In this section of A Tale of Two
Cities, Charles doesn't actually renounce his title and inheritance, but he
certainly makes his intentions to do so quite clear to his uncle--the same uncle who
probably tried to get him convicted of treason and who would just as soon Charles was
dead.
This intent to renunciate is based on Charles' good
character as well as his understanding that his father and his uncle created a tainted
legacy, one which he had no desire to inherit. In chapter 9 he
says:
What is
it but a wilderness of misery and ruin?...To the eye it is fair enough here; but seen in
its integrity, under the sky, and by the daylight, it is a crumbling tower of waste,
mismanagement, extortion, debt, mortgage, hunger, nakedness, and
suffering.
Clearly Charles is
aware of the inequality and inherent unfairness of an aristocratic system,as well as the
fact that his family holdings are steeped in evil and pain--even though he is unaware of
the exact history. This intent to denunciate not only makes him a good man but a wise
one. Now, if only he had actually done it....
No comments:
Post a Comment