The Time

Dickens opens the novel A Tale of Two cities with a string of comparisons which highlight the uncertainty and ambiguity in the surroundings. He says"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way".
 

Dickens identifies the gloominess and joy in every atom of existence. Everything that exists is never in its entirety only what is said to exist. He says that “the best of times” are also” the worst of times” because along with those singing hymns at the birth of their child, are those who wail when burying their dead. In every “age of wisdom” there are always those who remain aloof. He mentions a positive time to incite joy in his readers and then identifies the opposite of that quotient to replace the positivity with negativity; as if he wants to eradicate any apathy in the readers. Every visual he initially constructs in the reader’s mind, he deconstructs it later to leave the reader’s mind in state of disarray; in a sense of confusion and ambivalence, thereby setting the tone for the rest of the novel. Also,he outlines the importance of time in this paragraph because regardless of the fact that the"spring of hope " was also the season of Darkness" , as this very time would never come back. Thus regardless of the time being good or bad,Dickens says value this time because it will never turn back.