Madame Guillotine: A Tale of Two Cities

Madame Guillotine: A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens (1859)

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believeth in me though he were dead, yet will he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me will never die." John 11:24-26

Charles Dickens is one of those writers whose books, once read, make a believer out of most readers. This novel is a particular favorite of mine that I"ve read and re-read many times over the years.

A little background: Charles Dickens, like America's Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), wrote a lot of his content for newspaper/magazine serials. Readers of the day apparently eagerly looked forward to each week's new installment much as TV viewers today look forward to the next chapter of their favorite television programs.

Most of Dickens' output seems to have concerned the plight of the poor or working class in England during the industrial revolution, but this book actually ties the French Revolution and subsequent "Reign of Terror" into an ominous warning for contemporary English audiences about the abuse of power.

A Tale of Two Cities boils down or simplifies the plot of the French Revolution to show the triumph of the downtrodden masses over the uncaring aristocracy.

To illustrate the difference between those classes he just uses a couple of prototypes, but they are powerful and have become legendary types in literature. The uncaring aristocrat is typified by "Marquis Ste. Evremond" who runs down a child with his carriage and carelessly tosses a coin to the distraught parents; the masses are typified by "Madame Defarge" who is the one who knits and invariably votes "guilty" as the aristocrats are paraded before the mock tribunal on their one way trip to the guillotine.

The story concerns one Charles Darnay whom we first meet as the defendant in a trial for espionage before a court in England. His brilliant defense culminates in the lawyer (Sidney Carton) doffing his wig and pointing out his own similarity in appearance to the defendant, thereby creating doubt in the minds of the jury and allowing Darnay to be acquitted.

Darnay has the love of beautiful "Lucie Manette," and Carton ruefully notes that he would gladly switch places with Darnay were the opportunity available. Meanwhile the drunkard Carton always has another bottle to look forward to...

There are many other characters and each has his place in the story, but suffice it to say that Darnay, an expatriate French aristocrat, is lured back to France to rescue an old friend. He is arrested and place on trial for his life, and remember, Madame Defarge is on the jury... - and Carton, oddly enough, has his chance to make good on his wish to change places with his look-alike.

A Tale of Two Cities is a story of the possibility of redemption, always an appealing subject, at least judging from my own reaction to the account, and its wide popularity even today 150 years after it first appeared.

There are many quotable quotes and the first words with its emphasis on opposites ...best of times, worst of times... springtime of hope, winter of discontent... etc. have come down to us as some of the most powerful imagery of redemption - the ability of man to change - in literature. Sydney Carton goes from indolent self-absorbed drunkard to an unparalleled hero.

I always get a good feeling after reading the concluding words of A Tale of Two Cities. It is a book that renews hope in the reader for mankind.

Also recommended is the MGM movie starring Ronald Colman - A Tale of Two Cities

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