A Tale of Two Cities is often referred to as a story of men and revolution. In Book the Second, we have gotten a closer look at Madame Defarge and Lucie Manette. What are your feelings on these "Victorian" women and how Dickens is developing their characters? Which character intrigues you most? Why? (This post closes at midnight Friday, December 4, 2009)
4 comments:
I find Lucie Manette, the typical ‘Victorian’ woman, to be too fragile. The woman has no way to stand up for herself, and it is incredibly annoying. There is no zest within her; she only knows how to act proper and etiquette. On the other hand, Madame Defarge is quite intriguing; she has a very keen sense of wisdom. Through her knitting, she knits the name of people to die and the crimes they committed. Monsieur Defarge states, “It would be easier for the weakest poltroon that lives to erase himself from existence, than to erase one letter of his name or crimes from the knitted register of Madame Defarge.” It is obvious that each person’s name found within her knitting will soon only find death. Madame Defarge is proactive; she is enraged with the happenings around her and at least makes some attempt of revenge through her knitting. Dickens uses the difference in the women to symbolize the differences of France and England, along with the elite and the peasants. Madame Defarge is not blind to what is truly about to happen, while Lucie is blinded by the slightest light of reality.
Charles Dickens's novel A TALE OF TWO CITIES is a novel that is full of parallels and pairs. One such set of pairs is Lucie Mannette and Madame Defarge. These women are drastically different. Because of their differences, I admire them for different reasons. Lucie is admirable because she is such a kind, caring person. She only wants to do good things in the world, and she cares deeply about her fellow humans. She does not want to condemn Charles Darnay to death when he is on trial even though she hardly knows him. When Carton confesses his love for her, she does not laugh at him and scoff the feelings of a drunken, miserable man. She attempts to console him and restore some sort of joy into his life. Furthermore, she is endlessly loyal to her father. She cares for him above anyone, including herself. She professes that she would not marry the man she loves if she thought it would keep her apart from her father. This loyalty is undoubtedly admirable. Madame Defarge, on the other hand, is a respectable character because she is such a strong woman. She is the driving force behind her husband and the entire French Revolution. She controls so much and holds such a great deal of power. In addition, she is full of absolute wisdom and patience. She cautions her husband to be patient because all great things take time. These Victorian women are drastically different, and I admire them both equally. Both Lucie’s kindness and loyalty and Madame Defarge’s wisdom and strength make these women equally intriguing to me. These women prove that A TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens is more than just “a story of men and revolution.”
-LSt. 0 Block
With prominent female characters like Madame Defarge and Lucie Manette, A Tale of Two Cities is more a story of women and revolution. Both women play large roles. Lucie effectively saves the Doctor of Beauvais from destruction; she would do anything for the sake of her father. This is extremely touching, but sometimes it borders on perverse obsession. Dickens reveals more of Lucie’s affections as the story continues. In the other of the two cities, Madame Defarge is the brain and backbone of the revolutionary movement. Madame Defarge is the more intriguing of the two ladies; she has a more active part in the story (in the physical sense), and her silent knitting is very ominous and interesting. Her part in the revolution becomes more and more evident as Dickens continues to weave his tale.
JJ-0
Although Dickens creates Lucie Manette to be the "Victorian" woman stereotype, she is not quite as weak and helpless as it may seem. She actually has a variety of strengths that she shows throughout Book the Second. For example, Lucie shows compassion for Sydney Carton, a man who no one respects for his lack of value, and convinces Charles Darnay, her new husband, to treat him more respectfully. However, when compared to Madame Defarge, Lucie does seem a bit daintier. Madame Defarge is strong and powerful. She is in league with the men of the Revolution, and Monsieur Defarge even tells the men that she is very loyal to the cause and to trust her. She displays the power she has when she reminds her husband that revenge must be well planned and cannot be taken in hast. Madame Defarge knits people apart with death, but Lucie Manette holds people together with compassion and kindness. I am most intrigued by Lucie Manette because she has an underlying strength that links the characters of the novel together rather than tear them apart.
BK-0
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