A Portrait in Desperation

Throughout the history of the world, mankind has had an obsession with religious martyrdom. Martyrdom for love is a much rarer occurrence, perhaps because it seldom happens that one's love for another human being, with all of their flaws, can stimulate this ultimate sacrifice. However, in Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, Sydney Carton demonstrates the awesome power of love by making a believable transformation from a pitiful drunk to a noble martyr for the purpose of gaining the respect of his beloved Lucie Manette.

Carton's main objective in forfeiting his life is quite clearly his love for Lucie Manette. His love for her is uplifting in its totality, and yet it also devastates him because there is no hope for its reciprocation. The knowledge of his own wretched condition tears him apart when he confesses to Lucie that if she were to love him, "In spite of [his] happiness...[he] would bring [her] to misery." Indeed, the impossibility of his happiness destroys him for in his own words he is "like one who died young, [miserable]."

Sydney Carton has yet another reason to crave death. A feeling of worthlessness overwhelms him. Throughout Carton's life, his law partner Mr. Stryver overshadows him. When Mr. Stryver asks for Sydney's approval to marry Lucie, the already beaten Carton puts up no fuss and declares, "Why should I not approve?" Carton has no hope of objecting to his subservient place in life. He agrees dutifully to the degrading remarks of Stryver such as, "Sydney, mix another bowl of punch...You are such an insensible dog...You are a devilish ill-conditioned fellow...You'll knock up one of these days, and be ill and poor." This abuse slowly deflates Sydney's self-esteem, like a balloon left alone and forgotten.

The question that arises is what worldly occurrence could have tipped the teetering Sydney towards death and away from life. The answer is an opportunity, an opportunity to be a hero, to gain the respect of his beloved Lucie and to end his tortured life in one blow. The chance to gain the respect and love of Lucie is all Sydney ever wanted. He subconsciously knows this early on when he tells her, "The utmost good that I am capable of now, Miss Manette, I have come here to realize." With the chance to exchange his life for Lucie's happiness, Sydney achieves "the utmost good" that such a worthless man could ever hope to achieve.

Sydney Carton's magnificent change of character was the spectacular byproduct of his limitless love. The resurrected Sydney Carton had but one purpose in his life. This most angelic purpose was to show his love to Lucie in the most selfless way. For a man like Sydney it was most certainly, "a far, far better rest that [he goes] than [he had] ever known."

Bibliography

Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1993.