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| Charles Dickens—A Sketch, 1842 Bonhams, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons |
Short Summary
It was the year 1775, a time when both England and France faced uncertainty.
In England, coaches traveled uneasily on lonely roads haunted by robbers.
In France, the common people groaned under the weight of hunger and oppression, while the nobility indulged in extravagance.
Beneath the surface, a storm was brewing that would soon break into revolution.
The Opening
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…”
Recalled to Life
Jarvis Lorry, a banker for Tellson’s Bank, travels from London to Dover on a secret mission. Along the way, he receives a mysterious message with the words “Recalled to Life.” The phrase refers to the extraordinary task before him: Dr. Alexandre Manette, a physician once thought dead, has been released after eighteen long years of unjust imprisonment in the Bastille. Lorry’s duty is to reunite the frail man with his daughter, Lucie Manette, who has lived in England believing her father lost forever.
In a small garret in Paris, Dr. Manette is discovered making shoes, a habit he developed during his imprisonment to keep his sanity. Broken in body and mind, he barely remembers who he once was. But when Lucie arrives, her gentle voice and loving presence slowly begin to revive him. Father and daughter leave France together, carrying with them the hope of a new beginning.
Dr. Manette Recalled to Life (Book the First, Chapter 6)
“If you hear in my voice—I don’t know that it is so, but I hope it is—if you hear in my voice any resemblance to a voice that once was sweet to you, strike, oh strike, while yet there is time!”
A Trial in London
Five years pass. In London, Lucie Manette and her father live peacefully. Dr. Manette, though still haunted by shadows of his captivity, has largely recovered, thanks to Lucie’s care. One day, they attend the trial of Charles Darnay, a young Frenchman accused of treason against England.
The case is dramatic: the prosecutor claims Darnay has carried secret messages across the Channel. Just as all seems lost, a lawyer named Sydney Carton points out the remarkable resemblance between himself and Darnay, casting doubt on the witnesses’ certainty. Darnay is acquitted.
The event binds Darnay to Lucie and her father. He begins to visit them regularly, and over time, Lucie comes to love him.
Madame Defarge’s Knitting (Book the Second, Chapter 16)
“Madame Defarge’s fingers were nimble. Her eyes were watchful. She knitted with steadfastness, and counted the threads of her register with such mechanical skill, that the guillotine itself seemed to be woven into the fabric.”
Love and Promises
Darnay confesses his love to Lucie, though he knows her father is protective of her. On the same day, Sydney Carton also declares his feelings, though in a very different manner. He tells Lucie that he is a hopeless man, wasted and degraded, but her goodness has touched him deeply. He admits he could never win her love, yet he swears that he would give his life for her or anyone she loves. Lucie is moved by his honesty and pity, though she marries Charles Darnay.
Unbeknownst to Lucie, Darnay carries a dangerous secret: he is the nephew of the Marquis St. Evrémonde, a cruel French aristocrat whose family name is hated by the oppressed peasants. Darnay has renounced his heritage, wishing to build a life of honesty and peace in England.
The Shadow of Revolution
Meanwhile, in France, resentment grows. In a small wine shop in Paris, Ernest Defarge and his fierce wife, Madame Defarge, keep watch over the revolution to come. Madame Defarge quietly knits the names of those marked for death into her register. Among them is the Evrémonde family.
The cruelty of the French nobility only fuels hatred. One day, the Marquis St. Evrémonde runs down a peasant child with his carriage and shows no remorse. His cold indifference embodies the arrogance of the aristocracy. Later, the Marquis is murdered in his bed by a man seeking vengeance. The time of reckoning is drawing closer.
Marriage and Peace
Back in England, Lucie and Charles Darnay are happily married. They have a daughter, little Lucie. Dr. Manette, though once again shaken on the wedding day when Darnay reveals his family name, manages to overcome his relapse into despair. For some years, the family enjoys peace in London. Carton becomes a frequent visitor, developing a tender, almost fatherly affection for Lucie’s child. Though he remains outwardly careless and dissipated, the bond gives him a quiet sense of purpose.
The Storm Breaks
In 1789, the storm that had long been building bursts forth. The Bastille falls, and France is engulfed in revolution. The Defarges and their allies become leaders in the fury of the people. The guillotine rises as a symbol of justice and vengeance, and the streets run with blood.
Amid this chaos, Charles Darnay receives a plea for help. An old servant of his family, Gabelle, has been imprisoned by the revolutionaries. Believing it his duty, Darnay travels secretly to France, promising Lucie he will return quickly. But upon arrival, he is arrested as an emigrant and aristocrat.
Prison in Paris
News of Darnay’s arrest devastates Lucie and Dr. Manette. They rush to Paris, accompanied by Jarvis Lorry. Here, Dr. Manette’s past suffering becomes his strength: once a prisoner himself, he is revered by the revolutionaries as a man who suffered under the old regime. He uses his influence to plead for Darnay. For a time, his reputation keeps them safe.
After months in prison, Darnay is brought to trial before the revolutionary tribunal. At first, it seems he may be freed—thanks to Dr. Manette’s testimony of Darnay’s character and his renunciation of his family’s cruelty. He is released, and Lucie rejoices.
But their relief is short-lived. The Defarges, driven by vengeance, bring new accusations. Madame Defarge produces a letter hidden in Dr. Manette’s old prison cell, written by him during his confinement. In it, Dr. Manette records the crimes of the Evrémonde brothers—Charles’s father and uncle—whose cruelty destroyed a peasant family. The letter condemns not only the brothers but also all their descendants. Because Charles Darnay is an Evrémonde, he is sentenced to die at the guillotine.
Carton’s Sacrifice
Lucie is thrown into despair, but Sydney Carton, who has quietly followed them to Paris, sees his chance to fulfill the promise he once made. By night, he visits the Defarges’ wine shop and overhears Madame Defarge plotting to denounce Lucie and her daughter as well, ensuring no Evrémonde blood survives. Carton knows time is short.
He devises a daring plan. Because of his striking resemblance to Darnay, he bribes a spy to gain access to the prison. There, he persuades Darnay to exchange clothes with him. Darnay, stunned, resists, but Carton insists. Drugged and disguised, Darnay is carried out by Carton’s allies, while Carton remains behind in his place.
That same night, Dr. Manette, Lucie, little Lucie, and Charles Darnay are hurried out of Paris by Jarvis Lorry. They escape across the border, never knowing until later the full extent of Carton’s sacrifice.
The Guillotine
Sydney Carton’s Last Words (Book the Third, Chapter 15)
“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”
At dawn, Sydney Carton is led with the condemned to the guillotine. Though he faces death, he is calm, his heart at peace. His thoughts are not of himself but of Lucie and her family, now safe because of him. He envisions a future where Lucie and Charles live happily together, where their children grow up free, and where his own name will be remembered kindly.
Carton meets his death with quiet dignity. His final act transforms his wasted life into one of the greatest sacrifices of love.
