Rebirth and Resurrection Through Sacrifice

Rebirth and Resurrection through Sacrifice

Every novel has a theme hidden within the story’s lines. A theme is the main topic or subject that is shown repetitively throughout the story through the story’s line of events. A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens, has many themes that are shown throughout the story. The most prominent theme that is shown through out A Tale of Two Cities is the idea, “rebirth or resurrection is possibly through sacrifice”. There are many events that occur which support this idea of resurrection through sacrifice. The “rebirth and resurrection is possible through sacrifice” theme is shown when Carton saves Darnay for Lucie, Lorry resurrects Dr. Manette, and the Defarges sacrifice their entire lives for the French Revolution get started.

The resurrection theme was shown when Carton saved Darnay from dying for Lucie. Sydney Carton is a man who thinks his life has been completely wasted. But caring for Lucie Manette made him realize that the only way to feel worthy of his life was to do something for Lucie, even if it meant giving up his life. This chance comes along for Sydney Carton when Darnay was sentenced to die before the guillotine. Sydney Carton sacrifices his life for Lucie by switching places with Charles Darnay to save him. As a fellow prisoner asks, “‘Are you dying for him?’ She whispered. ‘And his wife and child. Hush! Yes.’” Sydney Carton replies (Dickens 360). By replacing his life with Darnay’s life, Carton, in a way, is resurrecting two lives instead of one. Firstly, he is saving Darnay’s life by letting him live and secondly, he is saving himself and using his life for a noble purpose. So for Carton, by dying, he is helping himself gain some satisfaction (sense of worth) by sacrificing himself. In this way, the resurrection theme is shown by Carton sacrificing himself to save Darnay’s life.

Secondly, the rebirth and resurrection theme was shown when Lorry resurrected Dr. Manette from jail. Dr. Manette had been put in prison because of a misunderstanding between some aristocrats and himself. Mr. Lorry had been a friend of Dr. Manette but was strictly a man of business. He never liked to get friendly with his co-workers or his customers. But Mr. Lorry let down his guard to help Lucie Manette go to her father and help him get back to health. As Mr. Lorry was talking to Lucie Manette, “‘But he has been-been found. He is alive. Greatly changed…Your father has been taken to the house of an old servant in Paris…:you, to restore him to life, love, duty, rest, comfort,’” (26). Mr. Lorry informed Lucie of the situation and slowly got close to the family to help Lucie nurse Dr. Manette back to health. The resurrection theme is shown by Mr. Lorry rebirth