Duty and Sacrifice in Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities

Introduction: Dickens' Dichotomy

Charles Dickens' 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities deals with the dichotomous nature of man: the good and the bad, the selfish and the selfless. These two natures are observed in the two — ironically look-alike — characters of the dutiful Charles Darnay and the derelict Sydney Carton. Just as the novel embodies a dichotomy, shown in its famous opening line that "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times" (3), Sydney Carton also embodies a dichotomy: selfish and destructive throughout the tale, he performs one heroic deed in the novel's climax by sacrificing his life for Darnay's.

Dickens appears to be sending the message that one good action — such as Carton's — can make up for a lifetime of bad ones. He also appears to be following the Christian ethic that states that no greater love exists than that a man lay down his life for his neighbor. This paper argues that Dickens' theme is developed through the character of Darnay, who demonstrates duty, and the character of Carton, who demonstrates sacrifice.

In a sense, the antagonist of Dickens' tale is a kind of menace whose effects are felt in two ways: in the bloody, violent revolution underway in Paris, and in the unbloodied but drunken antics of the lawyer Sydney Carton. The novel begins with the return of Miss Manette's father, who has been unjustly imprisoned in France. The Manettes are represented as kind, humble, and virtuous people whose sufferings have taken a toll — especially on the father. Both Darnay and Carton profess their love for Miss Manette, but having chosen the former, she rejects the latter. Carton, who understands that he is not worthy of her love anyway, still vows to be true to her despite his unseemliness: "In the hour of my death, I shall hold sacred the one good remembrance…that my last avowal of myself was made to you" (191). In this respect, there is something inside Carton that mirrors the good nature of the dutiful Darnay.

Darnay's Sense of Duty

Because Darnay is so dutiful, his life is thrown into danger. The duty that Darnay demonstrates is owed to a servant of his father's. The servant has been imprisoned by the mob in Paris, and Darnay, out of loyalty, returns to his homeland to set the servant free. The full extent of Darnay's commitment to duty is revealed here: he knowingly walks into a trap set for him by the revolutionary, bloodthirsty, anti-aristocratic mob, best represented by the Defarges — especially Madame Defarge, also known as "The Vengeance."

His life being sought, Darnay is himself imprisoned and sentenced to death on the guillotine. His new wife, Lucie Manette, is grief-stricken. What seems like a new opportunity for Carton to pursue his love interest actually becomes an opportunity for Dickens to unravel the fullness of his theme: that love cannot exist without duty and sacrifice — a truth that Carton will now come to realize.

Carton's Sacrifice and Redemption

Carton, who throughout the novel has shown no interest in the brotherhood of man, now understands what true brotherhood means. He takes the place of Darnay so that Manette's husband may return to her unharmed. Carton offers up his own life for the happiness of the one "pure and innocent" girl he loves (191). All of his previous distasteful actions are erased in this one noble and virtuous act of self-sacrifice.

This moment represents the moral turning point of the novel. Dickens uses Carton's transformation not merely as a plot device but as the embodiment of his central argument: that even a deeply flawed individual is capable of an act of profound goodness. Dickens scholars have long noted the strong Christian allegorical dimensions of Carton's final act, likening it to a form of secular martyrdom.

Works Cited

Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. New York, NY: Grosset & Dunlap, 1948. Print.