A Tale Of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities

This novel was written by Charles Dickens; it was published in 1859, & shows certain interest about the repression towards the British society of that time.

The story, as the name says, takes place between two cities: London & Paris within the French revolution, which was in bloom. London symbolizes peace; meanwhile Paris is a clear representation of chaos, challenge & violence. It’s 1775 & there are many problems in the French campaign, people are hungry & must pay high taxes. The story tells that eight-teen years ago a French doctor, named Dr. Manette, was taken to prison without an explanation or a fair trial. He was locked up in the worse place, ‘The Bastille’ for almost two decades. After getting his liberty, Ernst Defarge, an old servant of his, offers him a place to live. Mister Lorry, a very fine & gentle British man has a particular mission: Take the French doctor to England so he can live in peace with his daughter.

Even though Dr. Manette is a free man he passes his days making shoes within the walls of his dark room, as he was used to do while being in prison. Fortunately he has the most perfect daughter, Lucie, the little girl who he left 18 years ago is now a radiant smiling woman & she is the only person who can help him.

In 1780, five years later, Dr. Manette is a new man. He’s back to his job & lives in a little house with his daughter Lucie someplace in Soho. They don’t have much money, Dr. Manette’s cash was taken in France, but Lucie brings happiness to their lives. Although the happiness she brings falls apart because of Charles Darnay, a young man who provides the French government secret information, Dr. Manette & Lucie are called as witnesses of a trial about betrayal against Charles Darnay; but thanks’ to a touching testimony by Lucie, Charles is set free.

Once Charles is let go, he realizes about the perfection of Lucie & visits her almost every day. Sydney carton, the lawyer of Charles, is a guy with a very doubtable reputation but a very nice man & he also likes Lucie. Charles is brilliant, good & perfect; otherwise Sydney has none of those qualities & is a man with no appreciation for him.

Even though Sydney loves Lucie with all his strength he is sure he doesn’t deserve her & he tells her why she would never love him, she agrees with him & offers him help to become a better person, but he prefers to drown in his misery.

Unlike Sydney, Charles is a lucky man & marries Lucie; the day of their wedding he spills a little secret to his new father, Dr. Manette, Charles confesses to be a French aristocrat (Marques Evrémonde), the interesting thing is that the evil brothers Evrémonde were the ones who sent to jail Dr. Manette years ago, obviously the doctor freaks out but he realizes that Charles is nothing like his father

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