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Government has been an essential part to any civilization for as long as human kind has existed. People who disagree with the government have also existed for just as long. Whether the government was so simple that the leader was the strongest in the tribe, or whether the government was so complex that it involved thousands of people to make one decision, it always was challenged and eventually changed. The means of change are quite diverse. Assassination, protests, war, petitions, and others are amongst the large list of means for governmental reform. Revolution has also been a frequent method to try to achieve the desired change.
Revolutions have made profound impacts in history, for both the better and for the worse. Charles Dickens is among those who advocates change both socially and politically, but believes revolution is not an efficient means for change. His classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities, clearly shows the negative impacts of revolting against the government. The years in which Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities were much like those which led up to the French Revolution. Everything was great for the people of the upper class, but hunger, disease and poverty plagued the lower class people of London. He became appalled with the social and economic inequality of British society.
He felt that there was little he could do to prevent a revolution, much like the one in France, from occurring. Therefore, he wrote this novel to warn the people of London what could happen. Dickens, who was fascinated with the history of the French Revolution, began by criticizing the treatment (both socially and politically) of the poor people of France. In the seventh chapter of book two, the Monsieur the Marquis had accidentally driven his carriage over a young child, killing him.
Instead of worrying about the welfare of the chile, the Monsieur worried about his horses: "One or the other of you is for ever in the way. How do I know what injury you have done to my horses. " (p. 116) He deemed the peasants lives inferior and insignificant, as shown when he tossed a gold coin to the boys father as compensation for his sons death. The Monsieur the Marquis told his nephew, Darnay, how he felt about the people: "Repression is the only lasting philosophy... fear and slavery, my friend, will keep the dogs obedient to the whip... " (p. 128). This was the type of attitude the French aristocracy displayed to the people of the lower class. The lower class became more and more outraged with the way they were treated.
They were upset that the nobles were living lavish lives collecting taxes, while they suffered. The prices on food were rising and the people were starving. The French social system was also outdated and consisted of three classes. The largest was the peasants, yet they had the least say in government. They also paid the most taxes and suffered the most. By showing how indifferent the nobility was to the welfare of the peasants, Dickens is able to make the reader sympathize with the peasants.
This in turn makes the reader believe that change is needed. Although Dickens sides with the peasants on these issues, he believes that while the revolution was necessary, it was taken a bit too far. He believes that some revolutionists are in it for more than equality. This can be seen in Madame Defarge.
As the story goes on, Madame Defarge commits the names of the people she thinks should be executed to her memory. These names include Lucie Minette and her child. She believes they should be killed because Lucie is married to Darnay, who is an Evrmondes (even though he denounces it). A member of the Evrmondes family killed someone in her family and she wants revenge. As one can see, Madame Defarge is a revolutionist for all the wrong reasons. Dickens was not in full agreement with the revolution for this very reason.
In addition, Dickens didnt agree with all of the bloodshed caused by the revolution. He foreshadowed this in the beginning of the novel when a barrel of wine was spilled outside Monsieur Defarge's shop. The peasants swarm on the spilled wine, scooping it up by the hand-full. The peasants are compared to bloodthirsty animals. This comparison is even furthered when a man writes blood on the wall with the mud-wine mixture. Although change is necessary, it often comes with a price.
In Dickens view, the change caused by the revolution was necessary, but the price tag was extremely high. He advocated the social and political change during the French revolution, and knew the same type of change was needed in the London of his time, but wanted it without the bloodshed. A Tale of Two Cities was Dickens way of telling London what needed to be altered.
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Research essay sample on Tale Of Two Cities Madame Defarge
