thoughts on this book

[imthefoolonthehill]

I just finished this book... its amazing, but confusing.


I'm wondering if any of you out there have thoughts you want to share about A Tale of Two Cities

[IWilKikU]

I just tried, but couldn't remember any characters names except for Charles Darney. :mad:

[mono]

I also have difficulty remembering many of the characters, Kik, reading Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities long ago. I did a google.com search, and found the following summary: http://www.awerty.com/taletwo2.html

[IWilKikU]

Ah yes! Thanks mono!

*SPOILERS*







I thought it was interesting that Sydney wasn't really all that fond of Charles. It seemed to me that when he died, he did it for Lucy, but wouldn't have made the same sacrifice for Charles, even though he was taking his place.

[imthefoolonthehill]

I thought it was amazing, how he could have such a pure love.

his love had no other comparison...except maybe Christ's...

he loved this woman who chose someone else. He loved her enough to let her be happy with this person, yet didn't abandon her.

How often he must have been tortured by the fact that he loved her, and could express that love through nothing but friendship!

It seemed that he thought he could love no other like he loved her, and maybe it was true.

He chose a life and a death of love over happiness, and didn't it seem like this unselfish act made his life meaningful?

[IWilKikU]

Yeah, before I read it for myself I had always heard that he was like Christ, in the sense that he sacrificed his life for his friend, but I always heard it wrong, and that he was sacrificing himself for Charles. It was a big surprise to me to see him in the end still not close with Charles.

Also, I found his sacrifice a little more meaningful than Christ's, as Christ only died for those who accept him. Lucy DIDN'T accept Sydney and he still died for her!

[imthefoolonthehill]

um... theologically, Christ died for everyone...

even those that will go to hell.


ANYWAY... that point aside, Sydney's sacrifice was amazing. On the front of my book there is a picture of a man holding a woman's hand, and i always thought it must be Lucy and Charles...but it's not :-) it's Sydney and the Seamstress on their way to the French "barber" who shaves a little too close to the neck.

[imthefoolonthehill]

Did anyone else find it remarkable that Sydney Carton loved Lucy enough to degrade himself in her pressense so she did not see him as a better man than her husband? He gave up her image of him out of his love for her, and his want for her happiness.

[Rachy]

I loved the fact that he gave his own life! It proved how much he loved her that if he couldn't be happy with her, he couldn't stand by and watch her being hurt in the way she would've been! He knew he would've lived a life of unhappiness, so this was his only option, to rid her of his burden, and allow her a to live life to the full and fully appreciate love. He couldn't live being second best! Amazing book!