hero Sydney Carton has been effected by the famous arousal.
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Chapter Ⅱ Carton’s Tragedy on Work
In A Tale of Two Cities, ―the jackal‖ is one of the brilliant sections. Carton‘s tragedy on work can be seen in this part. Though Carton is talented, he summons no energy and purpose on his career. Besides no talent-spotter is another stumbling block to Carton‘s success on work. Eventually he is just an assistant for a lawyer.
Sadly, sadly, the sun rose; it rose upon no sadder sight than the man of good abilities and good emotions, incapable of their directed exercise, incapable of his own help and his own happiness, sensible of the blight on him, and resigning himself to let it eat him away. (84)
When Sydney Carton first appeared, he showed his talent and successfully helped his rival in love, Charles Darnay to win the lawsuit. He had the faculty of extracting the essence from a heap of statements. He always can find the vital part of any complicated issue. However, he just wants to be a jackal behind the lion. He can be the lion, even the king of the lion, but the fact is exactly the opposite. Carton‘s career is the reflection of his tragedy. It is very pity to say Carton dose not succeed in his work. It is known that anything has two major reasons. His lack of confidence and less aggressive mood are the roots of the tragedy. The society and no talent-spotter around him are his career tragedy‘s boosters.
A. The Jackal Behind The Lion
Sydney Carton has a strong ability of working. But he has a bit of inferiority, for his inferior. he indulges himself, and then he allowed himself to a despair situation. Dickens creates a contrast between Carton and C.J. Stryver. Mr. Stryver ―a favorite at the Old Bailey, and eke at the Sessions?[It is obviously to be seen that] Mr. Stryver was a glib man, and an unscrupulous, and a ready, and a bold.‖ (78) Mr. Stryver
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never has a case in his hand, because Carton is there. While Sydney Carton, though he is brilliant, he is not recognized by the legal profession. He has no business and he is just an assistant of ―the lion‖ Mr. Stryver. He had a good education in Shrewsbury School, but he did exercises for other people, and seldom did his own. He dose not apply his intelligence properly. So people around him are not aware of his outstanding abilities, even Carton himself is thinking that he is a futile man. Mr. Stryver may be the one best able to understand Carton, ―your way is, and always was, a lame way. You summon no energy and purpose.‖ The most important contrast is between Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay. Dickens‘s doubling technique functions not only to draw oppositions, but to reveal hidden parallels. Carton initially seems a foil to Darnay; Darnay as a figure reminds him of what he could have been but has failed to become. Carton once showed his jealousy to Darnay, ―he was a rather handsome fellow and I thought I must have been much the same sort of the fellow, if I had had any luck.‖ By the end of the novel, however, Carton transforms himself from a good-for-nothing to a hero whose goodness equals or even surpasses that of the honorable Darnay. While the two men‘s physical resemblance initially serves only to underscore Carton‘s moral inferiority to Darnay, it ultimately enables Carton‘s supremely self-elevating deed, allowing him to disguise himself as the condemned Darnay and die in his place. As Carton goes to the guillotine in his double‘s stead, he raises himself up to, or above, Darnay‘s virtuous status. In other people‘s eyes, it‘s a very hard to understand his ―way‖, however, behind all the things he did, there is a heart always thinks about other people, and does not care for wealth and fame. That is Carton.
If Carton has ambitions to become a good lawyer, he will succeed. This is Charles Dickens‘s trick: he will model a very flat character, which has a lot of shortcomings. But this flat character will give a very extraordinary story.
B. No Talented-spotter
People only see him often excessive drinking, but never see his competence.
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People only see his carelessness, but never see his brilliant. Many people are not the same as Carton, like him, can devote his everything to help others. So no one can find Carton‘s halo, and no one will give a man who he think is worthless a business. Since the First Industrial Revolution has already risen, people‘s life style and idea is changing gradually. The Industrial Revolution marks a major turning point in history; almost every aspect of daily life was influenced in some way. Technological and economic progress have gained momentum with the increasing adoption of steam-powered boats, ships and railways, the large scale manufacture of machine tools and the increasing use of steam powered factories. Pre-industrial society is very static and often cruel—child labour, dirty living conditions, and long working hours were just as prevalent before the Industrial Revolution. Money and efficiency are the most important to these just entered industrialized countries. People are more indifferent and the contradiction between different classes is more intense.
Sydney Carton is not a man who cares worldly possessions too much, so he becomes a man who has great talent, but has no way to integrate into the society of that time.
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Chapter Ⅲ Carton’s Tragedy on Life
Sydney Carton is a failure in his love for Lucie and also in his work. He lives a melancholy life, and his whole lifetime is a tragedy. From a lazy alcoholic attorney to an ignored despised gay, Carton‘s life is definitely to be a tragedy.
Mr. Carton, who had so long sat looking at the ceiling of the court, changed neither in place nor his attitude, even in this excitement. This one man sat leaning back?his hands in his pockets, and his eyes on the ceiling as they had been all day. Something especially reckless in his demeanor, not only gave him a disreputable look, but so diminished the strong resemblance he undoubtedly bore to the prisoner. (69)
Sydney Carton‘s the character that everyone looks down upon. He is depression, hate and self-loathing personified. His total carelessness overshadows anything else about him. He never does things forwardly, and his whole life time is a tragedy. He is seen to be a lazy, alcoholic attorney and an ignored, despised gay.
A. A Lazy Alcoholic Attorney
Sydney Carton was a young lawyer. He was known as a self-aware functional alcoholic in this novel. Charles Dickens mentions many times in this novel that Sydney Carton‘s appearance is careless and slovenly. Whether he is court or in daily life, he always gives people an idle impression. When they congratulate Charles Darnay is acquitted, Mr. Jarvis Lorry, an old clerk in Tellson‘s Bank is thoroughly heated by Carton‘s difference. Carton also is a disagreeable fellow in Doctor Manette‘s house. Nobody really treat him as a friend. So wine is his best friend and he believes in saying of drinking down sorrow. Wine is a very important thing in Carton‘s life. In the novel Dickens points out that the time is drinking days and most man drink hard. The wine Mr. Stryver and drink together between Hilary Term and
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