A Tale of Two Cities 3

Some think that women are all the same, while others say everyone is their own person and unique. Well, both statements are true – in some ways, women can be the same, while they each have their own unique personalities and traits. Lucie Manette and Madame Defarge may seem as different as Alice in Wonderland and the Queen of Hearts, but both are passionate, strong for the ones they believe in, and both demand respect.
While differences undoubtedly outweigh the similarities between Lucie and Madame Defarge, both have striking likenesses. Both women are passionate about their opinions. Madame Defarge is passionate about hatred for aristocracy and nobles, and Lucie with her passionate love for her father and his well being. Since, "If, when I tell you, dearest dear, that your agony's over, and that I have come here to take you from it, and that we go to England to be at peace and at rest, I cause you to think of your useful life laid waste, and of our native France so wicked to you, weep for it, weep for it!"(51). Here we see that Lucie's love for her father overcomes her and her determination to bring him "back to life."
Passion often leads to strength, unrelenting strength. Again, though Lucie and Madame Defarge have immense differences, they both have a strength not many would question. Madame Defarge's strength is apparent, but not many perceive Lucie's strength. Though Lucie seems characterized as fragile, her determination and passion keep her head high and her heart strong. In effect, "The wretched wife of the innocent man thus doomed to die, fell under the sentence, as if she had been mortally stricken. But, she uttered no sound; and so strong was the voice within her, representing that it was she of all the world who must uphold him in his misery and not augment it, that it quickly raised her, even from that shock"(343-4). This shows that though her husband was being sentenced to die in 24 hours, her "voice within" overruled her fragile nature to be strong for Darnay through this rough time.
You can be strong by heart, strong by words, or strong by actions, but all demand respect. Lucie's strength comes from her heart, while Madame Defarge's strength comes from her harsh words and definite actions; either way, both claim respect. After all, "‘I tell thee,' said madame, extending her right hand, for emphasis, ‘that although it is a long time on the road, it is on the road and coming. I tell thee it never retreats, and never stops. I tell thee it is always advancing. Look around and consider the lives of all the world that we know, consider the faces of all the world that we know, consider the rage and discontent the Jacquerie addresses itself with more and more of certainty every hour. Can such things last? Bah! I mock you.'"(185-6) doesn't really leave much room to argue. Madame Defarge speaks her mind and doesn't really leave much room for dispute – she sticks to her word. In other words, if she condemns you, then you're condemned!
As a result, both women present resemblances that are of great significance and can't be ignored. They show that even the most diverse people can have remarkable relations and have deeper meanings to life, even if they're mean to kill.