Madame Defarge In A Tale Of Two Cities

Little by little, a ball of yarn can be fabricated into a scarf. Slowly but surely, each effort against oppression can lead to a nationwide rebellion, such as the French Revolution. Having been immortalized in the novel A Tale of Two Cities, this life-changing event for many French peasants is described by Dickens in a crystal clear way that even modern readers are able to picture it in their minds. An unthought-of, but simple comparison is made to a common pastime activity usually enjoyed by ladies. Knitting exemplifies the outspread, secretive, and violent aspects of the French Revolution in its early days.
It is happening everywhere. Inhabitants of all the regions of Paris are acting up. Other people in France are following their lead. Eventually,
The revolutionaries are very secretive about their actions in the beginning. If caught, the punishment could have been death. Madame Defarge is a fervent member of this movement as well as a knitter. Her pugnacious spirit is undying, but it is not often seen. In the same way, it is repeatedly stated that “Madame Defarge knitted with nimble fingers and steady eyebrows, and saw nothing” (42). She is definitely aware of her surroundings and probably even more observant than others. However, she purposefully hides that fact the same way she hides the many defiant activities she does to push the revolution along.
Stitch after stitch, a death sentence is being weaved into Madame Defarge’s knitting. Every pattern captures the details of those who have committed wrongs against the French common folks. John Barsad, an English spy, knows that she is “knitting an extra something into his name that boded him no good” (183) during their conversation at the wine-shop. Even someone innocent, like the mender of roads, fears meeting her eyes while she knit. Monsieur Defarge once comments, “‘To be registered, as doomed to destruction’” (174). The deadly quality that her knitting possesses is magnified in the impending