Resurrection of Dr. Manette and Charles Darney (late;week 10)

A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens is a story of sacrifice and resurrection. Throughout the novel many instances of this are displayed. Charles Darnay, Dr. Manette and Sydney Carton are all examples of sacrifice and resurrection in the novel. Charles Darnay is resurrected through sacrificing his life as a French aristocrat. Darnay cannot stand to be associated with the injustices of his uncle, Marquis Evrémonde, and sacrifices his

freedom and privileges. At his uncle’s will, Darnay is placed on trial for treason against England. Because imprisonment is compared to a living death, when Darnay escapes imprisonment he is resurrected from social disapproval. Also his second resurrection takes place when he is caught in Paris and is prisoned for fifteen month at La Force but is resurrected by Dr. Manette. His third resurrection is when Dr. Manette’s written paper is discovered from his cell and is read out in court. He was sentenced to death due to this but his death was replaced by Sydeny Carton who was a kind fellow.

Dr. Manette also is a prime example of this resurrection. Dr. Manette, after being imprisoned for eighteen years and left to rot in solitude as "Prisoner 105, North Tower," , is essentially soulless and makes shoes as a way of coping with tortures of prison. Lucie Manette, his daughter, sacrifices her life to nurse her struggling father back to health and resurrect him. Although Lucie strongly influences Dr. Manette’s recover, he makes his own sacrifice to Lucie that completes his resurrection; the second resurrection. Through showing Lucie his own love in the same way she did for him, he gains spiritual strength. He started his medical practice again apart from starting a normal life by living with his daughter. Also, he gave up his shoe making and returned to sanity.