No matter the context or time period in which it was written, a novel that is meant to draw attention to major issues in society is almost always applicable to present day. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is no exception. Just as in 1859, when the book was written, it’s plot and themes are very similar, and thus applicable, to events happening around the world. For example, the violent struggle between one powerful and one common group, which is a central issue in the novel, is still replicated even in modern day America. In addition, the topic of justice or lack thereof is frequently brought up in A Tale of Two Cities and it continues to be a hotly debated subject today.
First, Charles Dickens does an excellent job of detailing the violence that defined this time period, as seen from both sides of the conflict. While reading this book, I was frequently shocked by the similarities between the French Revolution as described by Dickens and the present day conflict throughout America dealing with law enforcement and race relations. The French Revolutionaries exhibited characteristics shockingly similar to those displayed by Black Lives Matter protesters today, such as those who led violent protests in Ferguson and Baltimore. For example, Dickens describes the status of the peasants in France by saying “For, the footsteps had become to their minds as the footsteps of a people, tumultuous under a red flag and with their country declared in danger, changed into wild beasts, by terrible enchantment long persisted in” (Dickens 225). This quote is also applicable to today’s racial protesters, because they also feel their country and people are in danger. They have also become wild beasts of sorts, as exemplified in their tendency to violently loot and steal in protest. On the other hand, the French aristocrats display many similarities to today’s police officers, as both groups represent people of power whom the common people wish to destroy, or at least hold accountable. For example, when the powerful aristocrat Monsieur the Marquis runs over and kills an innocent boy, he complains “It is extraordinary to me that you people cannot take care of yourselves and your children. One or the other of you is always in the way” (Dickens 107). This is a stance that many people feel police officers take today, that it is always the victim’s fault for being in the way and never the law enforcement’s fault for handling a situation improperly. This sentiment is partly what motivated the riots and protests after recent fatal shootings by police officers across the country.
Also, the issue of justice and law and order is central in A Tale of Two Cities. In every society, the question of what is just is hotly debated, and a desire to either maintain or destory law and order motivates it. Charles Dickens comments on justice in the most powerful quote in the book, which says “Crush humanity out of shape once more, under similar hammers, and it will twist itself into the same tortured forms. Sow the same seed of rapacious license and oppression over again, and it will surely yield the same fruit according to it’s kind” (Dickens 359). This is a powerful quote which, when extremely simplified, essentially says “history will repeat itself” and “two wrongs don’t make a right.” This stance is in favor of law and order, and considers the actions of the revolutionaries in France and Black Lives Matter protesters today to be false justice, because both groups are merely reciprocating the violence against the original perpetrators. This does not solve the issue, but merely repeats the same pattern from a different view point. Therefore, this is a view which would likely be shared by both the aristocrats of France and today’s law enforcement, because it condemns to actions of the common people as not true justice. True justice involves change, not merely a changing of the guard. That statement is as true today as it was in 1859, when Charles Dickens first published his masterpiece.
In conclusion, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens relates very well to present day political and social issues, specifically the issue of law enforcement violence and race relations. The book details the violence of the powerful French aristocrats against the peasants, as well as the other way around, and this conflict is remarkably similar to the conflict in American today between police officers and Black Lives Matter protesters. When this is combined with the issue of how to define justice and the importance of law and order, what is left is a brilliant novel which brings up many controversial social and political topics today as it did in 1859.
1 comment:
Your comparison of A Tale of Two Cities and law enforcement violence was very well done. The Black Lives Matter protests was not something I had personally thought of while reading A Tale of Two Cities, and I was surprised by how similar the two events are and how well you were able to compare them. The quote you used in your second paragraph was particularly helpful for me when trying to compare the two, and you did a good job in relating it to the Black Lives Matter protest. The recent conflict with law enforcement violence and the protesting that followed is in many ways like a less extreme version of the French revolution in the late 1700s. This only further reinforces the idea that history repeats itself, a theme which both you and Dickens touched on. Another thing I thought that you did very well was analyzing the quote you used in your third paragraph and applying it to the modern day event of race relations. You were very effective in explaining some of the themes that Dickens used in A Tale of Two Cities, and this only makes your comparison more convincing. Overall I think that you did a very good job comparing A Tale of Two Cities to the modern event of the Black Lives Matter protests, and I was especially impressed with quotes that you used.
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