Identity and the Individual: A Look at Charles Dickens’s, A Tale of Two Cities.

A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other (pg. 8, A Tale of Two Cities).

There is an air of mystery to every human being, which is overshadowed by a veil of identity within the public sphere, necessary to find a ranking within that society. In Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities, there is a fixation on the significance of identity, as well as its ability to be both destroyed and resurrected. In Tom Lloyd’s (1992) “Language, Love, and Identity: A Tale of Two Cities,” there is an argument that Lucie’s identity as a saving grace is what dictates the state of others identity, as well as their fate. By using a universal theme such as identity, Dickens’s novel is able to relate to modern readers.

Throughout literature, there is an emphasis of identity. Many archetypes, such as the joker, hero, and villain, show examples of human nature. Dickens is aware that readers need to relate to a text in order to take anything away from it, so he creates characters that have a recognizable and relatable identity. In some aspect, the reader can relate to traits of Lucie (a heroin), Manette (a tortured soul), or Carton (a martyr), which helps assure the endurance of identity, which can relate to many generations to come.

To dissect the first identity, one can examine Lucie, who is described frequently by her “golden hair” and “blue eyes,” which are typical depictions of an angelic woman. Within the novel, there is a section dedicated to Lucie called “The Golden Thread,” which showcases a magical aspect of Lucie’s existence. A charming young woman, Lucie is the golden thread that unites her father with his horrific past to the anxious present, in hopes of him finding peace and acceptance within his life. After suffering 18 years of being “buried alive” in prison, Dr. Manette is recalled to life by Lucie’s charm. Lloyd argues that though Manette suffers personality disorder episodes, in which he alters between the identity of a prestigious doctor and a dehumanized shoemaker, he ultimately finds peace through the love of his daughter (pg.245).

Another example of Lucie’s savior identity is her ability to unite Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay. Carton, a miserable and cynical man who looks similar to Darnay, cannot stand him merely because Darnay has gotten the “good” things out of life, such as Lucie. Throughout the novel, Carton searches for a purpose for his existence, which ultimately turns out to be self-sacrifice for both Lucie and Darnay. In saving this family (out of love for Lucie), Carton finally finds a purpose for his life: death. Here, Lloyd argues that Carton’s transformation from “wastrel to hero” proves that Lucie’s identity is what persuaded Carton to sacrifice his life, thus creating his own identity as a martyr (pg. 246).

Thus, Lloyd argues that Dickens’s forces the reader to remove the veil of the public identity, and investigate the mystery that lies beneath. In doing so, Dickens is able to reveal the layers of identity that Lucie, Manette, and Carton have. An identity is in a sense, a process of change throughout one’s lifetime that shapes and molds into what defines that person; moreover, an identity is what represents oneself within society. For Dickens, a public identity is something to challenge, and morph into what that individual desires for it to be. By commenting on human nature through such a universal theme, Dickens is able to reach to an audience beyond that of his time.

Work Cited:

• Dickens, Charles.A Tale of Two Cities. Mineola, New York: Dover Thrift Publications, 1999. Print.
• Lloyd, Tom. “Language, Love, and Identity: A Tale of Two Cities.”The Dickensian 88, No. 428, Part 3 (1992): 244-53. Print.