hey heyA Tale of Two Cities Literary Essay
Nature is a powerful element in A Tale of Two Cities. Nature is used to describe a character’s feelings or emotions, or to compare a character to something else. Some ways that nature is used is by animals, weather, or another. Dickens use of nature to mirror human emotions is definitely not ineffective or contrived.
The first way that Dickens uses nature effectively, is to show Sydney Carton and C.J. Stryver’s feelings toward each other and what they expect. In Book the Second Chapter 5 Dickens compares Carton to a Jackal and Stryver to a Lion. This quote “At last, it began to get about, among such as were interested in the matter, that although Sydney Carton would never be a lion, he was an amazingly good jackal, and that he rendered suit and service to Stryver in that humble capacity” (page 92) is definitely not forced into the reading because it explains exactly how Stryver feels about Carton. Carton is the lawyer who does all the legwork and brings it to Stryver just like this quote from the book “At length the jackal had got together a compact repast for the lion, and proceeded to offer it to him” (page 92). Both of these quotes very well emphasize that just like lion expecting the jackal to bring everything to him, Stryver feels he needs Carton to bring him everything. Also, they both show that Carton is .Dickens use of nature as comparisons really helps the reader understand a characters feelings.
Other than using things in nature to compare to characters in the A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens uses weather to describe how people are feeling or the mood. “When he got out of the house, the air was cold and sad, the dull sky overcast, the river dark and dim, the whole scene like a lifeless desert”(page 95) is a quote that describes the weather when Carton leaves Stryver’s office. This is an effective quote because it not only informs you of the weather conditions, but it also shows Carton’s emotions. At this...