Daniel Xu Period 6 Title: A Tale of Two Cities Author: Charles Dickens Genre: Historical Fiction Setting: Around London

and Paris, from 1775-1793 Point of View: The narrator narrates the story in third person and constantly shifts the focus from one character to the next. Atmosphere: The atmosphere of the novel is one of suspense and darkness. Tone: The tone of the novel varies at times but is generally sentimental, sympathetic, sarcastic, horrified, grotesque, and grim. Protagonist: Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton can both be accepted as the protagonist of the story. As both characters has shown heroic qualities in different ways. Darnay shows this by abandoning his aristocratic lifestyle and marrying Lucy, then later accepting his punishments for his relatives actions. Carton shows heroism by replacing himself with Darnay before the execution, showing true love and devotion towards Lucy. Antagonist: Madame Therese Defarge is undoubtedly the antagonist of the novel. She is partly responsible for the revolution that has taken place and she is also the one that chose to execute the aristocrats and associates of them. External Conflict: Charles Darnay faces many external conflicts in the novel. The fact that he is a past aristocrat makes him the target of the revolutionaries. And he is faced with a constant threat of been executed. Internal Conflict: On other hand, Sydney Carton faces internal conflicts. Sydney goes through a transition from been an alcoholic who had lost all interest in life to pursuing Lucy, his true love. Before meeting Lucy, Carton cared little for himself or anything in the world and insisted that his own life is a waste. Though later it is seen that Carton has indeed overcome this conflict he has within himself as he redeems himself by changing position with Darnay. Protagonists Epiphany/Insight into the world: Sydney Carton faces an epiphany in the novel. At first, he had little interest in life and drank heavily. But after seeing Lucy, he finds meaning in his life and pursues after Lucy even right before her wedding day. This change of mind tells the readers that love is a truly moving force and can completely alternate a persons perception of the world.

Climax: The climax occurs in Darnays trial when Madame Defarge reads aloud the letter that Dr. Manette has written during his imprisonment. The letter accuses Darnay as a member of the cruel aristocrat. It becomes clear that Madame Defarge is seeking Darnays death. Other Significant Characters and their Roles: Various characters plays an important role in the development of the story. Dr. Manette is Lucys father, and a shoe maker. Lucie Manette is Darnays true lover and the daughter of Dr. Manette. Monsier Defarge is the husband of Madame Defarge and also a leader of the revolutionaries. Jarvis Lorry is a businessman that works at Tellsons bank and is the one that helped Lucy find his father. Significant Literary Devices: Dickens uses a variety of literary devices to alert reader to the many themes throughout the novel. The most important devices are foreshadowing and symbolism. Foreshadowing is used to alert the reader to the inevitable revolution that will take place and the bloodshed it will bring, while symbolism is used show the violence of the revolution. Major Theme: The major themes in the Tale of Two Cities include the Possibility of Resurrection and the Violence of Revolutions. Minor Themes: The minor themes include necessity of sacrifice, suffering and the injustice of aristocrats. Memorable Quote: It's a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done. It's a far, far better rest I go to than I have ever known. Sydney Carton