In the Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, there are many struggles that occur. These struggles either occur in characters or in their lives. Each character in the novel played a key role that was important to the story and themes of the novel. During the time that the novel was set, there was a sense of an “ideal” man or woman. The two characters that portrayed two different types of men were Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton. In this paper I will discuss the similarities and differences that these two characters showed in the book and why they were important to the Tale of Two Cities.
The first difference between Carton and Darnay is their upbringing. Darnay is a member of the Marquis family, a French born family with money. Since his…show more content… Carton resembles the looks of Darnay in the fact that they are both handsome and very good looking. Because they are so alike in looks, Darnay is acquitted from his trial due to Carton looking so similar to him. In the chapter “A disappointment” we learn of just how deep Carton’s depression goes. After being acquitted, both Carton and Darnay go out to eat, but Carton soon orders too much wine which changes his mood for the worse. Carton becomes bitter and rude towards Darnay because he is jealous of him. In this chapter there is a sympathy created for Carton as we see a side of him never shown before. At one point he says, "I care for no man on earth, and no man cares for me." In Cartons mind he has no point in existing because he also says “I have no business to be, that I know of.” This is where we learn that Carton is not at his full potential yet in the novel and that he has more to him. Darnay gives him the advice that he could’ve used his talents better, but Carton already knows this. Carton pities himself because he has let his talents go to waste and has not become the man he could’ve been. While talking with Darnay, Carton hints at his feelings towards Lucie Manette when he has tried so hard to hide them. After Darnay leaves the restaurant, Carton is looking in a mirror telling himself that Darnay is the man that he could never be because he’s…show more content… Even though it is Darnay that ends up marrying Lucie, Carton would give up anything to make Lucie happy. In the beginning of the novel, Carton struggled with his feelings for Lucie because he felt that he was not worthy of her. Eventually Carton got a grip of himself and decided to tell Lucie. Before Lucie married Darnay, Carton confessed his feelings for Lucie to her, but continued to see himself as worthless and not a good enough man for Lucie. Carton shows his love for Lucie also by saying in chapter thirteen of book two, "...think now and then that there is a man, who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you." He was trying to get the message across to Lucie just how much he loved her with saying this. At the end of the novel when Darnay is imprisoned Carton saves him for Lucie’s happiness in mind. Darnay was imprisoned for the crimes his family committed, but was released due to Carton’s similar looks. Darnay eventually gave up his estate in France to move to England with Lucie where he worked as a teacher. Carton ended up sacrificing himself to save Darnay for the sake of Lucie’s happiness. Lucie represented the sense of freedom for both of them, Darnay representing France and Carton representing England. At the end of the war England lost soldiers, and France gained freedom. These comparison plays out in both of these men’s
