Tale Of Two Cities Redemption Analysis

The Long Path to Redemption

Many people in the world today are looking for some sort of redemption for an act they have committed in the past. This is the same for many characters in A Tale of Two Cities, who have committed, willingly or unwillingly, immoral acts to others in their past. By the end of the book, however, Dickens shows that many of these characters, each facing their own wildly different issues, are still redeemed by the end. Regardless of the external and internal struggles characters suffer from, the theme of redemption illustrates that no one is a lost cause and that everyone can be saved.
One character who redeems himself against his internal struggles is Doctor Manette. When Jarvis and Lucie are discussing their imminent

Carton is in a negative spiral to start the book and finally hits rock bottom during Book Two. While having his conversation with Lucie during Chapter 13, he states he is “a fire, however, inseparable in its nature from myself, quickening nothing, lighting nothing, doing no service, idly burning away” (pg. 157). This is where Carton sums up the life he has had so far and compares it to a fire. His “fire” is just burning away slowly without setting fire to anything else. In this analogy, setting fire to something would be finding something Carton is interested in, or a sense of purpose for his life. This is his mental struggle that he feels he needs to redeem himself from but does not know how to. However, Carton finally finds his purpose in life after his conversation with Lucie, which is to help her and her family. Throughout the rest of the book, Sydney keeps a respectful distance from the family but also stops by to be a good family friend. Dickens states that Carton would “some half-dozen times a year, at most…would sit among them through the evening, as he had once done often. He never came there heated with wine.” (pg. 203) This illustrates that Carton is making good progress to redeeming himself and reaching his goal. Once a chronic drunk, Carton at least can refrain from drinking around the Darnay family, showing his increased respect and care for others. His final act in the world, however, is what brings him full redemption for his struggle. As Darnay is sentenced to the guillotine, Carton decides to take his place and die for him, and for his family. Dickens sums up what Carton died for with a soliloquy, where he says, “I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants…I know that each was not more honoured and held sacred in the other’s soul, than I was in the souls of both.” Even though Carton