SQUID for Book the Second, Chapters 8-12

“’But it is useless to discuss the question. I am, as you say, at a disadvantage. These little instruments of correction, these gentle aids to the power and honour of families, these slight favours that might so incommode you, are only to be obtained now by interest and importunity. They are sought by so many, and they are granted (comparatively) to so few! It used not to be so, but France in all such things is changed for the worse. Our not remote ancestors held the right of life and death over the surrounding vulgar. From this room, many such dogs have been taken out to be hanged; in the next room (my bedroom), one fellow, to our knowledge, was poniarded on the spot for professing some insolent delicacy respecting his daughter-his daughter? We have lost many privileges; a new philosophy has become the mode; and the assertion of our station, in these days, might (I do not go so far as to say would, but might) cause us real inconvenience. All very bad, very bad (p. 114)!’” Monsieur the Marquis.

This quote was politely said by Monsieur the Marquis when he and his nephew Charles Darnay are having a discussion about how Charles Darnay has been getting in trouble because of his actions (attempting to acquire a “sacred” object). Monsieur the Marquis says this after it has been clearly stated that if he had more power in the Court, he would have a letter of de cachet written to put Darnay in a jail for a while so that he wouldn’t be a problem to the family. This quote mainly shows how the corrupt aristocratic families of France were losing power at this time as the atmosphere of France began to change. Before this point in time the aristocrats could do whatever they wanted to the peasants (who were still mere serfs to their lords). The aristocrats had absolute power over their subjects and greatly abused their powers. Aristocrats would choose whether or not a man could live even if he had done nothing wrong. This is the attitude that changed the country. The domination of the lower class by the aristocrats pushed the people to revolt a few years after this quote would have taken place. The quote specifically shows how corrupt the Monsieur of Marquis is and gives foreshadowing to something bad happening to him, because an awful murder that had no just cause took place in his bedroom. He also shows how corrupt he is (adding another item to his list of awful deeds) by wishing that he could have the ability to kill the people that work in his town mercilessly. Monsieur the Marquis ends this quote by threatening his nephew that the change that has swept over France could endanger the aristocrats’ lives. This is a threat that does not hold, because Darnay wants to become an average man instead of being an awful aristocrat. The quote foreshadows events that will happen very soon in the chapter; it adds to the hatred of Monsieur the Marquis, adding to the tension and excitement. 

SQUID for Book the Second, Chapters 4-7

“The lion then composed himself on his back on a sofa on one side of the drinking-table, while the jackal sat at his own paper-bestrewn table proper, on the other side of it, with the bottles and glasses ready to his hand. Both resorted to the drinking-table without stint, but each in a different way; the lion for the most part reclining with his hands in his waistband, looking at the fire, or occasionally flirting with some lighter document; the jackal, with knitted brows and intent face, so deep in his task, that his eyes did not even follow the hand he stretched out for his glass- which often groped about for a minute or more, before it found the glass for his lips (p. 80).”

During this quote, Mr. Carton and Mr. Stryver are sitting in Mr. Stryver’s office filling out paper work from the trial. Mr. Carton is filling out large amounts of paperwork whereas Mr. Stryver is filling out a few “light” forms that take little if no effort to fill out. This quote is all about setting up the important characters. This extended metaphor about the jackal and the lion describe Mr. Carton and Mr. Stryver, respectively. To truly understand the metaphor, the true definition of a jackal must be known. A jackal is a wild dog in Africa that hunts on the plains, but the jackal does more than this. Jackals are known for who they hunt for. When they make their kill, they eat some and leave the rest for the lions. In doing so the lions get to eat the jackals kill without the lion having to do any work. The jackal is the lion’s provider, and yet the jackal receives no credit. This is exactly what is happening in the relationship between Mr. Carton and Mr. Stryver. Mr. Carton puts a lot of effort into being a good member of court (specifically a lawyer), yet Mr. Stryver takes all of the credit. Is it all Mr. Carton’s fault that he lets Mr. Stryver take credit for his hard work? He is definitely responsible, but Mr. Stryver too is almost equally responsible for Mr. Carton’s lack of credit. This is because Stryver is extremely pushy (shouldery), and works only so that he can move up the food chain, whereas Mr. Carton lacks the pushiness to be able to go only for self-gain. Because of foreshadowing that is aimed at Mr. Carton (in this section and the chapter about the trial), it can be expected that Mr. Carton is going to be a very important character later on in the novel. It may be very important to remember how he is not shouldery, and has been only a jackal for the numerous lions in the world.

SQUID for Book the Second, Chapters 1-3

“Silence in the court! Charles Darnay had yesterday pleaded Not Guilty to an indictment denouncing him (with infinite jingle and jangle) for that he was a false traitor to our serene, illustrious, excellent, and so forth, prince, our Lord the King, by reason of his having, on divers occasions, and by divers means and ways, assisted Lewis, the French King, in his wars against our said serene, illustrious, excellent, and so forth; that was to say by coming and going, between the dominions of our said serene, illustrious, excellent, and so forth, and those of the said French Lewis, and wickedly, falsely, traitorously, and otherwise evil-adverbiously, revealing to the said French Lewis what forces our said serene, illustrious, excellent, and so forth, had in preparation to send to Canada and North America (p. 56-57).”

This quote sets up the entire case that will follow. The quote is informing the reader of what Mr. Darnay is being accused of. Darnay is pleading not guilty to having been a traitor (telling French King Louis XVI the English plans to send troops to North America). Mr. Darnay is later ruled innocent by the jury, but at this point his guilt and fate are unknown. Dickens uses a lot of conduplicatio (repetition of words in adjacent phrases or clauses) in this quote to make fun of the government and the people who idealize the government. Dickens writes, “...serene, illustrious, excellent, and so forth...” to describe King George III (England’s king). This is how Dickens makes fun of the stereotyping that would make many believe that the king is a wonderful person. Dickens uses this satirical conduplicatio over and over again to reiterate that he does not believe that the king is as “illustrious” as everyone else makes him out to be. Dickens also spells the word Louis (the King of France) wrong (spelling it “Lewis”). This could be an error on Dickens part, but it is more likely an insult towards the French, the King of France, and the frivolousness of the French language. Dickens also foreshadows how the trial is going to turn out by writing, “wickedly, falsely, traitorously, and otherwise evil-adverbiously, revealing...” By writing this he is showing that the trial is based off of ridiculous accusations that are “otherwise evil-adverbiously” not true. Overall this quote is a very good way for Dickens to set-up his own time era and the Victorian era (showing the relations between England and France), and a way for him to foreshadow what will happen in the trial.

SQUID for Book the First, Chapters 5-6

A Tale of Two Cities

“And now that the cloud settled on Saint Antoine, which a momentary gleam had driven from his sacred countenance, the darkness of it was heavy – cold, dirt, sickness, ignorance, and want, were the lords in waiting on the saintly presence- nobles of great power all of them; but, most especially the last. Samples of a people that had undergone a terrible grinding and regrinding in the mill, and certainly not in the fabulous mill which ground old people young, shivered at every corner, passed in and out at every doorway, looked from every window, fluttered in every vestige of a garment that the wind shook. The mill which had worked them down, was the mill that grinds young people old; the children had ancient faces and grave voices; and upon them, and upon the grown faces, and ploughed into every furrow of age and coming up afresh, was the sign, Hunger (p.27).”

This is one of the deepest and most meaningful quotes in Book the First. This quote depicts the terrible poverty that the poor Parisians who lived in the suburb area of Saint Antoine. The quote starts out describing the “lords” of Saint Antoine. These are cold, dirt, sickness, ignorance, and want. These “lords” represent the things that plague the people of this area the most. The living conditions are awful (hence the cold and dirt “lords”). Sickness is prevalent throughout Europe in these days, and numerous diseases would have affected the Parisians. The people of Saint Antoine were not well educated, nor were many in Europe at this time (the “lord of ignorance”). The “lord” that plagued the people of Saint Antoine the most was want. The people were lucky if they had enough money for food and shelter. Things like wine and furniture were often far out of the budget of these people. Dickens also uses this quote to show that a large part of the population in France worked in mills. They would start working extremely young and would work their entire lives. The mills would “grind young people old,” aging them and making them lose their youthfulness. This quote ends with the idea of Hunger. Countless went without food in these days. Suffering from this was common, and hurt all but the nobility. These living conditions eventually lead to the French revolution. Yet this quote has a bigger purpose in this novel. It sets up the living conditions for poor Monsieur Manette. At this point in the novel, Monsieur Manette was locked in a “room” all alone and forced to live in these conditions. The quote helps set up the feelings of despair and hopelessness that Dickens uses to show just how awful Monsieur Manette’s life was when he was in prison and locked in Monsieur Defarge’s “room.” The horrendous living conditions that affected these poor Parisians and Monsieur Manette was a heart aching way that Dickens set the mood for the rest of the chapter and Book the First.

SQUID for Book the First, Chapters 2-4

A Tale of Two Cities

“'...if Monsieur Manette had not died; if he had suddenly and silently disappeared; if he had been spirited away; if it had not been difficult to guess to what dreadful place, though no art could trace him; if he had an enemy in some compatriot who could exercise a privilege that I in my own time have known the boldest people afraid to speak of in a whisper, across the water, there; for instance, the privilege of filling up blank forms for the consignment of any one to the oblivion of a prison for any length of time; if his wife had implored the king, the queen, the court, the clergy, for any tidings of him, and all quite in vain;-then the history of your father would have been the history of this unfortunate gentleman, the Doctor of Beauvais (p. 22).’”

This quote blatantly shows the absolute fear of the French government during the Victorian era. The English government had a lot of power over its people, but it was not as corrupt as the French government during the Victorian era. As shown in this quote, the French government was awful to its people during this time. People were abducted out of their homes never to be seen again, sent to jail, or killed for reasons that were never told to the families, even if the families begged the king, queen, or clergy. Even “the boldest people [were] “afraid to speak of [it] in a whisper.” During this time the French government had the power to do whatever it wanted. Some people in the government or wealthy enough people could send another to jail (“filling up blank forms for the consignment of any one to the oblivion of a prison for any length of time.”). There was no evidence to show that this had in fact happened to Monsieur Manette, but it was extremely likely that it had. Now that Monsieur Manette has been found, he needs to be taken away from France so that he cannot be sent to jail again. This is the first major part of the plot. This gives the reader knowledge into what the characters are setting off to France to do. This quote also shows that the characters are going to face a lot of danger and obstacles in France, because Monsieur Manette was sent to jail once, and he is at risk of being sent back to jail again. This quote sets the stage for the entire plot to follow.