Examples Of Rebirth In A Tale Of Two Cities

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The idea of rebirth and resurrection has been an idea of colossal importance for thousands of years. Books are centered around it, religions revolve around it, and many people spend their entire lives trying to understand it. Whether it is used in a literal sense or more figuratively, the idea of rebirth is important and as old as humanity, something that author Charles Dickens knows well. In Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities rebirth, is used in a figurative way to show that no matter what you have done it is possible to redeem and remake myself, one of the most vital themes of the novel. The first and most prominent example of this rebirth comes from Dr. Manette. After being locked in the Bastille unlawfully by the Evremonde brothers, Dr. Manette suffers in jail for over a decade. During this time, Dr. Manette begins to lose his …show more content…
Carton. Carton lives a sad lonely life before meeting Manette, Lucie and Darnay. He had a problem with alcohol, and lived alone and friendless, leading a life few would wish for. However, with the help of these new friends Carton manages to improve and lead a better life, free from his drinking problem and loneliness, but that is not truly where his redemption comes from. At the end of the novel when Darnay is ready to be executed, Carton sacrifices his own life to save him taking Darnay’s spot at the guillotine (Dickens 462). Carton who lives alone with few to mourn him, valiantly sacrifices his own life to save Lucie and her husband. This sacrifice leads Carton to inner peace, “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known” (Dickens 462). Carton will forever live on in the hearts of Darnay and Lucie, being reborn in a sense into their hearts and memories. After living a tragic life, Carton shows that it is possible to make something of your life, and be reborn in some sense through