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.