The singular wish of Sydney Carton as expressed in his
conversation with the poor seamstress who is to be executed with him is to follow
through on his resolve to sacrifice his life for the happiness of Lucie Darnay and her
child. His second desire, though not directly expressed, is to extend his newfound
dignity and sense of humanity to include the need of the little
seamstress.
Sydney Carton has lived a degenerate life
because of a fatal flaw, which is his inability to find the strength to make something
of his life. Gifted with uncommon intelligence, he works as a lackey for a lawyer who
has none of his abilities because he has no ambition and cannot rise above the curse of
his alcoholism. Carton recognizes his weaknesses and longs to overcome them, but cannot
find it within himself to do so. His one redeeming characteristic is his love for Lucie,
even though he understands that he can never attain her because of the life he leads. As
he carries out his plan to sacrifice his life so that Charles Darnay, the man Lucie
loves, can live, Carton finds a sense of fulfillment and peace. His newfound feeling of
self-worth gives him a nobility he has never experienced, and as a human being newly
realized and with something to give, he is able to love others besides Lucie, as he
promises to hold the hand of the frightened little seamstress to the
last.
It is significant that, among the few words
attributed to Carton in this exchange, is his clear declaration that he is dying for the
wife and child of Darnay. The seamstress, upon recognizing that Carton is not the man
she knows as "Citizen Evremonde," asks him if he is dying for Darnay, and while Carton
does not deny this, he makes it clear that he is giving himself for "his wife and child"
as well. This is the wish of Sydney Carton at that moment, to do what he can for his
beloved Lucie, and those who are dear to her because they are what makes her happy. In
the act of giving, "his heart...warm(s) and soften(s) to this pitiable girl;" he
achieves the other overriding desire in his life and becomes a fully realized human
being, capable of love that is real and substantial, worthy, and valuable to the world
(Book the Third, Chapter 13).
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