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Sydney Carton Hero
Joseph Campbell once said, "A hero is someone who has given his or her life for something bigger
than oneself". The character of Sydney Carton in Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities is a hero
because he gives his life to preserve the happiness and family of the woman he loves. Summarized,
"A Tale of Two Cities is the story of one lawyer, Sydney Carton, and his self
–sacrificing love for one
woman" (Petch). Sydney Carton is a lawyer who's great intellectual gifts have been destroyed by his
failures. He is a man deep is self–doubt and self–hatred, and an alcoholic who is often moody and
depressed (Moss and Wilson). However, this self–hatred eventually becomes an attribute. Dickens
states in the novel "The vigorous tenacity of love, always so...show more content...
This love eventually drives Carton to give his life, which protects Lucie's happiness. Carton says to
Lucie, "If it had been possible, Miss Manette, that you could have returned the love of the man you
see before you–self–flung away, wasted, drunken, poor creature of misuse as you know him to
be–he would have been conscious this day and hour, in spite of his happiness, that he would bring
you to misery, bring you to sorrow and repentance, blight you, disgrace you, pull you down with
him" (Dickens 156). In this scene, Carton is telling Lucie that even though he loves her, he knows
that she does not return this love. He proceeds to tell her that even if she had loved him, he would
have made her miserable because of how he lives his life. Carton's conversation with Lucie shows
that Carton is hopelessly in love with Lucie, and yet that love is unattainable to him. However, he
has the strength to sacrifice his feelings for her because of this love. During this conversation,
Carton also says to Lucie, "think now and then that there is a man who would give his life to keep a
life you love beside you!" (Dickens 159). Here, Carton tells Lucie that if ever her life and happiness
were in danger, and he could save her from that pain by giving his life, he would gladly do it. This is
a direct reference to the end of the novel, where
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Sydney Carton
The way I see Sydney Carton is that, he's an alcoholic, mean mid age lawyer. But he acts like a
mid twenties kind of guy who is kinda messy and in a way selfish kind of man. But when it comes
to his business, he kept himself calm and pays attention to his surroundings. Other people would
think of him as a drunker, immature and with attitudes. No matter what time of day, he will always
have a drink on his hand. And also, he's not always like that, just some times when he drinks.
what starting changes him to a better man was when he met Lucie Manette. He then falls in love
with her even shes a married woman, and also knows her husband too. but that didn't stop him from
having feelings for her. He cares for her deeply and willing to help
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Sydney Carton Character Analysis
Sydney Carton is the most dynamic character because his intelligence and love cause him to find
new purpose in life. Sydney starts out as a depressed drunk. He has no sense of purpose for living.
Sydney does not take credit for the amazing work he does for Stryver. When he meets Lucie
Manette, he falls in love. She teaches him to take credit for his work and to achieve as much as
possible with his life. Sydney eventually sees an opportunity for purpose by sacrificing his life for
Charles' life. He is almost a new person by the end of A Tale of Two Cities
, by Charles Dickens. As
Sydney walks by the Seine River, the stars and moon fade before the sun rises. The world is
completely dark, but then the sun rises and is brighter than anything else. The rising sun
represents resurrection. Sydney's final sacrifice for Charles on the day of the executing is
compared to the sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of the world. Sydney Carton changes from a
depressed drunk to a magnanimous figure because his love for Lucie inspires purpose in his life.
Sydney is first seen as a useless slob at Charles Darnay's first court case. He has his feet propped
up on the table while he leans back in his chair and stares at the ceiling. His posture is despicable
for being in a court. Little did anyone know, Sydney is watching and thinking of how to defend
Charles in the case. Unexpectedly, Sydney informs the court of how similar he and Charles look.
He also is the first to notice that Lucie is passing out. Although Sydney made excellent points and
observations during the case, "[n]obody [makes] any acknowledgments of Mr. Carton's part
during the day's proceedings" (82). After Charles' case, Sydney is not credited for all his work in
defending Charles. He does not show a feeling of importance or a want for credit even though he
deserves it. Later, Charles and Sydney are having dinner, and Sydney has a whole bottle of wine
just for himself. He falls asleep in the restaurant after chugging a full pint of wine, but he first tells
Charles "I am a disappointed drudge, sir. I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for
me" (85). Within this, Sydney shows a lack of enthusiasm for interacting with the world, and he
sounds as if
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Similar to Jarvis Lorry, Sydney Carton undergoes a transformation of character. When Carton is first
introduced in book one he is a pitiful lawyer, an "idlest and most unpromising man,"(Dickens 78). In
chapter five he is displayed as an "amazingly good jackal,"(Dickens 79), meaning that he is "content
and apathetic towards the fact that he will never be accredited with the performance and outcomes
of his actions,"(Trojan, Kara). However, Lucie Manette inspires redemption in Carton through love,
for he knows that if he can save her in any way then he can absolve his misery and find a purpose
for his years on Earth. When Lucie Manette's husband is punished to death row, Carton is
determined to keep his promise. Carton takes the place of the spouse...show more content...
Dickens makes it evident to the reader that Carton can be seen as a version of Jesus many times
throughout book three, especially through the way he portrays the guillotine. The guillotine was
idolized in France, for it was the "sign of the regeneration of the human race. It superseded the
Cross. Models of it were worn on breasts from which the cross was discarded, and it was bowed
down to and believed in where the Cross was denied,"(Dickens 262). French revolutionist denied
religion and began to worship the guillotine, the machine in which the sacrifice took place. After
Carton had set a plan for sacrificing himself, he is described wearing a "white riding–coat and
top–boots" with "long brown hair, all untrimmed, hanging loose about him,"(Dickens 296), a
description that physically relates Carton to Jesus. Before he is sacrificed, Carton repeats the bible
verse "I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were
dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die,"(Dickens 359). He
believes that what his legacy will live on through Lucie and her family, and they will bring honor to
his
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A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, has a theme of resurrection. The main character who
shows this resurrection is Sydney Carton. His revival came in the end when he died. Taking the
place for Charles Darnay, Carton became a true hero. Carton is also an example of changing for
the well being of others. By looking at the person he was before the change, to seeing the person he
became, and understanding why he changed, Sydney Carton had a genuine change of heart. In the
first scene of the book when we meet Carton, he was the attorney who defended Darnay. Sydney
Carton appeared to have very little interest in his own life. He stumbled to make meaning of
everything around him. With this depressed spirit, it showed the darkness
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Sydney Carton Character Analysis
Dickens' ability to think ahead and map out his thrilling and exceptionally clever plot is perhaps the
reason for his wide success in developing the characters to reflect true human natures in reacting to
jaw–dropping events of the time. Love, devotion, violence and chaos are all involved in Dickens'
tale set prior to the French Revolution which, as it turned out, is the main catalyst for the
oppressive drama created. Where Paris is described as the bloodthirsty and fiery city amidst the hot
turmoil, London remains the clear lesser of two evils with its general order and safety. The social
upheaval initiated within the streets of Paris turns the lives of many upside down, in particular, a
misjudged man known as Sydney Carton along with his...show more content...
Dickens, in a sense, has the voice of God in that he sees and knows all. He is, as a result, the
ultimate authority in the novel. Dickens has strategically chosen certain characters to favour
throughout the saga by using this method to subtly hint at who should be closely followed. While
we know Darnay is a respectable and loving husband, we are never given the opportunity to
entirely recognize him as the focus is mostly directed towards Carton. Dickens constantly flicks
back to Carton and his thoughts throughout the text so us as viewers build a strong emotional
connection with him. In doing this, Dickens has automatically swayed us to favour Carton over
Darnay, building emotion for the final chapter. In Carton's final thoughts before his death Dickens
writes, "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" (p.374). In building the story by favouring Carton and closing with
his final thought we feel great sympathy for him and hail him as the ultimate hero of the novel
without question of the other characters. But how is it so easy to feel so much towards a fictional
character such as Carton?
Carton's incredible transformation through the text is perhaps the reason for our strong attraction to
his character. Dickens' clever construction of Carton demonstrates his farfetched evolution and
proves that he truly does have the best of human nature. Carton appears to
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Sydney Carton Essay
"Sydney Carton"
Inspired by The Frozen Deep written by Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens creates a character,
Sydney Carton, who draws a significant meaning throughout the book, A Tale Of Two Cities. To
demonstrate Carton's significance, it is necessary to look at where he is originated. In the play, The
Frozen Deep, Richard Wardour decides that he's going to assassinate Frank Aldersley because Frank
stole his true love, Clara Burnham. Instead of killing his rival, Wardour ends up saving Aldersley's
life by giving up his own life. Overall. Wardour dies in Clara's arms and eventually earns her eternal
gratitude for saving the life of the man that she truly loves. There are certain similarities between
Sydney Carton and Richard Wardour because...show more content...
He first appears as a lazy, alcoholic attorney who cannot accumulate even the smallest amount of
interest in his own life. As he sees himself as one who died when his parents died, he describes his
existence as a total waste of life and takes every opportunity to declare that he cares for nothing
and no one. Carton meets Lucie in a fate and falls in love with her; however, he doesn't show an
affection for her outwardly. Then Carton, eventually, reaches a point where he can admit his
feelings for Lucie. Therefore, before Lucie marries Darnay, Carton confronts to Lucie and tells
her of his devotion to her, though he still persists in seeing himself as essentially worthless. Carton
says, "O Miss Manette, when the little picture of a happy father's face looks up in yours, when you
see your own bright beauty springing up anew at your feet, think now and then that there is a man
who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you!" This moment eventually addresses a
vigorous transition for Carton and lays the foundation for the Christ–like sacrifice that he makes at
the novel's end. "I am like one who died young. All my life might have been," said Carton. The
significance of this sentence can be seen through in its novel; Carton believes that he has no
purpose in his life as he always says so, however, he finds the purpose of his life through his love for
Lucie. Indeed, the significance
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Sydney Carton Hero
The ideas of heroism in a Victorian sense are very different than those ideas of a hero in
Anglo–Saxon literature. The most obvious hero in A Tale of Two Cities is Sydney Carton, but he
emerges very differently than Beowulf. It was never clearly mentioned in the novel that Carton was
a hero, so Dickens expected the reader to infer that that was so. It also wasn't until book three that
Carton became a truly dynamic character and ultimately became the hero he sought to be. "Careless
and slovenly if not debauched" (Dickens 55) was how Dickens described Carton's character in
book one. He is merely a man, and a flawed man at the beginning of the novel. Carton's
imperfections and impurities set the stage for his later actions that will prove him a hero and also
...show more content...
After Darnay is convicted, Lucie falls into a faint, and, Carton is there to assist her, coming to her
aid from "the obscure corner from which he had never moved" (Dickens 260). Though Carton
never received recompense, he is always prepared to assist the Manettes. When Carton returns
Lucie safely to her room, her child cries out to him, "I think you will do something to help
mamma, something to save papa ... can you, of all the people who love her, bear to see her so?"
As Carton leaves, he murmurs a few significant words under his breath: "A life you love"
(Dickens 260). Finally, Carton sacrifices his own self to the Guillotine and ultimately the
revolution in place of Darnay, again, out of his love and compassion for Lucie. His final thoughts
are some of the most famous lines in the entire novel, "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 than I have ever known" (Dickens 293). This was
the end destined for Sydney Carton. He has grown in courage and valor, from a drunk, dissatisfied,
and insignificant man to a hero who found his calling in sacrificing himself for the love he would
never
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Throughout human history, many stories have been passed down and spread thanks to evolution,
and the progress of literacy and entertainment. The image of a hero has ranged from superhero to
a normal business man which has helped sprout a multitude of types of heroes. Charles Dickens's
A Tale of Two Cities presents the unlikely Sydney Carton as the one to surprisingly execute
solutions for all the issues in the story. After finishing the book it's become clear that Carton was a
hero, but it's unknown what type of hero he is; romantic or tragic. Although Sydney has qualities of
both a romantic and a tragic hero, upon further research Sydney Carton demonstrates the qualities
of a tragic hero. Comparing the archetype of a Tragic hero and Sydney Carton, many similarities
can be seen. Some of these involve his destruction for a greater cause and being imperfect. Between
the hero archetypes of a tragic and a romantic hero, Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities
, written
by Charles Dickens, better fits the title of a tragic hero. One of the characteristic that define a true
tragic hero is their sacrifice. In the text Carton states, "For you, and for any dear to you, I would
do anything. If my career were of that better kind that there was any opportunity or capacity of
sacrifice in it, I would embrace any sacrifice for you and for those dear to you"(Dickens 158).This
execution was not of pride or because of his unfortunate circumstances, but of his choice. Similar to a
romantic
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In The Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, the most dynamic and central character of the story
is Sydney Carton, who helps serve as the catalyst for one of the book's major themes, that love
requires sacrifice.
Character development is a huge part of how Sydney will eventually experience loss for the sake
of love. Sydney Carton is a complicated individual. He is described as the "idlest, and most
uncompromising of men"( 1.5.65). He is extremely intelligent, but a drunkard and unmotivated with
his life. Carton needs a purpose for his "wasted life", and this comes about in the form of the
beautiful, but static, Lucie Manette. However, Lucie is in love with Charles Darnay, a fact that
Sydney knows quite well. When he first sees Lucie in court, her purity...show more content...
He describes this as, "waters of Hope that sparkled in his sight . . . A moment, and it was gone"
(1.5.68). This sense of hope shows what Lucie means to him. However, when Carton wakes up, he
feels empty; "no sadder than the man of good abilities and good emotions, incapable of their
directed exercise, incapable of his own help and his own happiness, sensible of the blight on him,
and resigning himself to let it eat him away" (1.5.69) because he knows she could never return the
feeling. At the beginning of the novel, Sydney Carton is the less than desirable mirror image of
Charles Darnay, whom he is defending on a trial. Later he tells his doppelganger; "I am a
disappointed drudge, sir. I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for me"(2.4.70).
Sydney is so full of disgust for himself, seeing a man who should be his equal, but is far above him
shames him even more. This thought controls Sydney's life; he believes that because of how
unwanted and pathetic he is, no one else could ever love him. He even tells Lucie this himself; "Let
me carry through the rest of my misdirected life, the remembrance that I opened my heart
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Sydney Carton, A Complex Character
Sydney Carton, a Complex Character Charles Dickens' novel, A Tale of Two Cities, reveals a person
that is so complex that students of British Literature still have not fully understood Sydney Carton's
character. Dickens introduces him to the reader as an arrogant, frustrated, no account barrister who
lives through the lives of others. Yet throughout the novel one can see that he is a brilliant barrister
who does not realize his worth, a man changed through love and devotion, and a self–sacrificing
individual. Sydney Carton is an "unsubstantial" social presence on the edge of groups to which he
belongs, but never really a part of, and he is at home nowhere (Petch 27). This is the feeling that
the reader experiences when introduced to Carton. One realizes that he does not belong. He is with
everyone, and he is with no one. He sees nothing in any of his accomplishments. He is indifferent to
success. He takes a back seat as the jackal, while Stryver, the lion, takes the front seat making money
and winning cases. Yet, one can see that his colleague, Stryver, is nothing without him. It is Carton
that finds the meaning in the statements, defines them, and, like the cunning jackal that he is, makes
cases for Stryver that can be won. (28) As Dickens states, "(Stryver) had not the faculty of extracting
the essence from a heap of statements, which is among the most striking necessary of the advocate's
accomplishments." (90) Carton does not know his worth. He spends his
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Sydney Caron: An Alcoholic Hero
Sydney Carton is an alcoholic. He is not a well dressed man for being a lawyer. Carton is
extremely unhappy. Although he was a known drunkard he proves to be a hero as the story goes on.
Carton comes back to France to help his colleague Stryver defend a man called Darnay.
Stryver like Carton is also an alcoholic. Stryver recalls when they were in school and how he used
to do his friends homework, but not his own. Carton has a sense of being worthless.
Carton is in love with Lucie Manette even though she is in love with Charles Darnay. He loved her
enough to give up his life so she could be happy. Her family was important to her. This was the
greatest sacrifice anyone could do.
Before his death, he speaks to a seamstress who also is imprisoned.
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Sydney Carton is the most memorable character in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, a story of
redemption, resurrection, self–sacrifice change and love, all of these words have to do with the
extreme transformation of. Sydney Carton had such great love for Lucie Mannette that evolves from
a depressed loaner that can only attempt to substitute happiness with alcoholic indulgence to a loyal
caring friend who makes the ultimate sacrifice for the ones he loves. In the beginning, Sydney
Carton's the character that everyone looks down upon. He is depression, hate and self–loathing
personified. His total carelessness overshadows anything else about him, especially when his first
impression is given. Sydney is introduced when Charles...show more content...
The definite physical resemblance aids in the freedom of Darnay, since that helps them prove
that If Carton was thought to be seen committing a crime he could've easily been mistaken for
someone else. Sydney's carelessness and anxiety is as close to apparent as possible after the trial.
After leaving the court; Carton and Darnay go to a tavern where Darnay comments on Carton's
obvious drunkenness, saying that he thinks Darnay is under the influence. Sydney then says
"Think? You know I have been drinking."(82)This quote shows that Sydney knows that he is not
sober. It gets obvious that he is not concerned about his sobriety. Sydney then responds, "...I am a
disappointed drudge sir. I care for no man on earth and no man on earth cares for me" (82). What
Sydney says here is sad but true, the pains in his life have annihilated his concerns for anything in
the world. He is living to get life over with.
Twelve months later Dr. Manette asked for Lucie's hand in marriage. If Lucie accepts, Darnay will
give his true identity to the Manettes. Sydney is also falling in love with Lucie but he knows that
she is much to good for him and she will never be his. Lucies's beauty is so magnificent to Carton
that by knowing here, she has made his life worth living. Her presence gives Sydney a reason to get
up in the morning. Sydney would do any thing for her "...O Miss Manette, when the little
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Sydney Carton Actions
Sydney Carton performs many courageous acts that create positive changes for the EvrГ©monde
family's future. Carton's actions strive to improve the EvrГ©monde family's life, while boldly
putting his at risk. His fearless actions reunite the EvrГ©monde family back together, producing a
new, positive outlook of the future for them. When Carton enters Darnay's prison cell, it is
described that Carton, "dressed himself in the clothes the prisoner had laid aside, combed back
his hair, and tied it with the ribbon the prisoner had worn" (Dickens 358). Carton acts gallantly in
order to salvage Darnay's life, for he switches places with him in the prison. As a result of Carton's
brave actions, Darnay is free once more to be with his family and lead a
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Sydney Carton
In Charles Dicken's book, A Tale of Two Cities, there are numerous diverse characters. Sydney
Carton is one of them. Sydney at the beginning of the story is an orphaned boy who does all other
papers in school just like how he does Stryver's legal work when he is older. Carton has a
profoundly depressed life and feels that he is wasting his life, but in the end, Carton gives his life
up for others. I believe that Sydney Carton is the most dynamic character in A Tale of Two Cities
because of how he changes from a drunken, lazy, attorney to a loving man looking for the greater
reward in life. Carton's life changes from trying to find anything that will engulf the joy out of life,
to a loving, compassionate, man that is seeking for the best for
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Sydney Carton Essay
Sydney Carton is very important to the plot of A Tale of Two Cities. There are three separate
instances in this book where Carton keeps the plot going, and without him, the story would have
ended. The first was his similarity to Charles Darnay was keeping Darnay out of jail. Without
Carton, Mr. Stryver would not be able to win his cases because Sydney is the brains behind the
operation. Finally, he was executed instead of Darnay, so that Darnay and Lucie could live out
their lives together. The first we hear of Carton is at Charles Darnay's first trial. Charles is on
trial for spying on England for France. Mr. Stryver is Darnay's lawyer and has done almost
nothing to help the case, but just as it seems it is over for Charles, Stryver uses his final defense:
Charles Darnay looks exactly like Sydney Carton. At this time in history, trials were not just at all.
Often times public opinion was enough to sentence someone to death. Just before it seemed like
Charles would be convicted, Carton hands Stryver a note, saying that since...show more content...
Carton also delivers one of the most iconic lines in the history of literature: "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 that I have ever
known." This quote tells a lot of who Sydney Carton really is. In the first half of the quote, Carton
says that he has never before made a sacrifice for anyone except himself. In the second half of the
quote, he says that he has never truly known peace in his life, but in his sacrifice he is able to find
this peace. Carton is often viewed as an insignificant side character, but Dickens masterfully weaves
characters in throughout the plot so that each and every character, especially Carton, is necessary to
the
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Sydney Carton
Charles Dickens book clearly reveals the idea of resurrection through the character of Sydney
Carton. Although, in the 1980 version of A Tale of Two Cities directed by Jim Goddard, the
same actor, Chris Sarandon plays the role of both Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay. Through
having such change being made, it severely shifts the theme of the novel. For starters, the author
is trying to reveal the idea of resurrection but does so by the character of Sydney Carton and when
he decides to give his own life for that of Charles. Thus, when both characters are the same actors
in the film, it also creates new ideas of who Sydney really seeks to be, not only himself but Charles
as well. Nevertheless, the whole idea of resurrection is questioned due...show more content...
In the novel, Sydney's character is portrayed as cruel and a man who has no purpose in life and
dishonorable among the community. In contrast, Charles is classy, and handsome. However, as
Chris plays both characters, it raises questions on who they really, and if after all they seek to be
different. As a result of the theme of resurrection shifted from the novel to the movie, it is
relevant to state that now these characters have slightly diverse significance and their standpoint
is most definitely changed. Due to the fact that both Charles and Sydney have been portrayed by
the same person, it reveals that after all they simply do not seek to be very much diverse. As a
matter of fact, we see the mischievous side of Charles when he fails to announce that he is
related to the Marquis, he is part of the Marqui family. This idea is greatly enforced as we see
little to no evidence in the film that Sydney is an unpleasant person. With that being said, the film
almost shows a balance of malice of both characters to emphasize the idea that although they can
be portrayed physically different, overall they are fairly similar. Nonetheless, the fact that Chris is
playing both roles raises the doubt that in fact they may after all be similar; Charles, is indeed not
who he appears to be. The 1980's version of the novel A Tale of
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Sydney Carton Hero
"It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done. It is a far, far better rest that I have ever
known" (Dickens 367). Sydney Carton spoke these immortal words in the last few moments of
his life in the novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. In the shadows of the growing
French Revolution Carton, a lawyer, wastes his life on alcohol and apathy. But in the midst of it all
the noble part of his life is his love for Lucie, a young married French woman, which is strong
enough to induce him to give his life for her husband, Charles Darnay. Through his death Carton
redeems himself and is reborn in his namesake that the Darnay family shall survive. He ultimately
develops into the tragic romantic hero that readers will come to...show more content...
After returning home after drinking with Stryver he envisions "airy galleries from which the loves
and graces looked upon him, gardens in which the fruits of life hung ripening, waters of Hope that
sparkled in his sight. A moment, and it was gone" (87–88). The "waters of Hope" is seemingly
Lucie, even though at this point he knows that she will marry Charles Darnay. She becomes the
catalyst of change within Carton and gives his life new meaning. Lucie even assures Carton that
she is sure that he could be "much, much worthier of yourself," giving him the incentive to change
for the better. Lucie's innocence and purity strikes something into Carton's soul that Carton and
also the reader assumed to be dead. He gives up his old life to begin anew for a love that he knows
he cannot acquire. But it does give readers new perspective on Carton's character, on what he is
truly capable of now that he has found his purpose in
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Who Is Sydney Carton A Hero
He is the slovenly dressed, inebriated lawyer. He is the earnest young man confessing a hopeless
love to a beautiful girl out of his league. He is the prisoner of his apathy, voluntarily approaching
Madame la Guillotine; his head held high. Sydney Carton is one of the most dynamic and poignant
characters in Charles Dickens' 'A Tale of Two Cities
' (ATOTC). Some see him as the most heroic of
heroes. Others see him as a miserable drunk, welcoming death as a way to escape from a woeful
existence. As the novel progresses we watch him develop into a complex character, and one we can
all relate to.
Dickens initially describes his appearance as "Careless and slovenly if not debauched"; not quite
your conventional hero. At this early stage Carton is by no means a hero, not even close. In fact, he
is merely a man and a significantly flawed one at that. In saying that, we've all read fairy tales; we
know how these kinds of stories end. Carton frequently alludes to the fact that his life has been
wasted, stating that he "care[s] for no man on earth and no man on earth cares for [him]". Shown
frequently indulging in alcohol, we immediately depict Carton as a good–for–nothing drunk who
wastes his intelligence and youth on his alcoholic habits and lack of care for much of anything –
including himself. Nonetheless, despite his countless flaws, we aren't pushed to take any form of
distaste to Carton. He has an affinity for alcohol, true, but he is never violent nor profane – some of
the
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Sydney Cartton Character Analysis
Character Analysis
Sydney Carton is a character in a novel named A TALES OF TWO CITIES written by Charles
Dickens. Charles Dickens was the greatest novelist of Victorian Age. His works enjoyed
unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had
recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity. Dickens
reproduces the spirit of Reign of terror so well that A tale of Two Citiesis an excellent supplement to
the history of the period. Some of his other works included Pickwick, Oliver Twist, Nicholas
Nickleby, Old Curiosity Shop and many more.
The novel A Tale of Two Cities, basically talks about the cruelties of the nobleman and the way the
poor men or the sufferers take revenge by bringing a revolution in the country. The cruelty and
rudeness of the noblemen as shown by Dickens can be compared to the kind of noblemen that exists
in Victorian society. In...show more content...
Darnay leaves him alone Mr. Carton realises that he has fallen in love with Miss Manette. Carton
is softened and changed by his love for the beautiful Lucie Manette. He becomes acquainted with
Lucie and Doctor Manette at the trial of Charles Darnay in London, and is soon a familiar face at
the Manette home. One night he drinks and goes to Mr. Manette's house and opens his heart to Miss
Manette and about what feelings he had for her. He knew that he cannot keep her happy and he
realizes that he is not worthy of her.
After having a good wine, when another character Mr. Stryver and Mr. Carton have a dialogue
which each other, we come to know that they have been working together since childhood and we
also come to know that how hardworking Mr. Carton is. He prepares all the questions for Mr.
Stryver and than finishes his own documents too. Mr. Stryver is another lawyer who is very
cleaver. He wants to be successful and make fame and get popular as a great lawyer. This is the only
reason he is with Mr.
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Sydney Carton Essay

  • 1. Sydney Carton Hero Joseph Campbell once said, "A hero is someone who has given his or her life for something bigger than oneself". The character of Sydney Carton in Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities is a hero because he gives his life to preserve the happiness and family of the woman he loves. Summarized, "A Tale of Two Cities is the story of one lawyer, Sydney Carton, and his self –sacrificing love for one woman" (Petch). Sydney Carton is a lawyer who's great intellectual gifts have been destroyed by his failures. He is a man deep is self–doubt and self–hatred, and an alcoholic who is often moody and depressed (Moss and Wilson). However, this self–hatred eventually becomes an attribute. Dickens states in the novel "The vigorous tenacity of love, always so...show more content... This love eventually drives Carton to give his life, which protects Lucie's happiness. Carton says to Lucie, "If it had been possible, Miss Manette, that you could have returned the love of the man you see before you–self–flung away, wasted, drunken, poor creature of misuse as you know him to be–he would have been conscious this day and hour, in spite of his happiness, that he would bring you to misery, bring you to sorrow and repentance, blight you, disgrace you, pull you down with him" (Dickens 156). In this scene, Carton is telling Lucie that even though he loves her, he knows that she does not return this love. He proceeds to tell her that even if she had loved him, he would have made her miserable because of how he lives his life. Carton's conversation with Lucie shows that Carton is hopelessly in love with Lucie, and yet that love is unattainable to him. However, he has the strength to sacrifice his feelings for her because of this love. During this conversation, Carton also says to Lucie, "think now and then that there is a man who would give his life to keep a life you love beside you!" (Dickens 159). Here, Carton tells Lucie that if ever her life and happiness were in danger, and he could save her from that pain by giving his life, he would gladly do it. This is a direct reference to the end of the novel, where Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 2. Sydney Carton The way I see Sydney Carton is that, he's an alcoholic, mean mid age lawyer. But he acts like a mid twenties kind of guy who is kinda messy and in a way selfish kind of man. But when it comes to his business, he kept himself calm and pays attention to his surroundings. Other people would think of him as a drunker, immature and with attitudes. No matter what time of day, he will always have a drink on his hand. And also, he's not always like that, just some times when he drinks. what starting changes him to a better man was when he met Lucie Manette. He then falls in love with her even shes a married woman, and also knows her husband too. but that didn't stop him from having feelings for her. He cares for her deeply and willing to help Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 3. Sydney Carton Character Analysis Sydney Carton is the most dynamic character because his intelligence and love cause him to find new purpose in life. Sydney starts out as a depressed drunk. He has no sense of purpose for living. Sydney does not take credit for the amazing work he does for Stryver. When he meets Lucie Manette, he falls in love. She teaches him to take credit for his work and to achieve as much as possible with his life. Sydney eventually sees an opportunity for purpose by sacrificing his life for Charles' life. He is almost a new person by the end of A Tale of Two Cities , by Charles Dickens. As Sydney walks by the Seine River, the stars and moon fade before the sun rises. The world is completely dark, but then the sun rises and is brighter than anything else. The rising sun represents resurrection. Sydney's final sacrifice for Charles on the day of the executing is compared to the sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of the world. Sydney Carton changes from a depressed drunk to a magnanimous figure because his love for Lucie inspires purpose in his life. Sydney is first seen as a useless slob at Charles Darnay's first court case. He has his feet propped up on the table while he leans back in his chair and stares at the ceiling. His posture is despicable for being in a court. Little did anyone know, Sydney is watching and thinking of how to defend Charles in the case. Unexpectedly, Sydney informs the court of how similar he and Charles look. He also is the first to notice that Lucie is passing out. Although Sydney made excellent points and observations during the case, "[n]obody [makes] any acknowledgments of Mr. Carton's part during the day's proceedings" (82). After Charles' case, Sydney is not credited for all his work in defending Charles. He does not show a feeling of importance or a want for credit even though he deserves it. Later, Charles and Sydney are having dinner, and Sydney has a whole bottle of wine just for himself. He falls asleep in the restaurant after chugging a full pint of wine, but he first tells Charles "I am a disappointed drudge, sir. I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for me" (85). Within this, Sydney shows a lack of enthusiasm for interacting with the world, and he sounds as if Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 4. Similar to Jarvis Lorry, Sydney Carton undergoes a transformation of character. When Carton is first introduced in book one he is a pitiful lawyer, an "idlest and most unpromising man,"(Dickens 78). In chapter five he is displayed as an "amazingly good jackal,"(Dickens 79), meaning that he is "content and apathetic towards the fact that he will never be accredited with the performance and outcomes of his actions,"(Trojan, Kara). However, Lucie Manette inspires redemption in Carton through love, for he knows that if he can save her in any way then he can absolve his misery and find a purpose for his years on Earth. When Lucie Manette's husband is punished to death row, Carton is determined to keep his promise. Carton takes the place of the spouse...show more content... Dickens makes it evident to the reader that Carton can be seen as a version of Jesus many times throughout book three, especially through the way he portrays the guillotine. The guillotine was idolized in France, for it was the "sign of the regeneration of the human race. It superseded the Cross. Models of it were worn on breasts from which the cross was discarded, and it was bowed down to and believed in where the Cross was denied,"(Dickens 262). French revolutionist denied religion and began to worship the guillotine, the machine in which the sacrifice took place. After Carton had set a plan for sacrificing himself, he is described wearing a "white riding–coat and top–boots" with "long brown hair, all untrimmed, hanging loose about him,"(Dickens 296), a description that physically relates Carton to Jesus. Before he is sacrificed, Carton repeats the bible verse "I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die,"(Dickens 359). He believes that what his legacy will live on through Lucie and her family, and they will bring honor to his Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 5. A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, has a theme of resurrection. The main character who shows this resurrection is Sydney Carton. His revival came in the end when he died. Taking the place for Charles Darnay, Carton became a true hero. Carton is also an example of changing for the well being of others. By looking at the person he was before the change, to seeing the person he became, and understanding why he changed, Sydney Carton had a genuine change of heart. In the first scene of the book when we meet Carton, he was the attorney who defended Darnay. Sydney Carton appeared to have very little interest in his own life. He stumbled to make meaning of everything around him. With this depressed spirit, it showed the darkness Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 6. Sydney Carton Character Analysis Dickens' ability to think ahead and map out his thrilling and exceptionally clever plot is perhaps the reason for his wide success in developing the characters to reflect true human natures in reacting to jaw–dropping events of the time. Love, devotion, violence and chaos are all involved in Dickens' tale set prior to the French Revolution which, as it turned out, is the main catalyst for the oppressive drama created. Where Paris is described as the bloodthirsty and fiery city amidst the hot turmoil, London remains the clear lesser of two evils with its general order and safety. The social upheaval initiated within the streets of Paris turns the lives of many upside down, in particular, a misjudged man known as Sydney Carton along with his...show more content... Dickens, in a sense, has the voice of God in that he sees and knows all. He is, as a result, the ultimate authority in the novel. Dickens has strategically chosen certain characters to favour throughout the saga by using this method to subtly hint at who should be closely followed. While we know Darnay is a respectable and loving husband, we are never given the opportunity to entirely recognize him as the focus is mostly directed towards Carton. Dickens constantly flicks back to Carton and his thoughts throughout the text so us as viewers build a strong emotional connection with him. In doing this, Dickens has automatically swayed us to favour Carton over Darnay, building emotion for the final chapter. In Carton's final thoughts before his death Dickens writes, "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" (p.374). In building the story by favouring Carton and closing with his final thought we feel great sympathy for him and hail him as the ultimate hero of the novel without question of the other characters. But how is it so easy to feel so much towards a fictional character such as Carton? Carton's incredible transformation through the text is perhaps the reason for our strong attraction to his character. Dickens' clever construction of Carton demonstrates his farfetched evolution and proves that he truly does have the best of human nature. Carton appears to Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 7. Sydney Carton Essay "Sydney Carton" Inspired by The Frozen Deep written by Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens creates a character, Sydney Carton, who draws a significant meaning throughout the book, A Tale Of Two Cities. To demonstrate Carton's significance, it is necessary to look at where he is originated. In the play, The Frozen Deep, Richard Wardour decides that he's going to assassinate Frank Aldersley because Frank stole his true love, Clara Burnham. Instead of killing his rival, Wardour ends up saving Aldersley's life by giving up his own life. Overall. Wardour dies in Clara's arms and eventually earns her eternal gratitude for saving the life of the man that she truly loves. There are certain similarities between Sydney Carton and Richard Wardour because...show more content... He first appears as a lazy, alcoholic attorney who cannot accumulate even the smallest amount of interest in his own life. As he sees himself as one who died when his parents died, he describes his existence as a total waste of life and takes every opportunity to declare that he cares for nothing and no one. Carton meets Lucie in a fate and falls in love with her; however, he doesn't show an affection for her outwardly. Then Carton, eventually, reaches a point where he can admit his feelings for Lucie. Therefore, before Lucie marries Darnay, Carton confronts to Lucie and tells her of his devotion to her, though he still persists in seeing himself as essentially worthless. Carton says, "O Miss Manette, when the little picture of a happy father's face looks up in yours, when you see your own bright beauty springing up anew at your feet, think now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you!" This moment eventually addresses a vigorous transition for Carton and lays the foundation for the Christ–like sacrifice that he makes at the novel's end. "I am like one who died young. All my life might have been," said Carton. The significance of this sentence can be seen through in its novel; Carton believes that he has no purpose in his life as he always says so, however, he finds the purpose of his life through his love for Lucie. Indeed, the significance Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 8. Sydney Carton Hero The ideas of heroism in a Victorian sense are very different than those ideas of a hero in Anglo–Saxon literature. The most obvious hero in A Tale of Two Cities is Sydney Carton, but he emerges very differently than Beowulf. It was never clearly mentioned in the novel that Carton was a hero, so Dickens expected the reader to infer that that was so. It also wasn't until book three that Carton became a truly dynamic character and ultimately became the hero he sought to be. "Careless and slovenly if not debauched" (Dickens 55) was how Dickens described Carton's character in book one. He is merely a man, and a flawed man at the beginning of the novel. Carton's imperfections and impurities set the stage for his later actions that will prove him a hero and also ...show more content... After Darnay is convicted, Lucie falls into a faint, and, Carton is there to assist her, coming to her aid from "the obscure corner from which he had never moved" (Dickens 260). Though Carton never received recompense, he is always prepared to assist the Manettes. When Carton returns Lucie safely to her room, her child cries out to him, "I think you will do something to help mamma, something to save papa ... can you, of all the people who love her, bear to see her so?" As Carton leaves, he murmurs a few significant words under his breath: "A life you love" (Dickens 260). Finally, Carton sacrifices his own self to the Guillotine and ultimately the revolution in place of Darnay, again, out of his love and compassion for Lucie. His final thoughts are some of the most famous lines in the entire novel, "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 than I have ever known" (Dickens 293). This was the end destined for Sydney Carton. He has grown in courage and valor, from a drunk, dissatisfied, and insignificant man to a hero who found his calling in sacrificing himself for the love he would never Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 9. Throughout human history, many stories have been passed down and spread thanks to evolution, and the progress of literacy and entertainment. The image of a hero has ranged from superhero to a normal business man which has helped sprout a multitude of types of heroes. Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities presents the unlikely Sydney Carton as the one to surprisingly execute solutions for all the issues in the story. After finishing the book it's become clear that Carton was a hero, but it's unknown what type of hero he is; romantic or tragic. Although Sydney has qualities of both a romantic and a tragic hero, upon further research Sydney Carton demonstrates the qualities of a tragic hero. Comparing the archetype of a Tragic hero and Sydney Carton, many similarities can be seen. Some of these involve his destruction for a greater cause and being imperfect. Between the hero archetypes of a tragic and a romantic hero, Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities , written by Charles Dickens, better fits the title of a tragic hero. One of the characteristic that define a true tragic hero is their sacrifice. In the text Carton states, "For you, and for any dear to you, I would do anything. If my career were of that better kind that there was any opportunity or capacity of sacrifice in it, I would embrace any sacrifice for you and for those dear to you"(Dickens 158).This execution was not of pride or because of his unfortunate circumstances, but of his choice. Similar to a romantic Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 10. In The Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, the most dynamic and central character of the story is Sydney Carton, who helps serve as the catalyst for one of the book's major themes, that love requires sacrifice. Character development is a huge part of how Sydney will eventually experience loss for the sake of love. Sydney Carton is a complicated individual. He is described as the "idlest, and most uncompromising of men"( 1.5.65). He is extremely intelligent, but a drunkard and unmotivated with his life. Carton needs a purpose for his "wasted life", and this comes about in the form of the beautiful, but static, Lucie Manette. However, Lucie is in love with Charles Darnay, a fact that Sydney knows quite well. When he first sees Lucie in court, her purity...show more content... He describes this as, "waters of Hope that sparkled in his sight . . . A moment, and it was gone" (1.5.68). This sense of hope shows what Lucie means to him. However, when Carton wakes up, he feels empty; "no sadder than the man of good abilities and good emotions, incapable of their directed exercise, incapable of his own help and his own happiness, sensible of the blight on him, and resigning himself to let it eat him away" (1.5.69) because he knows she could never return the feeling. At the beginning of the novel, Sydney Carton is the less than desirable mirror image of Charles Darnay, whom he is defending on a trial. Later he tells his doppelganger; "I am a disappointed drudge, sir. I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for me"(2.4.70). Sydney is so full of disgust for himself, seeing a man who should be his equal, but is far above him shames him even more. This thought controls Sydney's life; he believes that because of how unwanted and pathetic he is, no one else could ever love him. He even tells Lucie this himself; "Let me carry through the rest of my misdirected life, the remembrance that I opened my heart Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 11. Sydney Carton, A Complex Character Sydney Carton, a Complex Character Charles Dickens' novel, A Tale of Two Cities, reveals a person that is so complex that students of British Literature still have not fully understood Sydney Carton's character. Dickens introduces him to the reader as an arrogant, frustrated, no account barrister who lives through the lives of others. Yet throughout the novel one can see that he is a brilliant barrister who does not realize his worth, a man changed through love and devotion, and a self–sacrificing individual. Sydney Carton is an "unsubstantial" social presence on the edge of groups to which he belongs, but never really a part of, and he is at home nowhere (Petch 27). This is the feeling that the reader experiences when introduced to Carton. One realizes that he does not belong. He is with everyone, and he is with no one. He sees nothing in any of his accomplishments. He is indifferent to success. He takes a back seat as the jackal, while Stryver, the lion, takes the front seat making money and winning cases. Yet, one can see that his colleague, Stryver, is nothing without him. It is Carton that finds the meaning in the statements, defines them, and, like the cunning jackal that he is, makes cases for Stryver that can be won. (28) As Dickens states, "(Stryver) had not the faculty of extracting the essence from a heap of statements, which is among the most striking necessary of the advocate's accomplishments." (90) Carton does not know his worth. He spends his Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 12. Sydney Caron: An Alcoholic Hero Sydney Carton is an alcoholic. He is not a well dressed man for being a lawyer. Carton is extremely unhappy. Although he was a known drunkard he proves to be a hero as the story goes on. Carton comes back to France to help his colleague Stryver defend a man called Darnay. Stryver like Carton is also an alcoholic. Stryver recalls when they were in school and how he used to do his friends homework, but not his own. Carton has a sense of being worthless. Carton is in love with Lucie Manette even though she is in love with Charles Darnay. He loved her enough to give up his life so she could be happy. Her family was important to her. This was the greatest sacrifice anyone could do. Before his death, he speaks to a seamstress who also is imprisoned. Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 13. Sydney Carton is the most memorable character in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, a story of redemption, resurrection, self–sacrifice change and love, all of these words have to do with the extreme transformation of. Sydney Carton had such great love for Lucie Mannette that evolves from a depressed loaner that can only attempt to substitute happiness with alcoholic indulgence to a loyal caring friend who makes the ultimate sacrifice for the ones he loves. In the beginning, Sydney Carton's the character that everyone looks down upon. He is depression, hate and self–loathing personified. His total carelessness overshadows anything else about him, especially when his first impression is given. Sydney is introduced when Charles...show more content... The definite physical resemblance aids in the freedom of Darnay, since that helps them prove that If Carton was thought to be seen committing a crime he could've easily been mistaken for someone else. Sydney's carelessness and anxiety is as close to apparent as possible after the trial. After leaving the court; Carton and Darnay go to a tavern where Darnay comments on Carton's obvious drunkenness, saying that he thinks Darnay is under the influence. Sydney then says "Think? You know I have been drinking."(82)This quote shows that Sydney knows that he is not sober. It gets obvious that he is not concerned about his sobriety. Sydney then responds, "...I am a disappointed drudge sir. I care for no man on earth and no man on earth cares for me" (82). What Sydney says here is sad but true, the pains in his life have annihilated his concerns for anything in the world. He is living to get life over with. Twelve months later Dr. Manette asked for Lucie's hand in marriage. If Lucie accepts, Darnay will give his true identity to the Manettes. Sydney is also falling in love with Lucie but he knows that she is much to good for him and she will never be his. Lucies's beauty is so magnificent to Carton that by knowing here, she has made his life worth living. Her presence gives Sydney a reason to get up in the morning. Sydney would do any thing for her "...O Miss Manette, when the little Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 14. Sydney Carton Actions Sydney Carton performs many courageous acts that create positive changes for the EvrГ©monde family's future. Carton's actions strive to improve the EvrГ©monde family's life, while boldly putting his at risk. His fearless actions reunite the EvrГ©monde family back together, producing a new, positive outlook of the future for them. When Carton enters Darnay's prison cell, it is described that Carton, "dressed himself in the clothes the prisoner had laid aside, combed back his hair, and tied it with the ribbon the prisoner had worn" (Dickens 358). Carton acts gallantly in order to salvage Darnay's life, for he switches places with him in the prison. As a result of Carton's brave actions, Darnay is free once more to be with his family and lead a Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 15. Sydney Carton In Charles Dicken's book, A Tale of Two Cities, there are numerous diverse characters. Sydney Carton is one of them. Sydney at the beginning of the story is an orphaned boy who does all other papers in school just like how he does Stryver's legal work when he is older. Carton has a profoundly depressed life and feels that he is wasting his life, but in the end, Carton gives his life up for others. I believe that Sydney Carton is the most dynamic character in A Tale of Two Cities because of how he changes from a drunken, lazy, attorney to a loving man looking for the greater reward in life. Carton's life changes from trying to find anything that will engulf the joy out of life, to a loving, compassionate, man that is seeking for the best for Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 16. Sydney Carton Essay Sydney Carton is very important to the plot of A Tale of Two Cities. There are three separate instances in this book where Carton keeps the plot going, and without him, the story would have ended. The first was his similarity to Charles Darnay was keeping Darnay out of jail. Without Carton, Mr. Stryver would not be able to win his cases because Sydney is the brains behind the operation. Finally, he was executed instead of Darnay, so that Darnay and Lucie could live out their lives together. The first we hear of Carton is at Charles Darnay's first trial. Charles is on trial for spying on England for France. Mr. Stryver is Darnay's lawyer and has done almost nothing to help the case, but just as it seems it is over for Charles, Stryver uses his final defense: Charles Darnay looks exactly like Sydney Carton. At this time in history, trials were not just at all. Often times public opinion was enough to sentence someone to death. Just before it seemed like Charles would be convicted, Carton hands Stryver a note, saying that since...show more content... Carton also delivers one of the most iconic lines in the history of literature: "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 that I have ever known." This quote tells a lot of who Sydney Carton really is. In the first half of the quote, Carton says that he has never before made a sacrifice for anyone except himself. In the second half of the quote, he says that he has never truly known peace in his life, but in his sacrifice he is able to find this peace. Carton is often viewed as an insignificant side character, but Dickens masterfully weaves characters in throughout the plot so that each and every character, especially Carton, is necessary to the Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 17. Sydney Carton Charles Dickens book clearly reveals the idea of resurrection through the character of Sydney Carton. Although, in the 1980 version of A Tale of Two Cities directed by Jim Goddard, the same actor, Chris Sarandon plays the role of both Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay. Through having such change being made, it severely shifts the theme of the novel. For starters, the author is trying to reveal the idea of resurrection but does so by the character of Sydney Carton and when he decides to give his own life for that of Charles. Thus, when both characters are the same actors in the film, it also creates new ideas of who Sydney really seeks to be, not only himself but Charles as well. Nevertheless, the whole idea of resurrection is questioned due...show more content... In the novel, Sydney's character is portrayed as cruel and a man who has no purpose in life and dishonorable among the community. In contrast, Charles is classy, and handsome. However, as Chris plays both characters, it raises questions on who they really, and if after all they seek to be different. As a result of the theme of resurrection shifted from the novel to the movie, it is relevant to state that now these characters have slightly diverse significance and their standpoint is most definitely changed. Due to the fact that both Charles and Sydney have been portrayed by the same person, it reveals that after all they simply do not seek to be very much diverse. As a matter of fact, we see the mischievous side of Charles when he fails to announce that he is related to the Marquis, he is part of the Marqui family. This idea is greatly enforced as we see little to no evidence in the film that Sydney is an unpleasant person. With that being said, the film almost shows a balance of malice of both characters to emphasize the idea that although they can be portrayed physically different, overall they are fairly similar. Nonetheless, the fact that Chris is playing both roles raises the doubt that in fact they may after all be similar; Charles, is indeed not who he appears to be. The 1980's version of the novel A Tale of Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 18. Sydney Carton Hero "It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done. It is a far, far better rest that I have ever known" (Dickens 367). Sydney Carton spoke these immortal words in the last few moments of his life in the novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. In the shadows of the growing French Revolution Carton, a lawyer, wastes his life on alcohol and apathy. But in the midst of it all the noble part of his life is his love for Lucie, a young married French woman, which is strong enough to induce him to give his life for her husband, Charles Darnay. Through his death Carton redeems himself and is reborn in his namesake that the Darnay family shall survive. He ultimately develops into the tragic romantic hero that readers will come to...show more content... After returning home after drinking with Stryver he envisions "airy galleries from which the loves and graces looked upon him, gardens in which the fruits of life hung ripening, waters of Hope that sparkled in his sight. A moment, and it was gone" (87–88). The "waters of Hope" is seemingly Lucie, even though at this point he knows that she will marry Charles Darnay. She becomes the catalyst of change within Carton and gives his life new meaning. Lucie even assures Carton that she is sure that he could be "much, much worthier of yourself," giving him the incentive to change for the better. Lucie's innocence and purity strikes something into Carton's soul that Carton and also the reader assumed to be dead. He gives up his old life to begin anew for a love that he knows he cannot acquire. But it does give readers new perspective on Carton's character, on what he is truly capable of now that he has found his purpose in Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 19. Who Is Sydney Carton A Hero He is the slovenly dressed, inebriated lawyer. He is the earnest young man confessing a hopeless love to a beautiful girl out of his league. He is the prisoner of his apathy, voluntarily approaching Madame la Guillotine; his head held high. Sydney Carton is one of the most dynamic and poignant characters in Charles Dickens' 'A Tale of Two Cities ' (ATOTC). Some see him as the most heroic of heroes. Others see him as a miserable drunk, welcoming death as a way to escape from a woeful existence. As the novel progresses we watch him develop into a complex character, and one we can all relate to. Dickens initially describes his appearance as "Careless and slovenly if not debauched"; not quite your conventional hero. At this early stage Carton is by no means a hero, not even close. In fact, he is merely a man and a significantly flawed one at that. In saying that, we've all read fairy tales; we know how these kinds of stories end. Carton frequently alludes to the fact that his life has been wasted, stating that he "care[s] for no man on earth and no man on earth cares for [him]". Shown frequently indulging in alcohol, we immediately depict Carton as a good–for–nothing drunk who wastes his intelligence and youth on his alcoholic habits and lack of care for much of anything – including himself. Nonetheless, despite his countless flaws, we aren't pushed to take any form of distaste to Carton. He has an affinity for alcohol, true, but he is never violent nor profane – some of the Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 20. Sydney Cartton Character Analysis Character Analysis Sydney Carton is a character in a novel named A TALES OF TWO CITIES written by Charles Dickens. Charles Dickens was the greatest novelist of Victorian Age. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity. Dickens reproduces the spirit of Reign of terror so well that A tale of Two Citiesis an excellent supplement to the history of the period. Some of his other works included Pickwick, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, Old Curiosity Shop and many more. The novel A Tale of Two Cities, basically talks about the cruelties of the nobleman and the way the poor men or the sufferers take revenge by bringing a revolution in the country. The cruelty and rudeness of the noblemen as shown by Dickens can be compared to the kind of noblemen that exists in Victorian society. In...show more content... Darnay leaves him alone Mr. Carton realises that he has fallen in love with Miss Manette. Carton is softened and changed by his love for the beautiful Lucie Manette. He becomes acquainted with Lucie and Doctor Manette at the trial of Charles Darnay in London, and is soon a familiar face at the Manette home. One night he drinks and goes to Mr. Manette's house and opens his heart to Miss Manette and about what feelings he had for her. He knew that he cannot keep her happy and he realizes that he is not worthy of her. After having a good wine, when another character Mr. Stryver and Mr. Carton have a dialogue which each other, we come to know that they have been working together since childhood and we also come to know that how hardworking Mr. Carton is. He prepares all the questions for Mr. Stryver and than finishes his own documents too. Mr. Stryver is another lawyer who is very cleaver. He wants to be successful and make fame and get popular as a great lawyer. This is the only reason he is with Mr. Get more content on HelpWriting.net