Consequences Of Revenge In A Tale Of Two Cities

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The Consequences of Revenge
The French Revolution began in 1789 with the storming of the Bastille. A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens, applied the chaos and destructiveness of the French Revolution to modern times. One of the best examples of the French Revolution’s devastation is the never-ending cycle of revenge. Throughout the novel Dickens explores whether or not the act of revenge has consequences. Dickens shows the negative consequences of revenge through the hanging of Gaspard, the denouncement of Charles Darnay, and the death of Madame Defarge.
One example of revenge is the plot against the Marquis, which results in the hanging of Gaspard. One night when the Marquis is riding to his home, his carriage hits a bump. …show more content…
Madame Defarge was sent away by her brother after a series of horrifying events happened to her family. Madame Defarge speaks about her family saying, “’…that sister of the mortally wounded boy upon the ground was my sister, that husband was my sister’s husband, that unborn child was their child, that brother was my brother, that father was my father, those dead are my dead, and that summons to answer for those things descends to me’” (264). The Evrémondes killed Madame Defarge’s entire family, so she makes it her life’s mission to wreak havoc on all of the aristocracy. She is so full of hate that she makes a register of all the names of the people she would like dead on the scarf that she knits, but her main targets are Charles Darnay and his family, Lucie, little Lucie, and Dr. Manette. She attempts to catch Lucie but is tricked by Miss Pross. They fight to the death about which Dickens writes “It was in vain for Madame Defarge to struggle and strike; Miss Pross, with the vigorous tenacity of love, always so much stronger than hate, clasped her tight, and even lifted her from the floor in the struggle they had” (286). Miss Pross, who is battling for Lucie, fights for a more powerful cause than Madame Defarge. Miss Pross fights for love rather than hatred or vengeance. This proves that revenge has consequences and for Madame Defarge that consequence is death.
In A Tale of Two Cities Dickens shows that revenge has negative consequences, often death, through the fates of Gaspard, Dr. Manette, and Madame Defarge. Because they feel compelled to get revenge, Gaspard and Madame Defarge both die. Because Dr. Manette feels a need for revenge, he kills Carton and almost kills Darnay. The point that Dickens tries to get across is that justice is something that cannot be controlled, and when someone tries to control it, it only
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