Vengeance, Vendetta and Vanity: the Women of a Tale of Two Cities
Vengeance, Vendetta and Vanity: The women of A Tale of Two Cities In this world, there are many things that men may possibly never understand. Time travel… gravity transcendence… and over everything, women, to name a few. In Dickens’ novel, we see just how complex (and simple) women can be. In this paper I will be defending J.F. Hamilton’s “Of Weaving and Knitting”. When reading A Tale of Two Cities, it is easily discernible that Lucie Manette and M. Defarge are opposites. Lucie is British. M. Defarge is French. Lucie has golden blonde hair. M. Defarge has black hair. One may even say that their relationship is complicated as the novel in which they appear. When thinking of the two, Robert Frost’s 1920 poem “The Road Not Taken” comes to mind,
“TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could” (Robert Frost “The Road not taken”).
When referencing this poem, it becomes obvious that the lives of these women appear opposite to the poem. The two women walk completely seperate roads, which diverge. M. Defarge on the road less traveled, Lucie Manette – your typical Victorian woman. Early, Dickens states,
“She was the golden thread that united him to a Past beyond his misery, and to a Present beyond his misery: and the sound of her voice, the light of her face, the touch of her hand, had a strong beneficial influence with him almost always.”
(Dickens 80).
The name Lucie means light, shine, and spirituality. Colloquially, Lucie’s character conveys each of these characteristics. She is the heavenly light that recalls Dr. Manette to life. Lucie Manette is even called the golden thread – speaking of her hair, and the way in which she pulls all of the characters together. Parallel to the goddess Athena (goddess of wisdom and inspiration), Lucie weaves. You notice when analyzing Lucie, she is sensitive and headless. Her vanities are evident. It seems that Lucie
“TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could” (Robert Frost “The Road not taken”).
When referencing this poem, it becomes obvious that the lives of these women appear opposite to the poem. The two women walk completely seperate roads, which diverge. M. Defarge on the road less traveled, Lucie Manette – your typical Victorian woman. Early, Dickens states,
“She was the golden thread that united him to a Past beyond his misery, and to a Present beyond his misery: and the sound of her voice, the light of her face, the touch of her hand, had a strong beneficial influence with him almost always.”
(Dickens 80).
The name Lucie means light, shine, and spirituality. Colloquially, Lucie’s character conveys each of these characteristics. She is the heavenly light that recalls Dr. Manette to life. Lucie Manette is even called the golden thread – speaking of her hair, and the way in which she pulls all of the characters together. Parallel to the goddess Athena (goddess of wisdom and inspiration), Lucie weaves. You notice when analyzing Lucie, she is sensitive and headless. Her vanities are evident. It seems that Lucie
Cited: Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. New York: Bantam Books, 1981. Novel. Frost, Robert. Mountain Interval. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1920. Book. Hamilton, J.F. “Of Weaving and Knitting.” Explicator 53.4 (1995):204. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.