1. This book depicts the heroic journey of a central character . Discuss your thoughts on Sydney Carton's transformation throughout the text. How and why does he evolve?
Sydney Carton has a major transformation from the beginning to the end of A Tale of Two Cities. Sydney begins the story as an angry alcoholic and ends the story as a genuine man. Towards the beginning of the novel, Sydney had a very bad appearance because of his drinking and attitude. An example of this was the night of Charles Darnay's first trial when Sydney drank too much and disrespected Charles, causing him to be mad at Sydney. His drinking problem seemed to lead to many of his mistakes. He also had an immature side to him. When Lucie decided that she was going to marry Charles Darnay, Sydney was very relentless for his love for Lucie, and did not seem to back down for a while after hearing about their marriage. Later in the story, though, this immature characteristic seemed to change. When Sydney talked to Lucie alone later in the story, he is very honest and heartfelt with her. Another example of his major change was at the end of the story, when he took Charles Darnay's place at the guillotine. This showed his love for Lucie and Charles. He also helped an innocent woman at the guillotine, which again shows compassion. His personality completely changed from the beginning of the story to the end, when he goes from being selfish to selfless.
Throughout A Tale of Two Cities, Sydney Carton undergoes dynamic change. He essentially becomes the ultimate underdog of the novel. At the beginning of the novel, Sydney Carton is revealed as a drunkard, who happens to be intelligent but unhappy all the time. Apart from his parents having died when he was young, I wonder what else could have made Sydney the way he is. Sydney is the main reason why Stryver is successful, yet he continued to be believe that he was worth little. Additionally, Sydney always wonders why he cannot be a better person. In spite of his unhappiness, he falls in love with Lucie Manette. However, he does not marry her and thus chooses to become a friend of the family. At this point, sydney becomes the ultimate ally and friend to Charles Darnay and Lucie. He commits himself to them, even becoming a sort of uncle to their children. Sydney evolves as a result of the circumstances under which he found himself. He realized that his life was nothing but contributing to other's success, and ultimately realized that he needed purpose and direction. In this case, he fell in love with Lucie, and devoted himself to her, even after she was married. Sydney adopts a more noble and honorable purpose, which is that of dying for what he believes in, which in this case, was Lucie. He took the place of Charles Darnay at the guillotine, and fulfilled his purpose.
I agree with your description of Carton's description. He went from not having any idea of his purpose in life to being content and informed on how he could contribute to the world.
Sydney Carton changes drastically throughout A Tale of Two Cities. In the beginning, he is a drunken mess with a pessimistic attitude and outlook on life. He feels that everyone else around him is better than he is and he gets angry with himself because he wishes he could be better. He has a very poor sense of his self worth and believes his only abilities in life are to help others become successful. He has no faith in his own success and does not strive for anything. He ends up falling in love with Lucie Manette, whom he knows he will never marry. He decides to befriend her family and visits them often, even after Lucie marries Charles Darnay. I agree with Miguel because at the end, Sydney transforms into a noble and courageous man by taking Charles' place at the guillotine. This heroic act ended up saving Lucie's family. That being said, Sydney finally felt like he was fulfilling his purpose in life, which was to make Lucie happy. His evolution from a depressed alcoholic to an unexpected hero shows that he had finally found himself, and truly died a selfless man.
Do you think that Carton's sacrifice was purely made for the sake of Lucie Manette and her reunion with Darnay, or was it also done for himself? Do you think he still considered himself a "drunken mess" after forfeiting his life for the ones he loved?
Sydney Carton experienced an immense amount of growth throughout A Tale of Two Cities. When Sydney was first introduced, he was described as being a drunken mess. He appeared to be a very negative and harsh man, especially when he disrespects Charles Darnay, during the trial. Although Sydney was a very intelligent man, he felt that his only capability was helping others. For some reason, he felt that he was not good enough to succeed. Instead of benefitting himself, he helps Stryver. Luckily, Sydeny was able to find Lucie Manette, who helped him out of this state of depression.Lucie Manette is the most prominent benefactor in Sydney's transformation. This was because she was his only source of happiness. He truly loved Lucie and devoted his life to her. Even though he knew that she would never return his affection, Sydeny still dedicated everyday to Lucie because all he wanted was to see her untroubled. That was why Sydney took Charles's place at the guillotine. He knew that Lucie would be miserable if Charles was killed, so he decided that her well being was more important that his own life. Sydney starts off as a worthless drunkard, but by the end of the story he became a courageous and kind-hearted individual.
Sydney Carton experiences change in a variety of ways throughout A Tale of Two Cities. The most dramatic change he goes through is that of a physically and mentally depressed alcoholic, into a selfless and courageous hero by the end of the novel. Sydney is first depicted as a kind character but one who experiences lapses of self pity. He feels that no one truly cares for him and is longing for friendship and a dependency from someone else for most of the novel. Therefore, Sydney clings to the mindset that he needs to feel useful to someone else. Over the course of the novel, Sydney becomes more and more aware of his purpose in life and starts to act on this. He shows moments of courage and selflessness that ultimately define him as a character in the end. Overall, Sydney evolves because he wants to feel important and he sees no better way to do that then to save the woman of his dreams, despite not being able to have her love in return. He becomes content with the fact that what he is doing is brave and heroic. In the end, this is enough of a reward to keep his mind at ease.
At the beginning of the novel Sydney carton is a drunken lawyer who has wasted his life away. He seems to have no potential and is not considered to be a good man. Lucie Manette however, sees the good in him. Sydney begins to fall in love with her but he knows that he can never have her because she is married to Charlses Darnay. Sydney's love is still deep so he makes an unspoken promise to Lucie that he will give his life for her and the ones whom she loves. When Charles is sentenced to death, Sydney devises a plan to switch spots with Charles at the guillotine. By doing this he saves Charles's life as well as Lucie's entire family. By the end of the novel Sydney is no longer a waste of a man but a sort of Christ figure; he sacrifices his life for safety of many characters and he brings solace to a young woman in line to be beheaded. Sydney changes drastically from the start of the novel to the very last page.
Sydney Carton at first seemed to be an insignificant character but was later the one who saved many lives. An alcoholic lawyer, Carton had no meaning or hope in life. He had nothing that he truly loved and cherished, not even his wife and three kids. However, the one and only person who he get fully loved was Lucie. Although his love was never expressed outwardly, Carton would always find himself at Lucie bsnd Darney's house. Carton unexpectedly appears in Paris, where Darney is put on a second trial and is most likely to be executed. In a time where Lucie was distraught from the thought of losing her love, Carton does what he can to make her happy. He executes a well thought out plan of swapping himself and Darney so that he is executed in place of Darney. He also warns Lorry of Madama Defarge's plans to harm Lucie and her daughter. Carton simply does this out of selfless love. He wants to do whatever he could to say the lives of the family and to make sure that Lucie does not go through the heartbreak of losing her husband. Although Carton seemed to be a hopeless alcoholic, the reader can clearly see that he is the one with the most courage. At the end of the novel, he mentions how what he did would be the best thing that he had ever done or would have done. He shows how much he loves Lucie and is willing to sacrifice himself for others to live. However, its possible that instead of Carton going through a "transformation" he simply became the redeemed version of himself, a courageous, thoughtful, and loving man. Carton truly become a man of dignity and honor by sacrificing himself for others.
Sydney evolves a great amount throughout the novel. In the beginning, he is a drunk who believes he does not deserve any credit for the work that he does and thinks that he is of no worth. He is madly in love with a woman who actually sees the good in him. When he has a conversation with Lucie about his feelings, she tells him the potential he has to do so much good in his life. He uses her faith and pity to motivate himself to do something good with his life. He has the most courage out of anyone in the novel and that can be seen in many different instances. His courage can be seen mostly at the end when he dies for Charles Darnay because of his love for Lucie. He evolves from being a drunk with no hope to an extremely brave, loving, and compassionate man. I find his transformation extremely heroic and inspiring because it is almost as though he wakes up and realizes that he is more than just an alcoholic. He has always wanted to do something more with his life and I think that his love for Lucie allowed him to find the strength to do something noble.
Sydney Carton is a character throughout the novel that goes through a significant transformation. In the beginning of the novel he was most notably known for having an almost identical resemblance to Charles Darnay. Their similar looking features ultimately helped Charles plead innocent of his court case. Within that court case, Dickens lets it be known to the readers that Sydney has very strong feelings toward Lucie. Sydney keeps these feelings hidden when speaking to Charles Darnay and his friend Mr. Stryver in the beginning of the novel. However as the novel continues, Syndey gained the courage to inform Lucie of his underlying love for her. He tells her that he knows nothing will come out of his love, but he wishes to stay in her life as a dear family friend. Therefore, Carton continues in the novel as a loyal friend and is accompanying them when the family takes the wretched journey to France. Toward the end of the novel, in France, Carton becomes the hero of the novel. After Charles Darnay is put in jail for the second time, Carton puts matters into his own hands to help the rest of the family. Carton is the one who hears Madame Defarge's plan to go after Doctor Manette, Lucie, and the daughter Lucie. Carton is also the one who quickly makes a plan for the family to safely leave England. Last but not least, Carton is the one who takes Charles Darnay's spot in prison so Charles may live with his wife and child. Syndey Carton ultimately sacrificed his life so that Lucie may live a happy long life with her husband. Carton started in the novel as someone who was once scared to even admit his feelings to then being someone who courageously died for them. He became the hero of the novel and died as a calm and poised man.
The first look of Sydney Carton depicts him being a drunkard who does not have a care in the world. He does not even have much self respect or self esteem. Sydney was never attached to anyone because he did not have many friends or family that he cared about. When he met Lucie, Carton’s world changed. He began to understand this idea of love that he had never felt before. Carton started being selfless and caring for Lucie and her family. He encouraged her to be happy and told her that he would so anything that made her happy. He never ceased loving her even after she married and had children. Carton fell madly in love with Lucie and wanted to protect her forever. Near the end of the book, Sydney knew that without her husband Lucie would become depressed and melancholy. Carton made the heroic decision to save Lucie’s husband which would consequently save her eternal happiness. Knowing that Lucie did not have the same feelings for him, Sydney chose to save the one she loved and be killed in his place. Sydney expresses his feelings by literally dying for the one he loves. This heroic act shows Carton’s transformation from an angry and pessimistic alcoholic to a noble and courageous gentleman.
Upon being introduced to Sydney Carton in the book, the reader is informed that Sydney Carton is a careless drunk. He does't care about anyone in the world including himself and is ultimately extremely unhappy. Having no strong bonds or cares in life is a lonely way to live especially when his only companion is Mr. Stryver who only makes him feel worse about himself. Carton lived a depressed life like this until he meets Lucie and her family. This is when he finds some purpose in life even if at first he doesn't show it. Even his gloomy visits to their house when he would still be in a negative mood it was changing him as he saw the light and passion within Lucie. His love for her goes strong and he admits it to her while admitting he knows nothing will come from it. This is a major turning point in Sydney's transformation because for once we see him showing care for someone else. Carton evolves into a completely selfless and loving man as we see when he sacrifices himself for the happiness of Lucie, little Lucie, and Darnay. He could see that if he didn't do this their family would be broken forever and he could not let that happen. Sydney Carton ended the story as a hero, braver than any character and died with pride.
Though Sydney Carton enters the novel as a seemingly unsavory, undesirable drunkard of a character, he proves himself to be dynamic and capable of much change. As a lawywer with little interest in his own life, Sydney Carton spends much of his time in the novel drinking and making pessimistic statements about himself. He claims that his life is a meaningless one, and that nothing in his life gave him any joy. The reader finds out that this is not true, however, when he professes his love to Doctor Manette's daughter, Lucie. Unfortunately for Carton, Lucie is already to be married to Charles Darnay. Instead of growing resentful, Sydney decides to devote himself to the service and protection of Lucie and her husband. He proves that he is truly devoted in the final chapters of the novel, when Darnay is captured twice by France's revolutionary government. After his second arrest, Charles Darnay is imprisoned in the bastille and sentenced to death. Carton sees the strife that this causes Lucie, whom he cares so much for, and takes immediate action. He slips into the Bastille and convinces Darnay, bearing a striking resemblance to him, to switch places and escape. They do so and Sydney Carton is executed in Darnay's place soon after. In the end, Carton dies a noble death, giving his life the purpose he so desperately wanted.
Sydney Carton begins as an apathetic character, who drowns himself in alcohol and believes himself to be useless. His entire life is negative, and every part of it reinforces his pessimistic attitude. Carton eventually changes into a character who is willing to sacrifice his own life for the happiness of others. Even though he still believes that he, himself, is useless, he feels that his life now has value because it can save his friends. This change is caused by his love for Lucie Manette, as his interest in her causes Carton to have renewed interest in life. This causes Carton to want to preserve those who have changed him, which he accomplices by dying for them.
When first introduced into the novel, Sydney Carton is a drunk lawyer who constantly drowns his sorrows and numbs his feelings in alcohol. He finds himself to be hopeless and incapable of joy as he wanders the streets early in the morning in search of something to cope with. He is also considered inferior to Stryver, his partner, who refers to him as a 'jackal.' Sydney soon finds himself in love with Lucie Manette and seeks hope that she will agree to marry him. Much to his dismay, Sydney discovers she is destined to be married to Charles Darnay. Although it seems that this discovery would have completely destroyed Sydney and made him a permanent drunk, he decides to turn his life around. He takes the love he has for Lucie and uses it to protect her and her family. Eventually, Sydney proves his true testament of love as he takes Charle's place in Bastille and is sentenced to death. During this scene, much of the description of Sydney parallels Jesus being put to death on the cross as repeatedly muttered how he was the resurrection and the life and whoever believes in him shall never die. Sydney sacrificed himself so that Charles Darnay would not die and could be reunited with his family once again. His last words show how he had hope for the city of Paris to be reborn and rebuilt into something spectacular. Similar to Christ, he promised a better future and comfort to those who were currently suffering. The evolution of Sydney Carton demonstrate how powerful love and hope are as he was able to turn his life around for the sake of Lucie and sacrificed himself for her happiness. Dickens uses Sydney's evolution to give hope to the reader in that someone can be profoundly hopeless but are capable of being changed into a hopeful hero.
Throughout the novel, Sydney Carton continuously refers to his vile nature and claims that he is a worthless human being. Upon his first interaction with Charles Darnay, it is evident that he considers himself a raging drunk who will never do anything good in the world. However, Lucie Manette is the one soul who has the power to change him. On one particular evening, Carton goes to Miss Manette and professes his love for her. He makes her promise that this interaction will never be brought up at a future time, but he tells her that she managed to bring love back into a “wasted, drunken, poor creature.” He declares that he will sink lower as his life continues, but also promises that he would do anything for her, even if it meant sacrificing his own life. In the end, his love for Miss Manette is what drives him to take Charles Darnay’s place at the Guillotine and reunite Lucie with her loved one. Before the blade of death falls upon his head, Sydney Carton becomes fully aware of his sacrifice and recognizes that it is the greatest thing he has ever done. Not only is he saving the life of an innocent man and mending the hearts of Darnay’s family, but he is also proving to himself that he is capable of good. From the drunken pits of depression and worthlessness from which he is born, Sydney Carton transforms into the hero of the story. He is comforted with the thought that he will always be cherished and loved by the ones he saved. Interestingly enough, the story truly draws full circle once Carton has rescued Darnay with his elaborate plan, for the tale began with Carton helping to prove Darnay’s innocence in court and saving his life for the first time. He protected Darnay in the beginning and the end and is one of the most remarkable heroes in English literature.
In the beginning of this novel Sydney Carton is a very depressed character with very little direction and feels very little significance in his life. He does his work but gets very little recognition for it and his existence seems very bleak until Lucie Manette comes into his life. After meeting Lucie, Sydney is a new and transformed person and this transformation gives him a bigger and better purpose in life and a confidence boost he desperately needed. The relationship that Lucie and Sydney have is what helps Sydney obtain this type of new life that revolutionizes his purpose. As the story goes on we see Sydney becoming a less miserable person and a person who has things to believe in and a redemption of his past self. Sydney's life is a very good example of a common man to a hero in regards to his relations with Lucie and Darnay.
From the beginning of the novel, we get a glimpse into the psyche of Sydney Carlton. A depressed, drunk lawyer, he spends most of his time feeling sorry for himself and making disparaging comments about himself. However, when Lucie arrives into his life, he changes for the better, although he faces obstacles along the way. Lucie is already married to Charles Darnay, who Dickens notes to have an almost identical resemblance to Sydney. Lucie changes him by making him into a more optimistic person and just making him feel good about himself for the first time. Rather than becoming spiteful because he knows he can never be with Lucie, he protects her and her husband, even going so far as to replace himself with Darnay as he is about to be executed, making the ultimate sacrifice so she will not have to suffer like Sydney did before she came into his life. His heroic transformation is a showcase of the power of love, even when unrequited, and sacrifice.
Sydney Carlton's character begins as one who believes he has little to none to live for and that his life has been entirely wasted. He resorts to drowning his sorrows in alcohol, creating for himself the label of a worthless drunk. As the story progresses, Sydney's character develops. He falls in love with Lucie Manette which ultimately leads to the fulfillment of his potential as a person. Though when he first confesses his love to Lucie he acknowledges that he feels he does not deserve her, he does not resent that Charles Darnay gets to marry her. Sydney's development of character is truly shown by his courageous decision to die in place of Darnay. This admirable feat showed Sydney's true devotion to Lucie and her happiness. As he awaited his death, he imagined the way Lucie, her family, and Lorry would remember him: as a true hero. Sydney Carlton's character evolves epically from a person who felt like a wasted space to one who was so devoted to Lucie that he would come to feel entirely fulfilled by dying for her happiness. Knowing that he would be forever remembered admirably by the people he cares for made Sydney realize that dying as he would was the greatest thing he would ever do.
Sydney Carton is a very unhappy and miserable man. He does all of the work for Stryver but gets very little of the credit. He was an orphan and how no parents or parental figure to guide him. He also has no love life whatsoever. However he does become quite smitten with Lucie Mannette but knows that it is not possible for them to ever be together. In fact he even says this to Lucie at one point. Carton does make the promise to Lucie that he would do anything for anyone that she loved including give his life. Later on when Lucie's husband Charles Darnay (a man that looks exactly like Carton and Carton has saved before because of their resemblence) is going to be beheaded. Carton decides he must make good on his promise and save Charles' life. When Carton is in line to be beheaded he seems at peace with himself because he realizes that he is serving a purpose and making someone happier than they ever could have been had he not done something.
Sydney Carton is born in a misery few ever know. Parentless in an unforgiving society, his life and social conditions seem to point him only towards being a deadbeat and a drunk for the rest of his life. And yet his fate somewhat improves when he finds a woman to love in Lucie Mannette, unfortunately his lifestyle doesn’t allow for a marriage, but he makes her aware of his passions and promises to always aid her. When years later her husband is to be guillotined in a twisted plot for Mrs. Lafarge to get revenge he doesn’t hesitate to make good on his promise and to switch places with Darnay who he resembles very much. In this single act he differentiates himself from all others as being the only person who can be a martyr in this book. He alone has the opinion of himself to allow this to be a selfless act, anyone less depraved would have done it for the posthumous accolades, but his sufferance is only to atone for all his mistakes. This is evolution at it’s very best, a character that fundamentally changes between the beginning and the end.
There is an immense transformation of Sydney Carton's character throughout A Tale of Two Cities. At first an intelligent drunk who takes no credit for his work, Carton has no hope for his life and works towards nothing. Lucie Manette is the only one to see good in him and he falls deeply in love with her. Understanding she will never return his affections in the same way, he still sets out to be a close friend of the family, and even of her husband -Charles Darnay. When Lucie is secretely plotted against by Madame Defarge, Carton devises a plan to get her and her family safely back to England. Knowing Lucie would be heartbroken and miserable without Darnay, Carton conceives a plan to get Darnay out of prison, taking his place at the guillotine. His selfless sacrifice to secure Lucie and her family's happiness and saftey demonstrates Carton's transfortion. Carton, once afraid to acknowledge his emotions gave his life for them, becoming a man of honour and the unexpected hero of A Tale of Two Cities.
There is an immense transformation of Sydney Carton's character throughout A Tale of Two Cities. At first an intelligent drunk who takes no credit for his work, Carton has no hope for his life and works towards nothing. Lucie Manette is the only one to see good in him and he falls deeply in love with her. Understanding she will never return his affections in the same way, he still sets out to be a close friend of the family, and even of her husband -Charles Darnay. When Lucie is secretely plotted against by Madame Defarge, Carton devises a plan to get her and her family safely back to England. Knowing Lucie would be heartbroken and miserable without Darnay, Carton conceives a plan to get Darnay out of prison, taking his place at the guillotine. His selfless sacrifice to secure Lucie and her family's happiness and saftey demonstrates Carton's transfortion. Carton, once afraid to acknowledge his emotions gave his life for them, becoming a man of honour and the unexpected hero of A Tale of Two Cities.
Sydney Carton has a major transformation from the beginning to the end of A Tale of Two Cities. Sydney begins the story as an angry alcoholic and ends the story as a genuine man. Towards the beginning of the novel, Sydney had a very bad appearance because of his drinking and attitude. An example of this was the night of Charles Darnay's first trial when Sydney drank too much and disrespected Charles, causing him to be mad at Sydney. His drinking problem seemed to lead to many of his mistakes. He also had an immature side to him. When Lucie decided that she was going to marry Charles Darnay, Sydney was very relentless for his love for Lucie, and did not seem to back down for a while after hearing about their marriage. Later in the story, though, this immature characteristic seemed to change. When Sydney talked to Lucie alone later in the story, he is very honest and heartfelt with her. Another example of his major change was at the end of the story, when he took Charles Darnay's place at the guillotine. This showed his love for Lucie and Charles. He also helped an innocent woman at the guillotine, which again shows compassion. His personality completely changed from the beginning of the story to the end, when he goes from being selfish to selfless.
ReplyDeleteThroughout A Tale of Two Cities, Sydney Carton undergoes dynamic change. He essentially becomes the ultimate underdog of the novel. At the beginning of the novel, Sydney Carton is revealed as a drunkard, who happens to be intelligent but unhappy all the time. Apart from his parents having died when he was young, I wonder what else could have made Sydney the way he is. Sydney is the main reason why Stryver is successful, yet he continued to be believe that he was worth little. Additionally, Sydney always wonders why he cannot be a better person. In spite of his unhappiness, he falls in love with Lucie Manette. However, he does not marry her and thus chooses to become a friend of the family. At this point, sydney becomes the ultimate ally and friend to Charles Darnay and Lucie. He commits himself to them, even becoming a sort of uncle to their children.
ReplyDeleteSydney evolves as a result of the circumstances under which he found himself. He realized that his life was nothing but contributing to other's success, and ultimately realized that he needed purpose and direction. In this case, he fell in love with Lucie, and devoted himself to her, even after she was married. Sydney adopts a more noble and honorable purpose, which is that of dying for what he believes in, which in this case, was Lucie. He took the place of Charles Darnay at the guillotine, and fulfilled his purpose.
I agree with your description of Carton's description. He went from not having any idea of his purpose in life to being content and informed on how he could contribute to the world.
DeleteSydney Carton changes drastically throughout A Tale of Two Cities. In the beginning, he is a drunken mess with a pessimistic attitude and outlook on life. He feels that everyone else around him is better than he is and he gets angry with himself because he wishes he could be better. He has a very poor sense of his self worth and believes his only abilities in life are to help others become successful. He has no faith in his own success and does not strive for anything. He ends up falling in love with Lucie Manette, whom he knows he will never marry. He decides to befriend her family and visits them often, even after Lucie marries Charles Darnay. I agree with Miguel because at the end, Sydney transforms into a noble and courageous man by taking Charles' place at the guillotine. This heroic act ended up saving Lucie's family. That being said, Sydney finally felt like he was fulfilling his purpose in life, which was to make Lucie happy. His evolution from a depressed alcoholic to an unexpected hero shows that he had finally found himself, and truly died a selfless man.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that Carton's sacrifice was purely made for the sake of Lucie Manette and her reunion with Darnay, or was it also done for himself? Do you think he still considered himself a "drunken mess" after forfeiting his life for the ones he loved?
DeleteSydney Carton experienced an immense amount of growth throughout A Tale of Two Cities. When Sydney was first introduced, he was described as being a drunken mess. He appeared to be a very negative and harsh man, especially when he disrespects Charles Darnay, during the trial. Although Sydney was a very intelligent man, he felt that his only capability was helping others. For some reason, he felt that he was not good enough to succeed. Instead of benefitting himself, he helps Stryver. Luckily, Sydeny was able to find Lucie Manette, who helped him out of this state of depression.Lucie Manette is the most prominent benefactor in Sydney's transformation. This was because she was his only source of happiness. He truly loved Lucie and devoted his life to her. Even though he knew that she would never return his affection, Sydeny still dedicated everyday to Lucie because all he wanted was to see her untroubled. That was why Sydney took Charles's place at the guillotine. He knew that Lucie would be miserable if Charles was killed, so he decided that her well being was more important that his own life. Sydney starts off as a worthless drunkard, but by the end of the story he became a courageous and kind-hearted individual.
ReplyDeleteSydney Carton experiences change in a variety of ways throughout A Tale of Two Cities. The most dramatic change he goes through is that of a physically and mentally depressed alcoholic, into a selfless and courageous hero by the end of the novel. Sydney is first depicted as a kind character but one who experiences lapses of self pity. He feels that no one truly cares for him and is longing for friendship and a dependency from someone else for most of the novel. Therefore, Sydney clings to the mindset that he needs to feel useful to someone else. Over the course of the novel, Sydney becomes more and more aware of his purpose in life and starts to act on this. He shows moments of courage and selflessness that ultimately define him as a character in the end. Overall, Sydney evolves because he wants to feel important and he sees no better way to do that then to save the woman of his dreams, despite not being able to have her love in return. He becomes content with the fact that what he is doing is brave and heroic. In the end, this is enough of a reward to keep his mind at ease.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the novel Sydney carton is a drunken lawyer who has wasted his life away. He seems to have no potential and is not considered to be a good man. Lucie Manette however, sees the good in him. Sydney begins to fall in love with her but he knows that he can never have her because she is married to Charlses Darnay. Sydney's love is still deep so he makes an unspoken promise to Lucie that he will give his life for her and the ones whom she loves. When Charles is sentenced to death, Sydney devises a plan to switch spots with Charles at the guillotine. By doing this he saves Charles's life as well as Lucie's entire family. By the end of the novel Sydney is no longer a waste of a man but a sort of Christ figure; he sacrifices his life for safety of many characters and he brings solace to a young woman in line to be beheaded. Sydney changes drastically from the start of the novel to the very last page.
ReplyDeleteI like your comparison to Sydney being a Christ-like figure. I completely agree as he sacrifices himself for a good cause becoming a hero.
DeleteSydney Carton at first seemed to be an insignificant character but was later the one who saved many lives. An alcoholic lawyer, Carton had no meaning or hope in life. He had nothing that he truly loved and cherished, not even his wife and three kids. However, the one and only person who he get fully loved was Lucie. Although his love was never expressed outwardly, Carton would always find himself at Lucie bsnd Darney's house. Carton unexpectedly appears in Paris, where Darney is put on a second trial and is most likely to be executed. In a time where Lucie was distraught from the thought of losing her love, Carton does what he can to make her happy. He executes a well thought out plan of swapping himself and Darney so that he is executed in place of Darney. He also warns Lorry of Madama Defarge's plans to harm Lucie and her daughter. Carton simply does this out of selfless love. He wants to do whatever he could to say the lives of the family and to make sure that Lucie does not go through the heartbreak of losing her husband. Although Carton seemed to be a hopeless alcoholic, the reader can clearly see that he is the one with the most courage. At the end of the novel, he mentions how what he did would be the best thing that he had ever done or would have done. He shows how much he loves Lucie and is willing to sacrifice himself for others to live. However, its possible that instead of Carton going through a "transformation" he simply became the redeemed version of himself, a courageous, thoughtful, and loving man. Carton truly become a man of dignity and honor by sacrificing himself for others.
ReplyDeleteSydney evolves a great amount throughout the novel. In the beginning, he is a drunk who believes he does not deserve any credit for the work that he does and thinks that he is of no worth. He is madly in love with a woman who actually sees the good in him. When he has a conversation with Lucie about his feelings, she tells him the potential he has to do so much good in his life. He uses her faith and pity to motivate himself to do something good with his life. He has the most courage out of anyone in the novel and that can be seen in many different instances. His courage can be seen mostly at the end when he dies for Charles Darnay because of his love for Lucie. He evolves from being a drunk with no hope to an extremely brave, loving, and compassionate man. I find his transformation extremely heroic and inspiring because it is almost as though he wakes up and realizes that he is more than just an alcoholic. He has always wanted to do something more with his life and I think that his love for Lucie allowed him to find the strength to do something noble.
ReplyDeleteSydney Carton is a character throughout the novel that goes through a significant transformation. In the beginning of the novel he was most notably known for having an almost identical resemblance to Charles Darnay. Their similar looking features ultimately helped Charles plead innocent of his court case. Within that court case, Dickens lets it be known to the readers that Sydney has very strong feelings toward Lucie. Sydney keeps these feelings hidden when speaking to Charles Darnay and his friend Mr. Stryver in the beginning of the novel. However as the novel continues, Syndey gained the courage to inform Lucie of his underlying love for her. He tells her that he knows nothing will come out of his love, but he wishes to stay in her life as a dear family friend. Therefore, Carton continues in the novel as a loyal friend and is accompanying them when the family takes the wretched journey to France. Toward the end of the novel, in France, Carton becomes the hero of the novel. After Charles Darnay is put in jail for the second time, Carton puts matters into his own hands to help the rest of the family. Carton is the one who hears Madame Defarge's plan to go after Doctor Manette, Lucie, and the daughter Lucie. Carton is also the one who quickly makes a plan for the family to safely leave England. Last but not least, Carton is the one who takes Charles Darnay's spot in prison so Charles may live with his wife and child. Syndey Carton ultimately sacrificed his life so that Lucie may live a happy long life with her husband. Carton started in the novel as someone who was once scared to even admit his feelings to then being someone who courageously died for them. He became the hero of the novel and died as a calm and poised man.
ReplyDeleteThe first look of Sydney Carton depicts him being a drunkard who does not have a care in the world. He does not even have much self respect or self esteem. Sydney was never attached to anyone because he did not have many friends or family that he cared about. When he met Lucie, Carton’s world changed. He began to understand this idea of love that he had never felt before. Carton started being selfless and caring for Lucie and her family. He encouraged her to be happy and told her that he would so anything that made her happy. He never ceased loving her even after she married and had children. Carton fell madly in love with Lucie and wanted to protect her forever. Near the end of the book, Sydney knew that without her husband Lucie would become depressed and melancholy. Carton made the heroic decision to save Lucie’s husband which would consequently save her eternal happiness. Knowing that Lucie did not have the same feelings for him, Sydney chose to save the one she loved and be killed in his place. Sydney expresses his feelings by literally dying for the one he loves. This heroic act shows Carton’s transformation from an angry and pessimistic alcoholic to a noble and courageous gentleman.
ReplyDeleteUpon being introduced to Sydney Carton in the book, the reader is informed that Sydney Carton is a careless drunk. He does't care about anyone in the world including himself and is ultimately extremely unhappy. Having no strong bonds or cares in life is a lonely way to live especially when his only companion is Mr. Stryver who only makes him feel worse about himself. Carton lived a depressed life like this until he meets Lucie and her family. This is when he finds some purpose in life even if at first he doesn't show it. Even his gloomy visits to their house when he would still be in a negative mood it was changing him as he saw the light and passion within Lucie. His love for her goes strong and he admits it to her while admitting he knows nothing will come from it. This is a major turning point in Sydney's transformation because for once we see him showing care for someone else. Carton evolves into a completely selfless and loving man as we see when he sacrifices himself for the happiness of Lucie, little Lucie, and Darnay. He could see that if he didn't do this their family would be broken forever and he could not let that happen. Sydney Carton ended the story as a hero, braver than any character and died with pride.
ReplyDeleteThough Sydney Carton enters the novel as a seemingly unsavory, undesirable drunkard of a character, he proves himself to be dynamic and capable of much change. As a lawywer with little interest in his own life, Sydney Carton spends much of his time in the novel drinking and making pessimistic statements about himself. He claims that his life is a meaningless one, and that nothing in his life gave him any joy. The reader finds out that this is not true, however, when he professes his love to Doctor Manette's daughter, Lucie. Unfortunately for Carton, Lucie is already to be married to Charles Darnay. Instead of growing resentful, Sydney decides to devote himself to the service and protection of Lucie and her husband. He proves that he is truly devoted in the final chapters of the novel, when Darnay is captured twice by France's revolutionary government. After his second arrest, Charles Darnay is imprisoned in the bastille and sentenced to death. Carton sees the strife that this causes Lucie, whom he cares so much for, and takes immediate action. He slips into the Bastille and convinces Darnay, bearing a striking resemblance to him, to switch places and escape. They do so and Sydney Carton is executed in Darnay's place soon after. In the end, Carton dies a noble death, giving his life the purpose he so desperately wanted.
ReplyDeleteSydney Carton begins as an apathetic character, who drowns himself in alcohol and believes himself to be useless. His entire life is negative, and every part of it reinforces his pessimistic attitude. Carton eventually changes into a character who is willing to sacrifice his own life for the happiness of others. Even though he still believes that he, himself, is useless, he feels that his life now has value because it can save his friends. This change is caused by his love for Lucie Manette, as his interest in her causes Carton to have renewed interest in life. This causes Carton to want to preserve those who have changed him, which he accomplices by dying for them.
ReplyDeleteWhen first introduced into the novel, Sydney Carton is a drunk lawyer who constantly drowns his sorrows and numbs his feelings in alcohol. He finds himself to be hopeless and incapable of joy as he wanders the streets early in the morning in search of something to cope with. He is also considered inferior to Stryver, his partner, who refers to him as a 'jackal.' Sydney soon finds himself in love with Lucie Manette and seeks hope that she will agree to marry him. Much to his dismay, Sydney discovers she is destined to be married to Charles Darnay. Although it seems that this discovery would have completely destroyed Sydney and made him a permanent drunk, he decides to turn his life around. He takes the love he has for Lucie and uses it to protect her and her family. Eventually, Sydney proves his true testament of love as he takes Charle's place in Bastille and is sentenced to death. During this scene, much of the description of Sydney parallels Jesus being put to death on the cross as repeatedly muttered how he was the resurrection and the life and whoever believes in him shall never die. Sydney sacrificed himself so that Charles Darnay would not die and could be reunited with his family once again. His last words show how he had hope for the city of Paris to be reborn and rebuilt into something spectacular. Similar to Christ, he promised a better future and comfort to those who were currently suffering. The evolution of Sydney Carton demonstrate how powerful love and hope are as he was able to turn his life around for the sake of Lucie and sacrificed himself for her happiness. Dickens uses Sydney's evolution to give hope to the reader in that someone can be profoundly hopeless but are capable of being changed into a hopeful hero.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel, Sydney Carton continuously refers to his vile nature and claims that he is a worthless human being. Upon his first interaction with Charles Darnay, it is evident that he considers himself a raging drunk who will never do anything good in the world. However, Lucie Manette is the one soul who has the power to change him. On one particular evening, Carton goes to Miss Manette and professes his love for her. He makes her promise that this interaction will never be brought up at a future time, but he tells her that she managed to bring love back into a “wasted, drunken, poor creature.” He declares that he will sink lower as his life continues, but also promises that he would do anything for her, even if it meant sacrificing his own life. In the end, his love for Miss Manette is what drives him to take Charles Darnay’s place at the Guillotine and reunite Lucie with her loved one. Before the blade of death falls upon his head, Sydney Carton becomes fully aware of his sacrifice and recognizes that it is the greatest thing he has ever done. Not only is he saving the life of an innocent man and mending the hearts of Darnay’s family, but he is also proving to himself that he is capable of good. From the drunken pits of depression and worthlessness from which he is born, Sydney Carton transforms into the hero of the story. He is comforted with the thought that he will always be cherished and loved by the ones he saved. Interestingly enough, the story truly draws full circle once Carton has rescued Darnay with his elaborate plan, for the tale began with Carton helping to prove Darnay’s innocence in court and saving his life for the first time. He protected Darnay in the beginning and the end and is one of the most remarkable heroes in English literature.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of this novel Sydney Carton is a very depressed character with very little direction and feels very little significance in his life. He does his work but gets very little recognition for it and his existence seems very bleak until Lucie Manette comes into his life. After meeting Lucie, Sydney is a new and transformed person and this transformation gives him a bigger and better purpose in life and a confidence boost he desperately needed. The relationship that Lucie and Sydney have is what helps Sydney obtain this type of new life that revolutionizes his purpose. As the story goes on we see Sydney becoming a less miserable person and a person who has things to believe in and a redemption of his past self. Sydney's life is a very good example of a common man to a hero in regards to his relations with Lucie and Darnay.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of the novel, we get a glimpse into the psyche of Sydney Carlton. A depressed, drunk lawyer, he spends most of his time feeling sorry for himself and making disparaging comments about himself. However, when Lucie arrives into his life, he changes for the better, although he faces obstacles along the way. Lucie is already married to Charles Darnay, who Dickens notes to have an almost identical resemblance to Sydney. Lucie changes him by making him into a more optimistic person and just making him feel good about himself for the first time. Rather than becoming spiteful because he knows he can never be with Lucie, he protects her and her husband, even going so far as to replace himself with Darnay as he is about to be executed, making the ultimate sacrifice so she will not have to suffer like Sydney did before she came into his life. His heroic transformation is a showcase of the power of love, even when unrequited, and sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteSydney Carlton's character begins as one who believes he has little to none to live for and that his life has been entirely wasted. He resorts to drowning his sorrows in alcohol, creating for himself the label of a worthless drunk. As the story progresses, Sydney's character develops. He falls in love with Lucie Manette which ultimately leads to the fulfillment of his potential as a person. Though when he first confesses his love to Lucie he acknowledges that he feels he does not deserve her, he does not resent that Charles Darnay gets to marry her. Sydney's development of character is truly shown by his courageous decision to die in place of Darnay. This admirable feat showed Sydney's true devotion to Lucie and her happiness. As he awaited his death, he imagined the way Lucie, her family, and Lorry would remember him: as a true hero. Sydney Carlton's character evolves epically from a person who felt like a wasted space to one who was so devoted to Lucie that he would come to feel entirely fulfilled by dying for her happiness. Knowing that he would be forever remembered admirably by the people he cares for made Sydney realize that dying as he would was the greatest thing he would ever do.
ReplyDeleteSydney Carton is a very unhappy and miserable man. He does all of the work for Stryver but gets very little of the credit. He was an orphan and how no parents or parental figure to guide him. He also has no love life whatsoever. However he does become quite smitten with Lucie Mannette but knows that it is not possible for them to ever be together. In fact he even says this to Lucie at one point. Carton does make the promise to Lucie that he would do anything for anyone that she loved including give his life. Later on when Lucie's husband Charles Darnay (a man that looks exactly like Carton and Carton has saved before because of their resemblence) is going to be beheaded. Carton decides he must make good on his promise and save Charles' life. When Carton is in line to be beheaded he seems at peace with himself because he realizes that he is serving a purpose and making someone happier than they ever could have been had he not done something.
ReplyDeleteSydney Carton is born in a misery few ever know. Parentless in an unforgiving society, his life and social conditions seem to point him only towards being a deadbeat and a drunk for the rest of his life. And yet his fate somewhat improves when he finds a woman to love in Lucie Mannette, unfortunately his lifestyle doesn’t allow for a marriage, but he makes her aware of his passions and promises to always aid her. When years later her husband is to be guillotined in a twisted plot for Mrs. Lafarge to get revenge he doesn’t hesitate to make good on his promise and to switch places with Darnay who he resembles very much. In this single act he differentiates himself from all others as being the only person who can be a martyr in this book. He alone has the opinion of himself to allow this to be a selfless act, anyone less depraved would have done it for the posthumous accolades, but his sufferance is only to atone for all his mistakes. This is evolution at it’s very best, a character that fundamentally changes between the beginning and the end.
ReplyDeleteThere is an immense transformation of Sydney Carton's character throughout A Tale of Two Cities. At first an intelligent drunk who takes no credit for his work, Carton has no hope for his life and works towards nothing. Lucie Manette is the only one to see good in him and he falls deeply in love with her. Understanding she will never return his affections in the same way, he still sets out to be a close friend of the family, and even of her husband -Charles Darnay. When Lucie is secretely plotted against by Madame Defarge, Carton devises a plan to get her and her family safely back to England. Knowing Lucie would be heartbroken and miserable without Darnay, Carton conceives a plan to get Darnay out of prison, taking his place at the guillotine. His selfless sacrifice to secure Lucie and her family's happiness and saftey demonstrates Carton's transfortion. Carton, once afraid to acknowledge his emotions gave his life for them, becoming a man of honour and the unexpected hero of A Tale of Two Cities.
ReplyDeleteThere is an immense transformation of Sydney Carton's character throughout A Tale of Two Cities. At first an intelligent drunk who takes no credit for his work, Carton has no hope for his life and works towards nothing. Lucie Manette is the only one to see good in him and he falls deeply in love with her. Understanding she will never return his affections in the same way, he still sets out to be a close friend of the family, and even of her husband -Charles Darnay. When Lucie is secretely plotted against by Madame Defarge, Carton devises a plan to get her and her family safely back to England. Knowing Lucie would be heartbroken and miserable without Darnay, Carton conceives a plan to get Darnay out of prison, taking his place at the guillotine. His selfless sacrifice to secure Lucie and her family's happiness and saftey demonstrates Carton's transfortion. Carton, once afraid to acknowledge his emotions gave his life for them, becoming a man of honour and the unexpected hero of A Tale of Two Cities.
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