Charles Darnay And Sydney Carton example essay topic

In Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, the reader is introduced to a variety of characters, each having his own characteristics and qualities. Two of the most important characters are introduced to the reader in Book II of the novel. These characters are Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton. When the reader is first introduced to these two characters, he has already been told that Darnay and Carton have strikingly similar appearances. The reader does not know yet, but the fact that they look alike will play a key role throughout the rest of the novel.

The reader also finds out later that appearance is not the only similarity between the two characters. Darnay and Carton have much in common, but they also have many different qualities as well. The fact that they are much different in character also plays a key role in the novel. Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton are very much alike, however they are also very different. Charles Darnay, also known as Evremonde, is a wealthy, successful aristocrat from France. Sydney Carton on the other hand, is a drunken, broken down lawyer who does not really care about himself or anyone else.

However, his view of the world changes when he meets Lucie Manette. Both Carton and Darnay become attracted to Lucie Manette on the day of Darnay's trial. Darnay is being tried for treason and Lucie is to be a witness for the prosecution against Darnay. When Carton sees the striking resemblance between himself and Darnay, he presents the information to Darnay's lawyer. His lawyer points out their similar appearances and proves that no one could say for sure that it was in fact Darnay and he is acquitted. Sydney Carton has now saved Charles Darnay for the first time.

After the trial is over, Carton and Darnay have now both fallen in love with Lucie. However, neither of them like the other. Later in the second book, Darnay and Carton both present their love for Lucie, however, they both have their own ways of doing it. Darnay goes to Dr. Manette, Lucie's father, and asks him that if Lucie feels the same would he allow him to marry Lucie. Dr. Manette tells Darnay that if Lucie feels the same way, he has his permission to marry her. Meanwhile, Carton goes to Lucie himself and professes his love for her.

Carton knows that he loves Lucie with all his heart and that he doesn't deserve her, but he feels as if he should tell her in person. He wants her to understand how much he loves her and how he only wants the best for her. He says that he "does not have to live with her to love her" (Dickens 144). He also tells her that he would do anything to ensure her happiness, even laying down his life for that of someone she loves (Dickens 145). This statement is revisited at the end of the novel when Carton gives up his life in order to save that of Charles to ensure Lucie's happiness. After Charles and Lucie marry, Sydney Carton does not let his love for Lucie die away.

He gets permission from Charles to come visit his family whenever he can and Sydney continues to be a part of the Darnays' life. When Lucie gives birth to little Lucie, Carton is the only non-family member that she becomes close to (Dickens 201). Carton enjoys being around the Darnay family because he is in love with Lucie and he also has no family of his own. Being with the Darnays makes him feel like he has something worth living for.

Later in Book, when Charles is tried again and then sentenced to death, Carton remembers his promise to Lucie. He realizes that he can probably get away with switching places with Charles and no one will notice because of their similar appearance. He devises and carries out a plan to save Charles. As he is going to the scaffold to die, he thinks about how this is the most worthwhile thing he has ever done in his life (Dickens 355). He knows that his life now has meaning even though he is about to lose it. Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton have very much in common, including their similar appearances and their love for Lucie.

They also have very many differences including their backgrounds and attitudes. However, in the end, the reader ends up being able to relate to both of the characters. Charles Darnay is the family man who is needed by his family and Sydney Carton is the drunken lawyer that ends up making the ultimate sacrifice. Although these two characters have several distinct differences, the reader can understand why each plays the part that he plays in the novel and why the outcome is the only good realistic option possible. Charles Darnay gets to go home with his wife and child and Sydney Carton is put to death. Either way, both men realize the meaning of their lives and know what needs to be done.