Carton and Defarge-Comparing and Contrasting

In the 16th century Charles Dickens wrote the unforgettable novel A Tale of Two

Cities. In it he created two of the most remarkable fictional characters of all

time. One is the bloodthirsty Madame Defarge, and the other is the selfless

Sydney Carton. Madame Defarge is a peasant who seeks revenge on all aristocrats

who cross her path. In contrast, Sydney Carton is a man who is willing to do

anything for the love of his life. While the actions of these two characters

clearly delineate their differences, the underlying forces that drive each

>From Madame Defarge's actions, it is clear that she is the evil antagonist in

the novel. Even in the manner that she is physically described, she is presented

as "dark" and therefore she is seen as evil. She is as evil as she is because

when she was younger the D'Evremonde brothers killed her whole family. Now the

purpose of her life is to procure revenge on the D'Evremonde family and every

other aristocrat. Even when told by her beloved husband she has gone to far, she

does not stop. Instead her repartee to him was, "Tell the wind and fire where to

stop; not me". In it she evidently expresses how she wil

life and that is in order for Doctor Manette to remain with his son in law and

driving forces that drive both Madame Defarge and Sydney Carton ironically are

similarity is that both characters are exceedingly determined and have the

carry out their lives with the same dedication and consecration in order to

While Dickens presents Sydney Carton as a worthless drunk, in contrast to Madame

acquired any high social position in his life. Also, it seems as though his life

readers of A Tale of Two Cities as a worthless drunk and a man who has not

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