Tale Of Two Cities Mob Analysis

Throughout A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens utilized his expressive descriptions of the mobs of Britain and France to create distinct similarities and differences between the two countries. One major similarity of the two mobs is their desire for revenge. In England, the mob is driven to revenge after they find out that in the hearse was a spy against the crown. Instead of mourning the death, they instead use it to act against traitors of the country: “The crowd approached; they were bawling and hissing round a dingy hearse and dingy mourning coach, in which mourning coach there was only one mourner, dressed in the dingy trappings that were considered essential to the dignity of the position” (Dickens 14). This quote shows that the crowd was not there to grieve for the lost, but instead to take action for what the deceased had done before. In France, the people wanted revenge against the oppressive leadership and luxurious lifestyles of the rich in society. Upon finding out that the aristocrats have lost their property, they decide to take action by invading one of France’s most tightly guarded prisons, the Bastille.

The quote: “A tremendous roar arose from the throat of Saint Antoine, and a forest of naked arms struggled in the air like shriveled branches of trees in a winter wind: all the fingers convulsively clutching at every weapon or semblance of a weapon that was thrown up from the depths below, no matter how far off” (21) shows how the people were arming up for the bloodshed that was to