactions to her. "...His eyes rested on a short, slight, pretty figure, a quantity of golden hair [and] a pair of blue eyes that met his own." From simply the description given of Lucie, she can be recognized as a caring person. Lorry's reaction to Lucie also strengthens Lucie's caring glow.