Ambiguity In Charles Dickens Great Expectations

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Ambiguity isn’t a quality that one usually desires to have. They say it’s important to be strongly opinionated, passionate, and defiant- especially in a time of war. The only ones who were glorified were the ones who got front row seats for the show called “The Guillotine” and cheered it on with hungry eyes. On the surface, it may seem like Mr. Carton and Mr. Defarge are simply passive in their ambivalence; however, there’s a reason that they are the way they are. Through the transformation of Mr. Carton and Mr. Defarge, Charles Dickens highlights his belief that love is powerful enough to make you sacrifice anything for the one in your heart.
On page 81, Sydney Carton declares, “I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for me”, …show more content…
He has spent his days being used by his “friend” Mr. Stryver, the big shot lawyer in town that would be nowhere without Carton (although he gets none of the credit). One night, an alcohol-induced ambition takes over Carton, and he shows up to Lucie’s house and professes his admiration towards her. This is his first sacrifice towards her- putting his pride aside and letting her know how he feels. This isn’t an easy task, especially because nobody pays much attention to Carton, and the only attitude most people have towards him is pity. But like you’d hear in any AA meeting, the first step is admitting you have a problem. In Carton’s case, the first to becoming a better man is admitting that these feelings he has for Lucie are so powerful that they could in fact change him into becoming the person he’s always wanted to be. At first glance, this choice can be seen as debatably selfish. Okay Carton, just changing your ways to impress a girl? But once the story develops further, we see Carton settle into a pure and magnanimous side that we’ve never seen before. His first priority is making sure Lucie is happy, even if that means she marries another man (which she does). He stands idly by still supporting her as she starts her own
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