A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Austin Lee

Language and Literature Honors, Period 1

12/30/15

        “Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you’re not really losing it. You’re just passing it on to someone else”. This quote by Mitch Albom is directly related to A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. In this story, a man named Sydney Carton secretly exchanges places with Charles Darnay upon his execution so that Darnay’s wife Lucie will not lose her husband. In spite of evidence to the contrary, I believe that Sydney Carton’s actions were correct because he acted out of love for Lucie and ultimately became the hero of Dicken’s story.

        In my opinion, it is Carton’s love for Lucie which leads to his final act of heroism. This is evident in his speech to Lucie, the most important quote being: “For you, and for any dear to you, I would do anything. If my career were of that better kind that there was any opportunity or capacity of sacrifice in it, I would embrace any sacrifice for you and for those dear to you”. (Dickens, 156) Upon seeing the misery of Lucie and her child, he plans to sacrifice himself to comfort Lucie. He switches place with Darnay, remaining in the cell as Darnay is carried away to safety. Soon Carton is making the trying journey through a street full of bloodthirsty Revolutionaries. Next to him stands a poor young seamstress who has turned to him for comfort. Carton’s last moments are spent comforting this girl. Not only is he dying to save the life of another, but his final actions are those of kindness to a frightened fellow human being. Before the blade of the guillotine crashes down upon Sydney Carton, he reflects upon his existence and the journey of his life, ending up to his sacrifice. This is the end destined for Sydney Carton. He has grown in courage and valor, from a drunk dissatisfied with life to a hero finding his calling.

        Though to some it is clear that Carton’s actions are heroic, others argue that Carton’s death seems like an act of giving up. Those who take this viewpoint see Carton’s journey as the downward path of a miserable man and in dying, he is merely a coward giving up on a wasted life. After all, if he is so dissatisfied with life, how is his death a sacrifice? This argument can be strengthened by the fact that Carton realizes that he has wasted his life, even saying: “I am like the one who died young. All my life might have been”. (Dickens, 153) However, while it may seem like Carton’s sacrifice was only the surrender of a hopeless man’s life, there are a few reasons why the argument. First, if Carton had truly been giving up on life, he would not have chosen a sacrifice at the guillotine as the means of doing so. Second, though Carton does realize that he has wasted his life, he does not necessarily wish for death. As said before, Carton sees the agony of Lucie, and hears the heartbroken plea of her child. With these words and images burned into his mind, he realizes that there is only one path of action to take. Contrasting his life with Darnay’s, Carton sees a wasted lawyer loved by few and a family man loved by many. Carton is not trying to escape from life. He merely realizes that in offering his life for another of more worth, he could save from heartbreak those whom he loves most upon earth, Lucie and her family. There is no convoluted reasoning or complicated psychology behind Carton’s sacrifice. Carton’s life is not one of tragedy and misery, he instead grows from waste and drunkenness to love and heroism. Despite those who attempt to downplay his heroism, Carton is truly a courageous hero.

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