Phew. Completing this book was a personal victory! A few times, I have
picked it up, attempted to read it, I got to maybe the third chapter and gave
up. I am so glad I persevered this time as it is such a fantastic book.
I really wish that one of my professors had taken it up in one of my
classes where we could have spent up to two weeks, peeling back the many
layers that exist and exploring the multiple themes and ideals that run
throughout the book. When I finished reading the last sentence and
closed the book, the first feeling I got was of being overwhelmed. I was
overwhelmed with the deplorable things that occurred during the French
Revolution. I was overwhelmed with the many accounts of intense
sacrifice that Charles Dickens takes up. I was overwhelmed with the fact that a
seemingly "stuffy" and somewhat difficult book, moved me the way it did.
I was overwhelmed with the talent and skill that Dickens demonstrates
in his style. I was overwhelmed that this book is both intimate and epic in its nature.
Prior
to discussing the book itself, there are just a few negatives (if one can call
them that), perhaps they are more warnings to potential readers. First,
be prepared for extremely long sentences and excessive description.
Though both of these characterize much of Dickens writings, it can be
difficult to plow through! Second, it was first published in 1859, so
it's only natural that the language matches the time period.
This
is the first fictional book that I have done a review on, and due to the
complexities of the plot (and so I don't spoil it for those of you who
have yet to read it!), I will steer clear of laying out what occurs -
you'll just have to read it for yourself :) With well over 200 million
copies sold, and with a high ranking in the literature world, it is safe
to say that you have to read this book! But in case you are still not convinced, let me lay out some of the themes and motifs that I noticed, in the hopes that it will pique your interest.
First
of all, it's important to note that the narrator is anonymous and could
very well be Dickens himself. I would say that the narrator is always
sympathetic with the positive and morally good characters and with those
who aren't so good, the narrator both criticizes them and yet
understands that their circumstances have shaped them as such. The
narrator is also third person omniscient, meaning that the focus
switches often between cities and characters and also that the narrator
sees all emotions, thoughts and motives.
Let's begin with the
general themes of the book. (A theme is a fundamental, and often
universal, idea that runs through a literary work.) As previously
alluded to, A Tale of Two Cities deals with the vitality and
mandatory matter of sacrifice. Obviously, as it is set in the French
Revolution, sacrifice was something that literally occurred multiple
times a day. But not only is sacrifice seen nationally, it is also
experienced personally. Dickens seems to hone in on the belief that
sacrifice is necessary in order to obtain true contentment and
happiness. I'm not 100% sure in my own mind, that that is true in life. I
do believe that selfishness gets a person nowhere, but I'm not fully
convinced that the other extreme (that sacrifice must occur to be happy)
is true. Something to ponder!
Another general theme that runs
throughout is the glorious idea of resurrection, rebirth and renewal. In
a book filled with darkness, evil and death, the times when this theme
is visible, it reminds me of a flower growing in the midst of thorns and
weeds. The book is divided (by Dickens), into three books: Book the
First - Recalled to Life, Book the Second - The Golden Thread, and Book
the Third - The Track of a Storm. The following is a passage from Book
the First which provides an example of one of the many ways Dickens
explores how resurrection/renewal is displayed. (To provide a bit of
context, one of the main characters keeps having a reoccurring dream in
which the conversation is always the same.)
A hundred times the dozing passenger inquired of this spectre:
"Buried how long?"
The answer was always the same. "Almost eighteen years."
"You had abandoned all hope of being dug out?"
"Long ago."
"You know that you are recalled to life?"
"They tell me so."
"I hope you care to live?"
"I
can't say."...Though the earth was cold and wet, the sky was clear, and
the sun rose bright, placid and beautiful. "Eighteen years!" said the
passenger, looking at the sun. "Gracious creator of day! To be buried
alive for eighteen years!"
Dickens also analyzes the theme of
revolution and transformation in a somewhat ambivalent manner. While he
seems to support the general cause, he does not support the methods
behind achieving it. He also does not choose which class of society to
support, for he condemns both the nobility and the peasants and the
strategies both groups use. It is only in the final chapter, that
Dickens concisely states his opinion on this extremely significant event
in history: "Sow the same seed of
rapacious license and oppression over again, and it will surely
yield the same fruit according to its kind.”
(I want to
interject here just to aid in helping to differentiate between a theme
and a motif. A theme is an overall idea and a motif is something that
has symbolic significance and contributes to the development of the
present themes.) Perhaps the greatest motif Dickens uses in conveying
these themes is his use of doubles throughout the entire book. As the
title suggests, Dickens seeks to tell his story both in London and Paris. Even his famous opening quote ("It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." ) gives way to the fact that doubles will be central in the narrative.
Doubles are also seen in all central characters, for example, the two
most important females in the text are perfectly opposed to each other.
The use of doubles strengthens and asserts the thematic elements and not
only shows the stark contrasts that exist (both in settings and in
characters) but it also illuminates the hidden parallels that are subtly
present.
Another motif that Dickens makes use of to further
develop the themes, is imprisonment. Every character is imprisoned in
some way, whether it be literally or symbolically. For some, it is mere
memories that keep them confined. For others, it is a struggle against
what they cannot change that binds them.
Dickens is a master at
elaborately weaving together a tale which has all the components to make
it well-rounded. Suspense, reunions, joy, disaster, romance, grief,
life, death, war, family, enemies, the past, present and future, and
social issues are just some of those to name a few! His descriptions,
although at times excessively long, paint such a vivid and elaborate
picture that the reader can smell the smells, see the sights and hear
the sounds that are being experienced by the characters. The edition I
read, was published by the Modern Library, and on the inside book jacket
they state this, which I thought I must pass on: "The most famous and
perhaps the most popular of (Dickens) works, it compresses an event of
immense complexity to the scale of a family history, with a cast of
characters...as believably flawed as any in modern fiction."
This
edition also included Dickens' preface to the first edition from which I
quote, "Throughout its (the book) execution, it had complete possession
of me; I have so far verified what is done and suffered in these pages,
as that I have done and suffered it all myself...it has been one of my
hopes to add something to the popular and picturesque means of
understanding that terrible time..."
I feel I am grossly
inadequate to provide an acceptable review for this book! Indeed, I have
only scratched the surface of what I personally noticed and enjoyed and
there is so much more. I leave you with the very last sentence of the
book. The sentence which, even though I read it three days ago, still
runs in my mind and is a grand way to end such a book. May it whet your
appetite to discover who said it, why they were saying it and its
meaning - for when you discover the answers, you will enjoy it only
more!
"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 than I have ever known."
As always, comments are welcome :)
