A Tale of Two Cities Group at eNotes

Dickens uses the footsteps to foreshadow(to give hints to add curiosity...

Sat, 4 Oct 2008 03:30:25 PST

Dickens uses the footsteps to foreshadow(to give hints to add curiosity to the reader) the hundred of footsteps of the revolution that will soon occur in Paris. He is foreshadowing the many lives that will be lost and all the people who'll end up lonely in the revolution soon to come in Paris.

The use of foreshadowing is key in Chapter 6 of Book II as on a Sunday...

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:59:35 PST

The use of foreshadowing is key in Chapter 6 of Book II as on a Sunday afternoon, Charles Darnay tells Lucie that workmen have come upon the cell in which her father, Dr. Manette, has been imprisoned; they find the letters "D.I.G." After this remark, Manette becomes disturbed, but recovers. Miss Pross brings tea, and Sydney Carton "lounges" in, but there are no "hundreds of people" visiting as Miss Pross has...

Lucie states that she believes they represent the footsteps of all the...

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 08:28:01 PST

Lucie states that she believes they represent the footsteps of all the people who have come and gone in their lives, for good or ill. Though "A Tale of Two Cities" does not have the huge cast of characters as do most of Dickens's other novels, there are still many people who have some effect on the lives of the main characters. Darnay, however, says, "A multitude of people, and yet a solitude!? To him, the footsteps...

What do the footsteps represent in Book 2 chapter 6 of "A Tale of...

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 06:01:23 PST

What do the footsteps represent in Book 2 chapter 6 of "A Tale of Two Cities"?

The author gives us a clear hint that Mr. Lorry's mission resurrects...

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:18:39 PST

The author gives us a clear hint that Mr. Lorry's mission resurrects issues from his own past through metaphor. He describes the gentleman's thoughts as he awaits dinner, noting that "his mind was busily digging, digging, digging, in the live red coals". The phrase "live red coals" expresses the idea that the memories recalled because of his mission, whatever they are, are still sensitive and perhaps very painful.As...

What hints are there in Chapter 4 of "A Tale of Two Cities"...

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:08:16 PST

What hints are there in Chapter 4 of "A Tale of Two Cities" that Mr. Lorry's secret mission resurrects some issues from his own past?

The mood of chapter 2 is dark and uncertain. It is late at night and the...

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:51:13 PST

The mood of chapter 2 is dark and uncertain. It is late at night and the roads are muddy. There is a mist rising and the coachman is filled with fear of robbers. This mood of darkness and fear parallels the darkness of Dr. Manette's prison and the moral darkness of Revolutionary France.The second part of your question has already been answered on enotes at the following...

I think that the choice of the Cathedral as the meeting place for Jerry...

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:33:16 PST

I think that the choice of the Cathedral as the meeting place for Jerry and Miss Pross to continue their escape at the end of A Tale of Two Cities is part of a motif that connects goodness with Christianity. The location of the Cathedral symbolizes the essential goodness of their cause as well as Jerry's recent decision to leave the his life of crime and give up grave robbing. In an opposite manner, Madame Defarge, who Miss Pross meets up...

What is the mood of chapter 2 of "A Tale of Two Cities"? What...

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:57:45 PST

What is the mood of chapter 2 of "A Tale of Two Cities"? What does the phrase "Recalled to Life" mean?

In "A Tale of Two Cities," what does Cruncher's and Miss Pross's meeting...

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:52:50 PST

In "A Tale of Two Cities," what does Cruncher's and Miss Pross's meeting place at the cathedral symbolize?

Of the many personal qualities that detail the dehumaninizing effects of...

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:26:37 PST

Of the many personal qualities that detail the dehumaninizing effects of captivity on Dr. Manette, the first that stands out is the faintness of his voice. This reflects the hopelessness about being "heard" by anyone. His eyes are "haggard" and look up with a "dull mechanical perception." He has a "vacant air" devoid of life and joy and love of life. His clothes are "tattered" and he is...

Charles Darnay and Lucie are now married and they depart on their...

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:25:42 PST

Charles Darnay and Lucie are now married and they depart on their honeymmon. The trauma of being separated from his daughter is too much and suddenly without himself being aware of it, Dr.Manette relapses into being a cobbler. This strange condition lasts for nine days. However on the tenth morning Dr.Manette is his usual self. Mr Jarvis Lorry wishes to avoid another relapse. But he has to do it without Dr.Manette himself being alerted...

The Doctor says that the only thing that could bring another relapse to...

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:51:44 PST

The Doctor says that the only thing that could bring another relapse to the patient is "a strong and extraordinary revival of the train of thought and remembrance that was the first cause of the malady". In other words, there has "long been a dread lurking in his mind", but the patient, being well now, is no longer aware of it - as long as he does not remember it, he is fine. The only thing that would cause another...

In Chapter 19 of "Tale of Two Cities", what is the only thing...

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:37:35 PST

In Chapter 19 of "Tale of Two Cities", what is the only thing the Doctor says could bring about another relapse?

Jerry Cruncher is one of the most interesting and colorful characters in...

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:49:41 PST

Jerry Cruncher is one of the most interesting and colorful characters in A Tale of Two Cities. He speaks with a "common" dialect, full of colloquial words and slang, such as "If you must go flopping yourself down, flop in favour of your husband and child, and not in opposition to 'em. If I had had any but a unnat'ral wife, and this poor boy had had any but a unnat'ral mother, I might have made some money last week instead of...

The dialect of Jerry Cruncher is a dialect of the lower classes of...

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:48:06 PST

The dialect of Jerry Cruncher is a dialect of the lower classes of London society and in Victorian England, class was often associated with moral or ethical standards. Thus someone who spoke with such a low class dialect would be expected to have low morals, which indeed Cruncher does. He is the lowest of the low, stealing corpses to sell them would be considered a heinous crime during his time. It is crass, course and vulgar, just as is...

Sydney's lack of ambition as well as his coarse manners and alcoholism...

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:40:19 PST

Sydney's lack of ambition as well as his coarse manners and alcoholism which make any ambitions he may have ever had dubious, are the reason he is content to remain an employee of Stryver. There Sydney can work on what interests him, and drink away the rest of his time. He does not have the organization, drive, and work ethic to run his own business. The partnership between Stryver and Carton is good for both of them. Styver does not...

Despite Sydney's brilliance in "A Tale of Two Cities", he...

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:02:47 PST

Despite Sydney's brilliance in "A Tale of Two Cities", he seems content to remain the employee of Stryver. How do you explain this?

In the chapter entitled "The Shoemaker", there are several...

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:40:13 PST

In the chapter entitled "The Shoemaker", there are several indications that Dr. Manette's captivity has been dehumanizing. The most significant is revealed when he is asked his name and responds with "One Hundred and Five, North Tower". His captivity has robbed him of his identity and left him with his location as his only claim. Another indication of his lost humanity is his inability to answer questions. When asked...

What details suggest the dehumanizing effects of Dr. Manette's captivity...

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:10:21 PST

What details suggest the dehumanizing effects of Dr. Manette's captivity in "A Tale of Two Cities"?