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| Sunday, 16 April 2006 |
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A/L English Literature Made Easy - Novel : A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens "Six tumbrils carry the day's wine to the guillotine" The "element of melo-drama in Dicken's style" is clearly visible here. The contrasting scenes eg. the storming of the Bastille and the peaceful scene in Manette's garden in Soho; are set side by side in a very effective and efficient manner.
The situation of Sydney Carton offering himself to the guillotine highlight the tragic flavour of the story. Dicken's skillful use of symbols is typical of his narration emphasising the dramatic effect of the story itself. There's the touch of humour - with Jerry Cruncher and Miss Pross quite relevant to the occasion. The most pathetic situations such as the imprisonment of Dr. Manette; the incident of Gaspard and his child; the sad death of the peasant boy and the cruel treatment of the Euremande family to the poor girl and her brother highlight the type of situations that existed at that time. The most remarkable and outstanding characteristics typical of Charles Dickens are existent in his A Tale of Two Cities. Summary of Book I It was a period of uncertainty in England as the country was bereft of proper law and order. George III and Queen Charlotte were incapable rulers. Highway robberies existed even in daylight. France on the other hand was highly disturbed. The absence of a proper economic basis and because of the religious disturbances under Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, France underwent tremendous oppression and people turned out to be inhuman. The opening paragraph in the 'Tale of Two Cities' reveals the turmoil and disturbance that prevailed, in an exclusively satirical manner. "Fate and death, with their guillotine and tumbrils already lurk in the background". Chapter 1 The period The existing tragic conditions of monarchy and the mode of governance are clearly depicted in a comparable manner. France on one side was in a state of chaos with blindly followed religious observance, getting the poor people subjected to extremely cruel procedure such as "the tongue torn out with pincers, body burned alive or hands cut off just because a person had not kneeled down in the rain to do honour to "a dirty procession of monks which passed within his view". However the Woodman and the Farmer (representing the common man) worked silently, quite awake plotting for revenge while the royalty carried out their "divine rights" with a high hand; and the poor being powerless lay uncared, unheeded subjected to inhuman treatment. Chapter 2 - The mail The Dover mail coach was on its way on a foggy Friday night, November 1775. The passengers were all covered upto their cheeks to avoid the cold. The most mysterious thing about the whole procedure is each one was suspicious about the other. A rider delivered a written message to Mr. Jarvis Lorry of Tellson's Bank, London. Having read the message "wait at Dover mam'selle". Lorry's strange reply was "Recalled to life" a significant reply bringing out the "theme of rebirth and resurrection for the first time" Chapter 3 - The night shadows The passengers in the Dover Mail Coach were suspicious of each other. Mr. Lorry particularly was thinking about a man he is going to "Recall to life" which depicts bringing to life a man buried for eighteen years and his words "Gracious Creator of the day" suggesting a rebirth. Mrs. C. Ekanayake, Retd. Specialist Teacher Eng. Lit., St. Anne's College, Kurunegala.
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