Unexpected Destiny
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Unexpected Destiny
In Charles Dickens' novel, A Tale of Two Cities, repetition is used throughout to emphasize the destiny of the Aristocratic Society of the 18th Century. Often the repetition comes in the form of character dialogue, such as in the characterizations of Carton and Darnay, or bits of description or details of their surroundings and its impact. The destiny of the Aristocratic Society is transformed from a privileged life to a more personal level of seeking meaning and value through ones acts of kindness. Dickens implies that the death of the aristocrat in France prepares the way for a new class of people.
To develop the theme of destiny, Dickens uses repetition to develop Darney's virtues at La Force, the French prison. For example, Darney attempts to recoil from the shameful and disgraceful prisoners as he enters a room filled with other prisoners:
The Ghost of beauty, the ghost of stateliness, the ghost of elegance, the
ghost of pride, the ghost of frivolity, the ghost of wit, the ghost of youth,
the ghost of age, all waiting their dismissal from the desolate shore, all
turning on him eyes that were changed by the death they had died in com-
ing there (Dickens 238).
Obviously, Dickens wants the reader aware that through the use of repetition of "ghost" it seems as if Darney's imprisonment finds him "standing in the company of the dead" (Dickens 238). The imagery of the ghost illustrates how the aristocrats had reached the destiny of the misfortunate. The acknowledgment from these prisoners reveals the refinement and manners of the times as they rise to receive him. Additionally, Dickens makes it apparent that Darney's surroundings of "Five paces by four and a half, five paces by four and a half, five paces by four and a halfhe made shoes, he made shoes, he made shoes" (Dickens 239) continues to reveal the life to come...