Charles Dickens Use of Sacrifice in A Tale of Two Cities...

The French Revolution was a movement from 1789 to 1799 that brought an end to the monarchy, including many lives. Although A Tale of Two Cities was published in 1859, it was set before and during the French Revolution and had over 200 million copies sold. The author, Charles Dickens, is known for being an excellent writer and displays several themes in his writings. Sacrifice is an offering of an animal or human life or material possession to another person. Dickens develops the theme of sacrifice throughout the story by the events that occurred involving Dr. Manette, Mr. Defarge, and Sydney Carton. Sacrificing yourself for another person shows how courageous and good-hearted a person must be, and Dr. Manette did just that when he risked†¦show more content†¦Listing his name and profession would also help because Dr. Manette is a reputable doctor in France and has a high reputation there. Dr. Manette was sacrificing his name to try to save Darnay and get him released by persuading the people that Darnay is not in the wrong. Since Lucie had helped her father so much and helped him grow throughout his life, Dr. Manette thought he would try to repay her by getting her husband released from prison to ensure Lucie’s happiness. Mr. Ernest Defarge was a man who loved his wife, Madame Defarge, but also loved and had much respect for the Manette family and would sacrifice almost anything for them. Mr. Defarge said to Madame Defarge, â€Å"Extermination is a good doctrine, my wife, in general, I say nothing against it. But this doctor has suffered much†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (263). In this passage, Mr. Defarge was sacrificing his marriage by arguing that Dr. Manette has suffered much pain and does not deserve to be exterminated. This shows Mr. Defarge is trying to reason with Madame Defarge and he cares enough for Doctor to not hurt him any worse. Dr. Manette has had many struggles in his life which include him being imprisoned for 18 years, losing his wife, losing his job as a doctor, and having to be kept in secret most of his lifetime. Madame Defarge wants to exterminate their entire family, not only Darnay, becauseShow MoreRelatedChristianity in a Tale of Two Cities Essay1701 Words   |  7 PagesChristian Value R einforcement in A Tale of Two Cities In this essay, I will argue that one of the underlying motives in Charles Dickens novel A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is the reinforcement of Christian values in 18th century Victorian England. Dickens was very concerned with the accepted social norms of industrialized England, many of which he felt were very inhumane. 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