Chapter Imagery and Symbolism of Tale of Two Cities - Study Guide by Charles Dickens

moral rebirth, which continues steadily as the book progresses. The three men closest to Lucie, catalyst of most of the drama in the novel, are all in some way recalled to life. As Carton paces the streets of Paris towards the book's end he recites to himself the passage in the Bible that starts 'I am the resurrection and the life', and of course Jerry Cruncher is a so-called 'resurrection man', or a grave robber, purloining recently deceased corpses in order to sell them to dissectors.

A final theme worth considering is that of the doppelganger. Jerry Cruncher's son is also called Jerry, and Lucie Manette's daughter is also called Lucie. Carton's initial resemblance to Darnay is noted in court, and his final exchange of clothes and places with him emphasises their identification with one another. Mme. Defarge has her sinister shadow in the form of The Vengeance, knitting by her side, and even Miss Pross has been identified with Mme. Defarge, both as a corollary to her tremendous strength of conviction and also in physical terms (Pross is 'a wild-looking woman' about whom Lorry reflects 'I really think this must be a man!') Thus their final struggle and Miss Pross's victory encapsulates the book's central moral themes.