Power Of One

In the historical novel Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens displays a masterful ability to write and grasp various writing techniques. Dickens' style can be accurately described as descriptively symbolic with a flair for carrying themes throughout his novel. His style can be divided into the various techniques that he used. The predominant techniques were symbolism, multiple perspective, and a strong character contrast.

Dickens had a major emphasis on certain themes and carried them throughout the book. The themes dominated most of the underlying causes of character's actions and events that happened. The most predominant theme in the entire book is justice. Doctor Manette received justice by being freed from the Bastille. The Marquis received justice from Gaspard for killing Gaspard's child. The nobility in general received justice from the populace during the revolution. Darnay received justice by being vindicated in the first trial and being rescued in the second. But most importantly, Madб­Ò Defarge received justice from Miss Pross by being shot.

Another major theme in the book was redemption. The book begins with an initial redemption story. When Doctor Manette was set free from the Bastille, he was completely lost to the world around him. He was consumed in his prison world that his mind had created for him over eighteen years. However his daughter, Lucie, was able to redeem him from this and restore him to his former self after the doctor was "recalled to life." Doctor Manette's relapses back into his old state of mind are symbolic of a Christian's struggle with sin nature even after they have been redeemed by Christ. Charles Darnay was redeemed from the name Evrй­Ð‡nde, a name that had been associated with tyranny. By the end of the book, readers began to associate Evrй­Ð‡nde with Charles Darnay and his legacy of integrity instead of the legacy of the late Marquis.

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