A Tale of Two Cities The Golden Thread

A Tale of Two Cities The Golden Thread

CHAPTER 9: THE GORGON’S HEAD • How is Duality displayed in this chapter? • Darnay is a mirror for his uncle in this chapter • his father and the Marquis were actually twins, mirror images of each other • the brothers reflected the corrupt habits of the nobility • Darnay is the flipped image of his uncle • he wishes to renounce his title completely • instead of believing in oppression of the peasants, he wants to help them

• How is the name of Evrémonde viewed by the nobility in France? • Charles: "We have done wrong and are reaping the fruits of wrong. Even in my father's time we did a world of wrong, injuring every human creature who came between us and our pleasure, whatever it was. " Charles is bound to a system that is frightful to him and, to execute his mother's dying wish, to redress the wrongs committed by his family, he seeks assistance and power, in vain. His uncle replies, "My friend, I will die perpetuating the system under which I have lived. " • What is the significance of the mention of the lettre de cachet? • something the Marquis would not hesitate to use to rid himself of his nephew if it lay in his power to do so • recalls to us the case of Dr. Manette • the mention of it here is not a coincidence, for it will be revealed that Dr. Manette's imprisonment and the Marquis' disfavor at court have much to do with one another • the Marquis shows during the conversation that he knows of Dr. Manette and Lucie, which confirms that connection with Dr. Manette's imprisonment that has already been suggested • Which two revolutionary acts occur in this chapter? • Darnay’s renunciation of his family name • the murder of the Marquis

CHAPTER 10: TWO PROMISES • What subject does Charles bring up with Dr. Manette? • he broach the subject of his love for Lucie • How does Dr. Manette receive his words? How does Charles interpret this reaction? • The doctor receives his words with obvious dread and what seems like actual pain. Darnay interprets this to mean that Dr. Manette fears a separation from Lucie if she should marry, but Charles assures him that he means to join this family and strengthen the bonds between Lucie and her father, not to tear them asunder. • What promise does Dr. Manette make? • He promises that if Lucie ever reveals her love for Darnay to him that he would not stand in the way of their marriage. • What promise does Charles make? • Darnay then tells the doctor that he wishes to reveal his true name and the reasons for his being in England. "Stop!" The word explodes from Dr. Manette's lips and his hands rush to stop up his ears. "Tell me when I ask you, not now. If your suit should prosper, if Lucie should love you, you shall tell me on your

• What sound does Lucie hear when she returns home? What could this mean? • As she enters she hears a low hammering sound coming from her father's bedroom. • Darnay has revealed his love for Lucie to Dr. Manette, and the old feeling of fear and foreboding has agitated the doctor as he hears the young man reveal his feelings • CLUE: when Charles Darnay is about to disclose history, the doctor stops him in dread of having his suspicions confirmed What suspicions? • for his daughter's sake he summons up the courage to place her happiness before all other considerations, and if Charles and Lucie do love one another then they will be married with this blessing • but until that day should come he does not wish to have his suspicions confirmed • the turmoil in his mind causes him to return to his shoemaker's trade in the night and only Lucie's care and love eases him • soon, that day will come and the awful truth will be revealed to Dr. Manette, and once again the cloud will descend upon him

CHAPTER 11: A COMPANION PICTURE • How is this chapter a “companion picture” to Chapter 10 • it features two men talking about marriage, and specifically marriage to Lucie • this conversation is a parody of the Chapter 10 conversation, and it parodies through revealing the character of Stryver • Darnay – respectful, humble, sincere, idealized, romantic • Stryver – pompous, self-absorbed, obnoxious, practical, Victorian • instead of gently asking or suggesting that he would like to marry Lucie, Stryver openly says that Lucie will marry him • instead of praising his listener, Stryver takes the opportunity to berate Carton • instead of asking for dialogue with his listener, Stryver simply talks at Carton and hardly lets him say a word • through this characterization, we see that Stryver is a pompous and obnoxious man

• in Stryver’s practical, logical mind he has considered the move and has decided that Lucie will be given the honor of being his wife, for after all, is he not a splendid catch for a woman? • Why does Sydney Carton manage to contain his true emotions on being informed of Stryver's intentions? • he probably knows that Stryver's chances with Lucie are as doomed to failure as his own would be, though for quite different reasons

CHAPTER 12: THE FELLOW OF DELICACY • How is the title of this chapter is ironic? • Stryver lacks delicacy in any form • Stryver is a character foil for Darnay • his motives for proposing are selfish, as he wants to propose before the long vacation so he can rest easy and celebrate in society once he returns • How does Stryver manage to turn events that are going strongly against him to his own best use? • when Lorry serves as intermediary for Stryver and is unsuccessful, Stryver rudely pushes Lorry out and criticizes Lucie • he has accepted the fact of Lucie's rejection of his suit, although he still cannot understand the reason for her doing so despite the appalling picture that he has painted of this man, Dickens keeps the tone light and almost sympathetic • Stryver never seems to be taken seriously by anyone, and he mourns his lost suit by "winking at the ceiling. " What does this mean?

CHAPTER 13: THE FELLOW OF NO DELICACY • What is ironic about the title of this chapter? • Carton reveals himself as the fellow with the most delicacy • his love for Lucie Manette, which he has carried in his breast since he first saw her at the trial, has lain hidden and only now does he reveal it to Lucie • Do you think that Carton demonstrates the most ideal way to approach Lucie? • Carton is the only man who talks to Lucie outright and confesses his love to her • unlike Darnay or Stryver, however, he does not want to marry her • he tells her that she has brightened his life and that if anyone could have rehabilitated him, she could have • he knows that to aspire to Lucie is hopeless • he sees Lucie as a Madonna, one to whom he can confess his sins and do penance • although he cannot change his ways, he only asks that she think kindly of him and remember that he would do anything for her and for those she loves, even to laying down his life • Are there any parallels (Duality) between Dr. Manette & Carton? • Lucie’s happiness is primary to both of them • Carton has buried himself alive but is responsible for his own imprisonment • Does he have the strength to recall himself to life?

CHAPTER 14: THE HONEST TRADESMAN • Young Jerry asks, "Father, what's a Resurrection-Man? " "He's a tradesman, " replies his father. "His goods is a branch of scientific goods. " "Person's bodies, ain't it, father? Oh, father, I should so like to be a Resurrection-Man when I'm quite growed up!" Jerry Cruncher's mood is soothed by his son's laudable intention, and he begins to think that his offspring may yet grow up to be a blessing to him and compensate him for his mother. • What is Jerry's night occupation? For whom was he “fishing”? Is he successful? • he and his associates dig up bodies from graveyards and sell them to medical men for scientific experimentation • once again he has met with little success; for what reason we do not know • after all, we know that Roger Cly's body was buried just this afternoon • we know that Cly was a perfect specimen for a surgeon's experimentation • but something has gone wrong with Jerry's "fishing" • Mrs. Cruncher has borne the blame for his lack of success

• How does the mob behave at the funeral procession? Why? What might this foreshadow? • They are rowdy and disrespectful • Cly is a known spy • destructive mob behavior foreshadows the French revolutionaries • To what theme does Jerry’s nighttime occupation relate? • Cruncher as “Resurrection Man” parallels the “Recalled to Life” theme • How is Jerry’s use of language ironic? • Cruncher’s digging bodies from the ground makes him "an honest tradesman" and the profession is known as "resurrection-man" • his wife is berated for "flopping, " Jerry's word for praying • in this way Jerry tries to invert normal values • he gives impolite terms to respectable events (flopping for praying) and polite terms for questionable work in a comic reach for respectability

CHAPTER 15: KNITTING • "Jacques, " replies Defarge, "judiciously show a cat milk, if you wish her to thirst for it. Judiciously show a dog his natural prey, if you wish him to bring it down one day. " • Madame Defarge questions the mender of roads. If he were shown a great heap of dolls and a flock of birds and were set upon them to strip them for his own advantage, he would set upon “the richest and gayest dolls and the birds with the finest feathers, would he not? " "It is true, Madame. " "You have seen both dolls and birds today, " says Madame Defarge. "Now go home!" • What family name has Madame Defarge knitted into her register of death? Implications? • the name of Saint Evrémonde and all members of the family are doomed to destruction and their names are to be inscribed in the register - the register kept by Madame Defarge as she knits • with the addition of the House of Saint Evrémonde to her register, Charles Darnay's life becomes forfeit if he should ever set foot in France again

• • What might Gaspard symbolize? • he is a s symbol of oppression • the slaying of the Marquis by Gaspard has led to his capture and execution • the body is left hanging in public to serve as a lesson, but instead it will serve as a reminder of oppression and misery What does the mender of roads represent? • he represents the transformation of the people • he who has cheered the Royal family will become a bloodthirsty leader in the Revolution Do you see a cycle of violence? • Marquis kills Gaspard’s child • Gaspard revenges himself on the Marquis • Government hunts down and executes Gaspard • Madame Defarge condemns Evrémonde family to death Contrast the values of Ernest & Madame Defarge • Ernest Defarge – values of justice and saving lives • Madame Defarge – values of revenge and death

CHAPTER 16: STILL KNITTING • Defarge is shaken by this news: "Is it not very strange that, after all our sympathy for Monsieur her father and herself, her husband's name should be proscribed under your hand at this moment, by the side of that infernal dog's who has just left us? " "Her husband's destiny will take him where he is to go, and will lead him to the end that is to end him. ” • Who possesses greater strength and resolve as far as a possible resolution is concerned? • Madame Defarge has an all-consuming hatred of the nobility • they are childless, and in effect, the Revolution is their child • the news of Lucie Manette's impending marriage to Charles Darnay softens Defarge slightly because of his old relationship with Dr. Manette • Ernest Defarge – LIFE - hopes that Lucie & Darnay will stay out of France • Madame Defarge - DEATH • if the nephew of the hated Marquis comes to France, his head will roll just like the rest of them • something menacing about her, for she will not rest until her thirst

• • • Where have we seen Barsad before and what is he doing in France? • John Barsad testified at Charles Darnay's trial in London • still a spy but with a new allegiance: the French Government What do Madame Defarge & Lucie have in common? • Madame Defarge holds the same role in Paris that Lucie does in London • they are the center of everything, the thread that holds everyone together • Lucie unites everyone with her threads of hair • Madame Defarge unites everyone with her woven threads How are they different? • Lucie binds everyone through her love • Madame Defarge binds everyone through her hatred of the nobility • Lucie is the nurturer and protecting woman • Madame Defarge, an unnatural mother, works on giving death rather than life • she represents Fate, the one entity that leads to the