Body Biography of Charles Darnay

        

  In Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Darnay is a sensible, honest, and loving man.  Darnay says,"I would abandon it, and live otherwise and elsewhere. It is little to relinquish. What is is but a wilderness of misery and ruin?", which tells the audience that Darnay is a sensible man how does not care much about his family's wealth and aristocracy (Dickens 95).  He believes that money sullies one's character, and he would rather live his life with the pride of knowing he worked for his money.  This quote emphasizes his sensibility by highlighting his ability to see himself as just another man, who should work and live just the same as an average citizen.  I placed this quote on Darnay's brain because that is where we think, which he definitely does a lot of in order to be such a sensible person.  In addition, Darnay says,"I wish to tell you what that is, and why I am in England" to Dr. Manette, just as he is asking him for him daughter's hand in marriage (Dickens 104).  This quote discusses Darnay's honesty.  The fact that he is upfront with Dr. Manette and is willing to tell him the truth, even if it makes the doctor deny him as the right man for his daughter, shows that he is very truthful.  He clearly doesn't let himself weave webs of lies.  He would rather be honest even if it gets him into trouble, however in this situation it proved to be benevolent.  I placed this quote on his eye because the eyes are said to be the windows to the soul, and being the honest man he is, he has very clear windows to his soul, as he has no secrets.  Finally, he says," Dear Doctor Manette, I love your daughter fondly, dearly, disinterestedly, devotedly. If ever there were love in the world, I love her"(Dickens 101).  This evidence tells the reader that Darnay is a loving person.  He talks about Lucie in such a raw and fervent way, which leads one to believe that he is affectionate, and fully devotes himself to the people he holds dear to his heart.  I placed this quote on his heart because, although it's not biologically accurate, the heart is where one does their loving.  The flowers in his haand also represent how affectionate he is, as flowers are common symbols for love.  The traits of sensibility, honesty, and love evidently compose Darnay's moral character.

Light/Dark Analysis

          In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens uses light and dark to set a hopeful tone for Dr. Manette and his daughter Lucie's relationship.  Primarily, Dickens writes,"His cold white head mingled with her radiant hair, which warmed and lighted it as though it were the light of freedom shining on him", revealing to the audience that Lucie, represented by her hair, will be the light for her father (Dickens 34).  He has been imprisoned for almost 18 years, so to him, she means freedom.  He no longer has to lead a lonely life of darkness, which definitely puts some bit of hope in him.  In addition, Dickens writes,"The darkness deepened and deepened, as they both lay quiet, until a light gleamed through the chinks in the wall", where their darkness represents their lives before meeting and their light represents each other (Dickens 36).  The way the light appears in the shadowy room is similar to the way this father-daughter duo changes each other's lives in the sense that they both bring hope to a seemingly hopeless situation.  Finally, Dickens says,"Under the over-swinging lamps--swinging ever brighter in the better streets, and ever dimmer in the worse..."(Dickens 37).  This quote helps set the tone for their relationship because it discusses how there is more "light", or hope, in the better "streets", or times in their lives.  This means that they will probably experience bad times together, but the hope that they provide for each other will get them through it.  This supports the idea that they are both the light for one another, and they make each other's lives more hopeful.  The recurring idea of light and dark sets a hopeful tone for Lucie and Dr. Manette's relationship.

The Wine-Shop and Foreshadowing

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
"The Wine-shop"

          If you've read A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, you will most likely recognize the scene illustrated above as "The Wine-shop" (Chapter 5).  My illustration of this famous scene is from the perspective of a citizen who is passing through the center of action.  The language, vocabulary, and detail used to depict the scene foreshadow what is to happen in later chapters of the book. "The Wine-shop" contains a great deal of foreshadowing about the French Revolution and the blood and violence that it entails.  Dickens states,"Some men kneeled down, made scoops of their two hands joined, and sipped...others made small mud embankments, to stem the wine as it ran"(Dickens 21), meaning some people drank and enjoyed the wine, while others made efforts to stop its flowing. This foreshadows that people will act in a similar manner during the Revolution. Some people will fight and support the violence, while others will attempt to cease it. In addition, Dickens writes,"Those who had been greedy with the staves of the cask, had acquired a tigerish smear about the mouth"(Dickens 21).  This quote foreshadows how citizens will be affected by the Revolution, based on their actions.  He who acts gluttonous with violence will be the one who tarnishes his reputation and leaves a permanent scar on his name.  Finally, Dickens says,"The time was to come, when that wine [blood] would too be spilled on the street-stones, and when the stain of it would be red upon the many there"(Dickens 22), foreshadowing how violence will soon break out in France.  The wine represents the blood and violence that will occur on this very street.  The ones with the "stains" of the blood will be those causing and encouraging the brutality.  Foreshadowing plays a strong role in this chapter.