Recalled to life is one of the major themes in the novel Tale of Two Cities. It comes into relation with other themes such as love, redemption and good versus evil. Charles Dicken’s uses this theme to show that everyone deserves a second chance. This is portrayed very heavily in the characters of Dr Manette, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton.
Recalled to life can also be used to represent rebirth of both the mind and life itself. It proves to be very effective in changing the physical and mental health of someone’s life. It affects the way they react to the things around them and give us, the reader, a picture of how the characters are witnessed by the people around them. It later becomes obvious that this kind of recalling has to be wanted and worked towards. This is evident in Sydney Carton because he continued to …show more content…
He is a very smart man and has good will but does not see any hope for himself. He seeks for others for help him and cannot see any way to prove that he is of any worth. When reveals he has feelings for Miss Lucie Manette she replies” … can I not save you, Mr Carton? Can I not recall you—forgive me again!—to a better course? Can I in no way repay your confidence?” Lucie’s reply helps to prove that she sees a better future for Carton’s life and he needs only to try. Nevertheless it is not until the final climax of the book that Carton reaches a sense of being recalled to life, where he feels he has done all he can do in order to help Lucie. He wishes to save the people he loves and put everything behind him to save Lucie from being widowed and Darnay from his certain death. He chooses to sacrifice himself feeling he hasn’t really done anything of worth in his life and accepts death because of the love he had for them. Underneath all the bad things he had done in his life, Sydney was a good and courageous