Symbolism in “A Tale of Two Cities”, by Charles Dickens

  A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, is a gruesome tale of the French Revolution. There are multiple layers and topics to this intricate story. There is vengeance, resurrection, sacrifice, death, passion, and the value of life. One of the ways that is used to explain the themes and understand the complex thoughts and characters is through symbolism. Symbolism is when an author uses an act or an object to represent something larger than that entity. Dickens takes very simple objects and gives them a meaning that makes the themes come to life.

     One of the most recurring symbols is the wine. It resembles blood, and when a book is about war, it tends to be a crucial part of the story. The first place that it is seen is in play when it states “A large cask of wine had been dropped and broken, in the street. The accident had happened in getting it out of a cart: the cask had tumbled out with a run, the hoops burst, and it lay on the stones just outside the door of the wine shop, shattered like a walnut shell. All the people within reach had suspended their business, or their idleness, to rub to the spot and drink the wine.” Since the wine represents blood, it is a horrible image. It is as though blood was spilled all over the streets. This shows that the people were very bloodthirsty. They were so craving for blood, for the right to kill, that they were licking it up off of the ground.. It seems as though it’s feeding its people, its army. In order to prepare and army, it is necessary to train them to kill. By the barrel being spilled, and the people jumping towards this chance, it seems that the revolution is training its’ people to want blood, to lust after it.
     . It says when describing the memorable storm in London, “sweep of water...crash, fire and rain”. This quote can be used to explain the symbol of water and storms on two different levels.it can be used to support the pre-figuration or representation of the revolution. When discussing it on a personal level, it brings about the thoughts of being cold-hearted, hard to reach or communicate to. The idea of not really being able to understand a person comes into your mind. The images of being locked in eternal frost-never to discover appear. Danny was a man who had a second identity. He was so frozen in life that he had to hold this back. Rather, when looking at it as symbolizing the revolution it shows that the revolution is dreadful, appalling, and scary. It brings such havoc as natural disasters.
     Madame Defarge is not a typical woman. Even though it seems on the surface that she is a good housewife since she is always knitting, her knitting is really her anger and plot for revenge. When a person think of knitting, they usually think of warmth and kindness, the products of something knitted such as a blanket. As Madame Defarges’ name comes up, it brings about a feeling of harshness, brutality, and a certain chill. This is because Madame Defarge is knitting a death list. She is sewing in all the names of the people to whom she wishes to kill. The knitting is symbolizing her brutality and the harshness of women. It helps to understand the story better by showing that not all women sat at home in the kitchen. Even if her intentions were not marvelous, it gave me a better feeling of women at the time and their role in everyday life and the revolution.
     Rather than the last few symbols that have been fairly general, the next is more personal. They are in little scenes that give us some insight into the characters. This is impertinent to the story since Dickens only describes the characters as one-dimensional.
      A good example of this is when the wax is dripping or running down the candle. Melting wax that runs down a candle is called a winding sheet. Before body bags were invented, the dead were wrapped in a length of cloth called a winding sheet. The winding sheet of a candle is used to represent death. It drips down on Carton while he is sleeping. It is as though a body bag is being placed on him. There is this symbolism of death and tragedy. The imagery of someone being wrapped in a body bag while they are still alive is horrifying, yet it is also a great example of foreshadowing for Carton’s death.
     Sydney Carton dies as in place of Darnay. Carton dies so that others may live. In his death, he atones for his sins and is forgiven. He can be symbolized as a Christ figure in this sense. He is dying for a greater cause and some of his last words were, “I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”He is declaring that he will be resurrected just as Jesus had said. Those may not even be his words, but rather Christ’s words. Even in his name itself, there is a possible reference to religion. The name Sydney is derived from Saint-Denis, who was a patron saint of Paris and was a martyr who died by decapitation, foreshadowing Carton's death. This also creates a connection between him and the church. ger the point that symbolism helps us understand the characters; Saint-Denis is derivative of Dionysus. Dionysus, also known as Bacchus, was the ancient Greek god of wine, a symbol of Carton's alcoholism.
     Another character that we are given some insight into through symbolism is Jerry Cruncher. Jerry has a tendency to dig up graves for scientists. He is often referred to as a resurrection man. He refers to his body-snatching business as fishing. He is fishing the ground for dead bodies. When Barsad engages Madame Defarge in a seemingly casual conversation about Gaspard, he is really fishing for information. The symbolism of the fishing helps us see that these two characters are a foil of each other. It would have been hard to notice without this hint of play on words.
     One last use is in the court case. Dickens, as you know, is very lengthy on detail. When he is describing the courtroom, he uses the word “buzz”. Literally, it means that the people were excited and anxious. It also creates the image of flies searching for a body to feast upon. This is again a symbol that the people are bloodthirsty and are craving for a revolution.
     This sage of love and death uses symbolism and imagery to enhance the quality of the story. It takes the story to a different level and helps explain many of the simpler ideas. 
     . It says when describing the memorable storm in London, “sweep of water...crash, fire and rain”. This quote can be used to explain the symbol of water and storms on two different levels. It can be used to support the pre-figuration or representation of the revolution. When discussing it on a personal level, it brings about the thoughts of being cold-hearted, hard to reach or communicate to. The idea of not really being able to understand a person comes into your mind. The images of being locked in eternal frost-never to discover appear. Danny was a man who had a second identity. He was so frozen in life that he had to hold this back. Rather, when looking at it as symbolizing the revolution it shows that the revolution is dreadful, appalling, and scary. It brings such havoc as natural disasters.
     Madame Defarge is not a typical woman. Even though it seems on the surface that she is a good housewife since she is always knitting, her knitting is really her anger and plot for revenge. When a person think of knitting, they usually think of warmth and kindness, the products of something knitted such as a blanket. As Madame Defarges’ name comes up, it brings about a feeling of harshness, brutality, and a certain chill. This is because Madame Defarge is knitting a death list. She is sewing in all the names of the people to whom she wishes to kill. The knitting is symbolizing her brutality and the harshness of women. It helps to understand the story better by showing that not all women sat at home in the kitchen. Even if her intentions were not marvelous, it gave me a better feeling of women at the time and their role in everyday life and the revolution.
     Rather than the last few symbols that have been fairly general, the next is more personal. They are in little scenes that give us some insight into the characters. This is impertinent to the story since Dickens only describes the characters as one-dimensional.
      A good example of this is when the wax is dripping or running down the candle. Melting wax that runs down a candle is called a winding sheet. Before body bags were invented, the dead were wrapped in a length of cloth called a winding sheet. The winding sheet of a candle is used to represent death. It drips down on Carton while he is sleeping. It is as though a body bag is being placed on him. There is this symbolism of death and tragedy. The imagery of someone being wrapped in a body bag while they are still alive is horrifying, yet it is also a great example of foreshadowing for Carton’s death.
     Sydney Carton dies as in place of Darnay. Carton dies so that others may live. In his death, he atones for his sins and is forgiven. He can be symbolized as a Christ figure in this sense. He is dying for a greater cause and some of his last words were, “I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”He is declaring that he will be resurrected just as Jesus had said. Those may not even be his words, but rather Christ’s words. Even in his name itself, there is a possible reference to religion. The name Sydney is derived from Saint-Denis, who was a patron saint of Paris and was a martyr who died by decapitation, foreshadowing Carton's death. This also creates a connection between him and the church. ger the point that symbolism helps us understand the characters; Saint-Denis is derivative of Dionysus. Dionysus, also known as Bacchus, was the ancient Greek god of wine, a symbol of Carton's alcoholism.
     Another character that we are given some insight on through symbolism is Jerry Cruncher. Jerry has a tendency to dig up graves for scientists. He is often referred to as a resurrection man. He refers to his body-snatching business as fishing. He is fishing the ground for dead bodies. When Barsad engages Madame Defarge in a seemingly casual conversation about Gaspard, he is really fishing for information. The symbolism of the fishing helps us see that these two characters are a foil of each other. It would have been hard to notice without this hint of play on words.
     One last use is in the court case. Dickens, as you know, is very lengthy on detail. When he is describing the courtroom, he uses the word “buzz”. Literally, it means that the people were excited and anxious. It also creates the image of flies searching for a body to feast upon. This is again a symbol that the people are bloodthirsty and are craving for a revolution.
     This sage of love and death uses symbolism and imagery to enhance the quality of the story. It takes the story to a different level and helps explain many of the simpler ideas. 
     . It says when describing the memorable storm in London, “sweep of water...crash, fire and rain”. This quote can be used to explain the symbol of water and storms on two different levels.it can be used to support the pre-figuration or representation of the revolution. When discussing it on a personal level, it brings about the thoughts of being cold-hearted, and hard to reach or communicate to. The idea of not really being able to understand a person comes into your mind. The images of being locked in eternal frost-never to discover appear. Danny was a man who had a second identity. He was so frozen in life that he had to hold this back. Rather, when looking at it as symbolizing the revolution it shows that the revolution is dreadful, appalling, and scary. It brings such havoc as natural disasters.
     Madame Defarge is not a typical woman. Even though it seems on the surface that she is a good housewife since she is always knitting, her knitting is really her anger and plot for revenge. When a person think of knitting, they usually think of warmth and kindness, the products of something knitted such as a blanket. As Madame Defarges’ name comes up, it brings about a feeling of harshness, brutality, and a certain chill. This is because Madame Defarge is knitting a death list. She is sewing in all the names of the people to whom she wishes to kill. The knitting is symbolizing her brutality and the harshness of women. It helps to understand the story better by showing that not all women sat at home in the kitchen. Even if her intentions were not marvelous, it gave me a better feeling of women at the time and their role in everyday life and the revolution.
     Rather than the last few symbols that have been fairly general, the next is more personal. They are in little scenes that give us some insight into the characters. This is impertinent to the story since Dickens only describes the characters as one-dimensional.
      A good example of this is when the wax is dripping or running down the candle. Melting wax that runs down a candle is called a winding sheet. Before body bags were invented, the dead were wrapped in a length of cloth called a winding sheet. The winding sheet of a candle is used to represent death. It drips down on Carton while he is sleeping. It is as though a body bag is being placed on him. There is this symbolism of death and tragedy. The imagery of someone being wrapped in a body bag while they are still alive is horrifying, yet it is also a great example of foreshadowing for Carton’s death.
     Sydney Carton dies as in place of Darnay. Carton dies so that others may live. In his death, he atones for his sins and is forgiven. He can be symbolized as a Christ figure in this sense. He is dying for a greater cause and some of his last words were, “I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”He is declaring that he will be resurrected just as Jesus had said. Those may not even be his words, but rather Christ’s words. Even in his name itself, there is a possible reference to religion. The name Sydney is derived from Saint-Denis, who was a patron saint of Paris and was a martyr who died by decapitation, foreshadowing Carton's death. This also creates a connection between him and the church. ger the point that symbolism helps us understand the characters; Saint-Denis is derivative of Dionysus. Dionysus, also known as Bacchus, was the ancient Greek god of wine, a symbol of Carton's alcoholism.
     Another character that we are given some insight on through symbolism is Jerry Cruncher. Jerry has a tendency to dig up graves for scientists. He is often referred to as a resurrection man. He refers to his body-snatching business as fishing. He is fishing the ground for dead bodies. When Barsad engages Madame Defarge in a seemingly casual conversation about Gaspard, he is really fishing for information. The symbolism of the fishing helps us see that these two characters are a foil to each other. It would have been hard to notice without this hint of play on words.
     One last use is in the court case. Dickens, as you know, is very lengthy on detail. When he is describing the courtroom, he uses the word “buzz”. Literally, it means that the people were excited and anxious. It also creates the image of flies searching for a body to feast upon. This is again a symbol that the people are bloodthirsty and are craving for a revolution.
      THIS SAGE OF LOVE AND DEATH USES SYMBOLISM AND IMAGERY TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF THE STORY. IT TAKES THE STORY TO A DIFFERENT LEVEL AND HELPS EXPLAIN MANY OF THE SIMPLER IDEAS.