In A Tale of Two Cities, Sydney
Carton has an idealized, romantic love for Lucie Manette. Since he cannot marry her as
she loves Charles Darnay and marries him, Carton settles for a platonic relationship
with Lucie; he pledges his loyalty and love to her, promising to do anything for her if
she needs him.
Having lived a dissolute life, Carton has
allowed Stryver to use him and take credit for his genius in solving cases. When he
sees his double Charles Darnay, Carton becomes aware of the opportunities that he has
wasted in his dissipated life. So, in Book the Third, when Carton learns that Darnay
has been imprisoned for the injustices of his father and his family, the Evremondes, he
decides to sacrifice what he perceives as his miserable life for the worthy life of
Darnay whom Lucie loves dearly. In keeping his pledge to Lucie, Carton finds worth to
his life:
"It
is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest
that I go to, that I have ever
known."
In contemplating his
sacrifice for his double, Charles Darnay, Carton knows that Lucie will be eternally
grateful. For this reason--and justifiably so--that Lucie will honor his name by giving
it to her child. In this way, Carton feels that he will attain some value as this child
grows and, with the noble characteristics of his parents, he will bring respectability
to Carton's name. Thus, by dying Carton will
live.
Remembering the verse from his boyhood, Carton
recites the words of Jesus:
Iam the Resurrection and the Life, saith the
Lord; he that believeth in me, though he were dead yet shall he live; and whosoever
liveth and believeth in me, shall never
die.
By dying, Carton is
resurrected through his love and sacrifice. He will live through Lucie's child who will
bear his name and become a worthy man. Sydney Carton dies knowing that his name and
memory will resurrect him as a much worthier man.
No comments:
Post a Comment