“The Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens Essay Sample

In his novel Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens uses pairs of contrasting subjects to portray themes of duality throughout the narrative.  In particular, Dickens uses the characters Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, and the “Two Cities” mentioned in the title, Paris and London, to convey this theme.

The novel begins by illustrating the juxtaposition of "the best of times," being the orderly England, and the "worst of times" being revolutionary France (Dickens 3), establishing early on that duality will be a prominent theme of the rest of the novel. By expressing the antithesis of the two settings of the novel, Dickens makes clear the polarity of the French revolution, which makes it easier to understand the message of duality that the novel intends.

Throughout the novel, Dickens uses two characters who are said to look the exact same but act as each others’ opposites, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, to further emphasize the theme of duality. Darnay is a well-liked, former French aristocrat who is kind and gentlemanly, however, this is contrasted by Carton who is an alcoholic man who has no belief in himself or his ability to go anywhere further than his current position. The antithesis of the characters is asserted in the novel through all of their actions and how they carry out their relationships, particularly with how they handle their love for Lucie Manette. Carton believes that there is no way that Lucie will love him back, so when he goes to tell her of his love, he apologizes for his feelings and explains that he can ask for no love from her in return. This unconfident approach to the confession is heavily contrasted by Darnay who confidently goes to Lucie’s father to ask for his blessing to marry his daughter. When Dr. Manette says yes he then professes his love to Lucie and asks if she would want to marry him. This contrast in the way that they carry themselves in their endeavors accentuates their duality and further emphasizes this theme.

On the whole, Charles Dickens' Tale of Two Cities uses Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, as well as Paris and London, to create comparisons throughout the novel, serving to convey the message and theme of duality in the work.