A Tale of Two Cities 

Updated by Mary on February 2020

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    In the classic Charles Dickens' novel, A Tale Of Two Cities, bravery and loyalty win the day.

    The main characters, Lucie, Charles Darnay and Dr. Manette all demonstrate bravery, hope and loyalty.

    Even the other characters show these virtues, Mr. Lorry is both loyal and caring towards his friend, Dr. Manette. Sydney Carter, the weak and lazy lawyer, transforms into a brave and self-denying man in the end.

    Lucie Darnay

    Lucie Darnay is a young French woman who is the daughter of Dr. Manette and the wife of Charles Darnay. 

    She first appears in the story when she and Mr. Lorry are on the way to visit and free Dr. Manette. On having freed him, Lucie and her father sail away to England.

    When Charles is tried in England, Lucie bravely stands up for him and does her best to defend him. Later he is freed, and they marry.

    When Charles’ identity is found out and he is taken prisoner in France, Lucie is hopeful that he will again be freed. When her fond hopes are shattered during Charles' trial, Lucie bravely shoulders the burden and tries her best to keep her duty as a daughter and mother. Lucie is sure to show bravery and hope in all situations.

    Dr. Manette

    Dr. Manette is a physician who is imprisoned as a young doctor and when released has transformed into an old cobbler. He recognizes his daughter, Lucie only by her golden hair which he had kept a lock of from when she was a baby.

    He is brave, even though he doesn’t believe that he could be freed from his prison in anyway save death. After his freedom is restored, he binds all his loyalty to Lucie and keeps her as happy as he can.

    Dr. Manette demonstrates his loyalty to her when he goes and tries to use his influence to free Charles. 

    Mr. Lorry

    Mr. Lorry is an English banker as well as an old friend of the Manettes. As a banker he refers to himself as an unfeeling “man of business”.

    But really Mr. Lorry cares very much for the doctor. When Lucie and Charles go on their honeymoon, Dr. Manette is lost without someone to love and show affection towards. He returns to his shoe-making.

    Mr. Lorry finds this very strange and follows the direction of the doctor himself to help his “friend”. He is very loyal to the doctor and helps him recover the shock of “losing” his workbench and shoes.

    He is also loyal to Sydney and loyally follows his careful orders without question. 

    Sydney Carter

    Sydney Carter is an Englishman who is rarely seen without a bottle of booze in his hand. After Lucie turns down his marriage proposal, he roams the streets and is even more reckless than before.

    His only comfort is a promise that Charles makes him. Charles agrees when Sydney asks, “...I should ask that I might be permitted to come and go as a privileged person here.”

    Sydney is surprisingly self-denying as he sacrifices his own life for the sake of Lucie’s happiness. Sydney is brave when he bears through Charles’ fate. He does all this for Lucie.

    Although Sydney Carter appears in the beginning as a hopeless cause, in the end he proves that somewhere in him there was always a smidge of bravery and self-sacrifice. He only needed the boost of a beautiful and virtuous woman to pull it out.

    Evaluation Of A Tale Of Two Cities 

    A Tale of Two Cities is a novel that shows the reader what true bravery, loyalty, hope and self-sacrifice are.

    This true-to-life novel has no match in beauty. The way Charles Dickens depicts the horrible times of the French Revolution is so vivid that the reader can almost feel that they are living it.

    Loyalty and hope are beautifully woven into the dreadful times when treachery and despair were most commonly displayed.

    Bravery and loyalty are depicted in all the characters, but these are virtues most surprising seen in Sydney Carter.

    He is a character that seems to be an afterthought or side character. It surprises the reader when he ends up as the hero. The most touching part of the story is when Dickens tells us what Sydney is thinking as he mounts the scaffold:

    “It is a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”

    Thank You so much for reading my A Tale Of Two Cities review!

    I read this book recently and loved it. The beginning was a little slow to pick up, but it felt worth reading toward the middle of the book. It is diffidently a new favorite of mine. 

    -Teen A

    Faustina Bowen is a founding member of industriousfamily.com. She is the second of ten children in a homeschool family. This high school Senior likes writing scripts for movies, helping mothers with their babies and playing the flute. She contributes to society at large by making wholesome movies and writing amazing articles and entertainment reviews.

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