A Tale of Two Cities - Finding redemption
Charles Dickens captures the transformative power of self-sacrifice
Welcome to By the Books, a newsletter dedicated to capturing and distributing wisdom from works of classic literature.
Each post will take less than 5 minutes to read, and will feature one great book, including:
A brief summary
A distillation of relevant themes
One actionable insight
Live by the best books, one day at a time.
“A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens
I read this book for the first time as an undergrad. I distinctly remember the morning I decided to ditch my first two classes so I could finish it. At the end, I stood up, stretched, went into the bathroom, and sobbed for twenty minutes.
Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, "A Tale of Two Cities" follows the lives of Charles Darnay, a French aristocrat, and Sydney Carton, a disreputable English lawyer. Their fates intertwine when Darnay is falsely accused of treason in England and Carton saves him by providing crucial evidence. As the revolution unfolds, the novel tracks their struggles amidst the chaos, culminating in Carton's decision to take Darnay’s place under the guillotine.
Dickens’ seminal classic explores the concepts of duality and redemption. The contrasting settings of London and Paris symbolize the opposing forces of order and chaos, hope and despair, and virtue and malice. And Sydney Carton finds personal redemption and purpose by offering the ultimate sacrifice of self.
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.
Actionable Insight*
The transformative power of selfless sacrifice is perhaps nowhere better illustrated than in the closing scene of this book. By focusing on the well-being of others, we paradoxically discover the best version of ourselves.
This can seem like an impractically high ideal, but all it really takes is paying better attention to the people around you.
The next time you find yourself in conversation, set aside your own agenda for a moment or two, and really listen to the other person.
This simple, deliberate decision is almost always where the transformation begins.
*As a lover of literature, I must emphasize that the best way to truly absorb the wisdom of any work of literature is to actually read it, from start to finish, the way the author intended. I hope By the Books will occasionally inspire you to do just that.
It is easier when you don't like yourself
I grew up pretty much hating Dickens and his “paid-by-the-word” stories of a world I had next-to-no-interest in. I actively avoided reading his books in my high school literature courses, cribbing what I needed to know from lunchtime talks with my classmates who HAD read the books. (And I have always been a pretty voracious reader; I just HATED reading Dickens). A few years back when I looked my mortality right in the eyes, I made a decision to actually read the books I had “cheated” on, as well as books that any educated person SHOULD have read. A Tale of Two Cities was one (it wasn’t ever assigned in school; we got Great Expectations, which I still haven’t read) and was also one that my oldest daughter and bride insisted I read because it was actually good. Sigh. They were right. I was wrong. It’s a fantastic book and one that I regret not reading sooner. I’ve also begun the process of digging into Jane Austen. If only I had read Pride and Prejudice when I was younger because then I might have actually understood women…