'A Tale of Two Cities'

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at Charles Dickens' famous work, 'A Tale of Two Cities'. The paper discusses how the shadow of death begins the novel and ends it. The paper further discusses the theme of shadows that are found all through the novel, penetrating into the light as they do in reality.

From the Paper:

"London and Paris in this novel are very much alike, except in two particulars: London is more "civilized", having already faced a huge change in Royal power with the creation of the Magna Charta. Secondly, London is Protestant and Paris is Catholic. London is also facing a civil war, as they see it, the revolt of the American Colonies. However, the environment of fear which invades every space in Paris is not present in London. London is safe territory. In a way, Paris is the shadow and London is the light. "
"It is not that Dickens did not see injustice committed by the British aristocracy, but that he saw the solutions as more humane, more logical and civilized. The atmosphere of pure unreasoned hate in Paris represents the uncivilized way of resolving injustice. Dickens points out in this novel how destructive hate can be, especially when it infects a mob and mob gains control. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bloom, Harold, ed. Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities. New York: Chelsea House, 1987.
• Newlin, George. Understanding A Tale of Two Cities: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998.

More papers on 'A Tale of Two Cities':

• Book Review # 695 : "Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities"
• Analytical Essay # 59175 : "Class Struggles in "A Tale of Two Cities"
• Analytical Essay # 51427 : "A Tale of Two Cities"
• Book Review # 108716 : "Fairy Tales and "A Tale of Two Cities"

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