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Book 2, Chapter 1
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Tale of Two Cities, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Tyranny and Revolution
Secrecy and Surveillance
Fate and History
Sacrifice
Resurrection
Imprisonment
Summary
Analysis
One day, Jerry Cruncher is sent to await Mr. Lorry's orders at the Old Bailey Courthouse, where a handsome young gentleman named Charles Darnay stands accused of treason. Jerry enters the court and pushes through the crowd gathered to see the trial. The spectators stare at Darnay, and one onlooker excitedly predicts that the accused will be convicted and then brutally drawn-and-quartered.
The sadistic appetites of this English crowd are similar to those of the French mob in Book 1, chapter 5. The title of the chapter, "A Sight," indicates that these people come to the trial for the fun of it, hoping not for justice but for the spectacle of violence.
Themes
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Charles, who stands accused of being a French spy, is defended by two lawyers: Mr. Stryver and the insolent and bored-looking Mr. Carton. When Darnay glances at a young woman and her father sitting nearby (Lucie and Dr. Manette), word flashes through the crowd that these two are witnesses against Darnay. Nonetheless, Lucie's face radiates a compassion that awes the spectators.
The compassion in Lucie's face indicates that she does not want to condemn Charles, even though she is a witness for the prosecution. This foreshadows Charles's final trial in Paris, when Dr. Manette, contrary to his intentions, dooms Charles.
Themes
Literary Devices
Quiz
Test Yourself
