The Defarges cannot separate themselves from the desire for retribution and, therefore, know none of the overwhelming happiness and hope that the Doctor feels.Īpocryphal of doubtful authorship or authenticity not genuine. The Doctor notes that 'there was a time in my imprisonment, when my desire for vengeance was unbearable,'but through Lucie's care he has overcome that need for revenge. However, the only future the Defarges look forward to is one of vengeance and retribution.

Lucie's happiness is a triumph for the Doctor because he has successfully kept his sorrows and hardships from tainting her future. For the Manettes, the future is bright and hopeful, filled with the promise of love and children. Both pairs take a quiet moment out of their busy lives to assess where their lives are going. No matter what he imagined, though, he could never have imagined the degree of happiness that Lucie brought into his life.ĭickens juxtaposes the idyllic scene of Lucie and her father with the previous scene between the Defarges in the wine-shop.

He relates to her that when he was in prison he would think of the child he had never known and wonder what its fate was. Doctor Alexandre Manette responds by telling her that marriage is a natural step for her to take and that he is grateful that his imprisonment has not shadowed her life as it has his. Lucie tells her father how happy she is and assures him that her love for Darnay will not interfere with their relationship. Unlike Doctor Manette, however, Carton inflicted his own imprisonment, and he lacks the strength to recall himself to life.The night before Lucie's wedding, she and her father sit outside and discuss her upcoming marriage. The strength of his love for a woman gives him the dream of freedom, but it also torments him because he cannot have her. All my life might have been.'Carton's situation somewhat parallels Doctor Alexandre Manette's imprisonment: As a young man, Carton has buried himself alive with a long, empty life stretching before him. Lucie suggests that he may still be able to redeem his life, but Carton states that it is too late he knows his. He tells her that although he is a hopeless case and can never reform, she revived his old dreams of leading a good life. He tells her, 'I am like one who died young. One August afternoon, Carton resolves to reveal his feelings to Lucie. He loves without hope, and his love for Lucie has made him aware of how much potential happiness he has squandered through his dissolute lifestyle. Many characters have secrets in A Tale of Two Cities, but none reveals itself as painfully as Sydney Carton's does. However, he wants her to know how deeply he loves her and that he would freely give his life for her and anyone she loved. Lucie suggests that he may still be able to redeem his life, but Carton states that it is too late he knows his nature, and he will only sink lower. One August afternoon, Carton resolves to reveal his feelings to Lucie.

A tale of two cities sparknotes