Paper on Light vs Darkness In A Tale of Two Cities Essay

Often ms in literature the affinity between legerity and vestige is made. In Charles heller, A Tale of ii Cities, the author contrasts the two elements throughout the novel. Light and darkness are in constant battle with each other, they also dominate the setting and cantillate of the story. From the opening lines the reader has a since of struggle between frail and darkness, It was the outdo 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 tincture. The story then progresses and introduces Dr. Mannette, whos inner darkness was revealed through his environment, The beanwas dim and darkSuch a scanty portion of light was admitted through these means, that it was difficult, on first coming in, to see anything and long use alone could have slowly formed in any one, the capability to do any turn tail requiring nicety in such obscurity.Yet, work of that kind was being done in the garret for, with his back towards the door, and his fountain towards the window where the keeper of the wine-shop stood looking at him, a white-haired human sat on a low bench, stooping forward and precise busy, making shoes. Dr. Mannette was living in turmoil from the years of captivity he had been in, and he had gone into a state of madness. Not only was his surroundings dark, but also the bread and buttertime he was living. However, through the light, which was his daughter, he was fitting to escape from his inner darkness, with hands which at first had been only elevated in frightened compassion, if not even to keep him off and turn out out the sight of him, but which were now extending towards him, trembling with eagerness to lay the spectral face upon her warm young breast, and love it back to life and hope-so exactly was the expression repeated on her fair young face, that it looked as though it had passed li ke a moving light, from him to her. Dr. Mannette is not truly unrecorded until he sees his daughter the light that she brings penetrates his darkness and brings a new life into him. Darkness and light also helped to stage the setting and tone of the story. The time the novel was placed in was truly dark. Death and despair were rampant(ip) in France and darkness was an adequate adjective for the peoples lives, Darkness closed around, and then came the ringing of church bells and the distant beating of the war machine drums in the Palace Courtyard, as the women sat knitting, knitting. Darkness encompassed them. Another darkness was closing in as surely, when the church bells, then ringing cheerily in many an airy steeple over France, should be fluid into thunder cannon This was use to foreshadow terrible events to come in short all of France would be engulfed in revolution.Irony was also seen when light was used during a horrific event, Along the Paris streets, the death-carts rum ble, hollow and harsh. Six tumbrils admit the days wine to La Guillotine. This scene was right before Carton was to be executed. Although this is one of the darkest parts of the story, it occurs in the light of day. end-to-end A Tale of Two Cities light and darkness are contrasted and exclamatory in regards to the setting and characters. From the opening sentence to Cartons execution, light and darkness were prevalent in the novel. Although darkness seemed to outweigh the light, there was no grey area, only extremes. Darkness or light, bad or good, Dickens felt this period could only be described by these extremes and he showed them in his story.