The+Track+of+a+Storm

**Chapter 1: In Secret**

In this chapter, Darnay journeys through France towards Paris, where he is captured by a mob of revolutionaries and thrown “In Secret,” which loosely translates to solitary confinement. The physical setting is huge in this chapter. The prison, named La Force, radiates hopelessness, a major theme of this chapter. Darnay is captured by revolutionaries who have instituted martial law in place of the law of the monarchy. Charles Dickens’s writing styles and techniques are important to the overall message in this chapter. Dickens characterizes the revolutionaries as being the law of the land, where punishment is discretionary. Darnay is being characterized as a martyr in this chapter because he is locked up for seemingly committing no crime. In this chapter, Dickens seems more like a storyteller because he explains the hardships of Darnay in such painful fashion. Dickens’s hook and cliffhanger were at the end of the chapter, when you discover that Darnay is being held in total isolation. The irony in this chapter is that Darnay seemed to have been on the side of the revolutionaries, turning down the Marquis’ money, but in fact gets thrown in jail by said revolutionaries.

- Jonathan South

** Chapter 2: The Grindstone **

** “…The preparation of whose chocolate lips had once occupied three strong men besides the cook in question,” serves as the hook of this chapter, where Lucie and Manette come into Tellson’s to inform Lorry that Darney has been imprisoned in La Force. Meanwhile, angry townspeople sharpen their weapons against the grindstone in the courtyard in preparation to kill the prisoners. The chapter concludes with the foreboding vision of the courtyard, “with a red upon it that the sun had never given, and would never take away,” ** ** Doctor Manette is characterized in this chapter. “My old pain has given me a power that has brought us through the barrier” shows that he draws strength from his past struggles to make him stronger. This chapter’s setting is bloody and sinister as masses of people stand in the courtyard of Tellson’s, sharpening their weapons on the grindstone. The grindstone**** symbolizes impending doom and revolt while, “The sun shines red**** on the courtyard,” red represents blood, anger, and more violence .** ** The theme of inherently violent human nature is clearly present with revolting citizens on the brink of murdering prisoners while there is history in Bastille and “la Force.” **

- Amanda Bird


 * Chapter 3: The Shadow ​ **

Dickens opens the chapter with the elusive question of where Lucie will go after her husband is arrested. The reader discovers that the thoughtful Lorry takes the devoted Lucie and her company to a safe place where Jerry Cruncher guards them. Using the point of view of a storyteller, Dickens shows the cruelty of Madame Defarge, an unemotional woman who refuses to show mercy to Lucie’s husband, and her cohort: Vengeance. An avid knitter, Madame Defarge creates wool work containing the names of people who should be killed. This is similar to the Fates in Greek mythology. Vengeance’s name is a reference to her malice. In addition to the symbolism, the unfamiliar setting: a location located “high up in a removed street where closed blinds” also builds tension and suspense as the reader ponders what will happen. In this exposition, Dickens shows those who lust for something will not stop. He relates the chapter to the overall theme of death during the French Revolution because in the chapter, innocent people are jailed and the jailers have no compassion. To encourage the reader to continue to appreciate his work, Dickens leaves the reader with Lorry’s doubts and second thoughts about the Defarges.

- Shanna Su  After four, long, antagonizing days Manette returned from LaForce. Upon her return Lorry took note of a change in Manette. She now appears to be strong, centered, and in control of his life as opposed to his once meek and fragile self. Lorry and Manette have a discussion in which Manette reveals that he has spoken to the Tribunal and convinced them to keep Darnay alive and he also has landed a job as a doctor for a few of the prisons, LaForce included. Manette hopes that this will allow him to keep Darnay out of harm’s way. A few months pass and the violence and chaos in France ensue as the revolution escalades. Revolutionaries overtake Versailles and behead the Kind and Queen and other officials using a guillotine. Over a year passes and Darnay remains in prison. ~Becca Ribley
 * Chapter 4: Calm in the Storm**


 * Chapter 5: The Wood-sawyer**

Dickens initiates the chapter with the anxiety and apprehension Lucie has about the possibility of her husband’s death via guillotine. Despite her father’s continual reassurance that, “Nothing can happen to him without my knowledge, and I know that I can save him…” the young woman obsesses over the morbid notion. Going about her daily duties, Lucie comes across a squat wood-sawyer who seems to be almost eerily absorbed in his work. A favorite saying of his is, “But it’s none of my business,” and he can always be found tenderly operating his beloved saw, his “Little Sainte Guillotine.” This sawyer represents the inhumane atmosphere and “hands-off” state of mind that so frequently permeated the archaic policy that embraces “Death as nature’s remedy for all things…” and alludes to a certain other country’s blood-soaked journey away from a tyrannical and out-of-touch absolute monarchy. Dickens uses the little carpenter to personify the terribly disconnected attitude that was exhibited by Robespierre and many others during the Reign of Terror.

- Joe Cutright

**Chapter 6: Triumph**

Dickens reels in the reader by using the element of suspense, as one questions whether Charles Darney will be sent to his death. He is tried before a blood-thirsty crowd because he returned to France though emigrants of noble birth had been banished. The author acts as a storyteller providing details and insight on the courtroom drama rather than letting the plot progress through dialogue. Dickens manages to demonstrate the beloved Dr. Manette’s popularity when the crowd cried, “in exaltation of the well known physician” and began to favor Darney, his son-in-law. Dickens also uses this revelation to characterize the crowd as whimsical, because they had been “glaring at the prisoner [Darney] moments before,” but were now ready to embrace him as their fellow after his relation to Dr. Manette is revealed. The packed courtroom setting underscores the mob mentality theme throughout the novel as Dickens explains, “Looking at the Jury and turbulent audience, [one] might have thought… the felons were trying the honest men.” The fickleness of the crowd symbolizes the uncertainty of life. The continued persecution of emigrants displays the resentment peasants feel for the nobility after the revolution. Madame Defarge’s presence indicates she may be plotting revenge.

- Amy Gerrard


 * Chapter 7: A Knock at the Door **

Lucie Manette is troubled when her husband, Charles Darnay, is convicted for treason and could be imprisoned. Dr. Manette assures Darnay of his freedom only for Darnay to learn that he has been denounced when four soldiers enter the residence to retrieve him. Charles Dickens acts as a captivating storyteller, using suspense and creating an enthralling plot within the chapter by revealing Darnay’s plan to hide from revolutionaries. The setting displays an ominous atmosphere, emphasizing the dreariness surrounding a man being hunted (“the day was coldly looking in through its grimy windows…”). Darnay’s companions reveal compassionate characteristics as they seek to help him. The Manettes place their own lives on the line to help save Darnay (“Her father, cheering her, showed a compassionate superiority to this woman’s weakness”). The theme of liberty throughout the chapter is relevant but ironic since Dr. Manette was once a prisoner and Darnay may meet an identical fate. Concerning the French Revolution, Miss Pross displays England as a safe haven during the uprising, stating that she is “subject of His Most Gracious Majesty King George the Third…” Dickens cliff hanger ends the chapter with a sense of dread for what is to become of Darnay.

- Emma Goddard  **Chapter 8: A Hand at Cards**

In “A Hand at Cards,” Miss Pross is reunited with her brother, Solomon, who is revealed by Cruncher and Carton as spy against the French Republic. After this revelation, Cruncher and Carton promise Solomon (or really, Barsad) that they will not reveal his identity as long as Barsad promises to help their cause. Dickens write from a storyteller’s angle, describing Miss Pross as naïve, detailing Barsad’s relationship with Carton and Cruncher, and revealing Barsad as a spy. Miss Pross is characterized as innocent, Cruncher as observant, Barsad as secretive and dangerous, and Carton as powerful. The physical settings play a significant role: Paris is dangerous because of the revolution at hand, while spy. The theme of the seemingly unnecessary lower-class uprising is continued when “useless” Cruncher identifies Barsad as a spy. Also, the French Revolution is connected because it is set in the epicenter of the fighting and all of the main characters are enemies of the Republic. Dickens leaves the reader wondering what Carton and Barsad’s secret conversation will be about.

- Sarah James


 * Chapter 9:**

 **Chapter 10: The Substance of the Shadow**

The chapter takes the form of a letter as Dickens reveals the mysterious, yet omnipresent, sensations of Dr. Manette. As Defarge reads the letter scribed by Dr. Manette while suffering in the Bastille, the hostile tension in the French crowd augments into a rowdy display of profane gestures. Relayed by Dr. Manette, a heinous deed has forsaken an unfortunate soul, but neither the crime nor the criminal have yet to be named. Manette notes that he has been called upon to assist a young woman with a feverish ill and her sibling a man afflicted by a knife wound. Manette, without the proper tools and assistance, stands by idly as he looks upon the dying household caused by the notorious Marquis Evremonde family who raped, murdered, and stabbed the innocent. Soon after, Manette is imprisoned under false pretenses by the Marquis; however moments before, a gracious agrees to foster the deceased woman’s sister. In shock, the French revolutionists pause, but shortly after follow triumphant cries, “Death within twenty-four hours!” Dickens subtly laces the chapter with meaningful comparisons and psychological phenomena using human fallacy and metaphoric nuances. For example, the way the Marquis rapes and pillages the innocent people of France also explains why Dr. Manette is in jail and the psychological background behind the Marquis’ actions: fear. This chapter connects all the missing dots and gaps in the mysterious plot of __A Tale of Two Cities__, like how Mrs. Defarge is the deceased woman’s sister. This chapter is the spice and necessity of the third book of Dickens novel __A Tale of Two Cities.__

- Todd "The God" Phillips


 * Chapter 10: The Substance of the Shadow, Take 2**

The hook in this chapter is the mystery surrounding the destination of the two noblemen who got Dr. Manette. In this chapter, dickens comes across as a storyteller of the narrative of the goings-on in the old country house unfolds. Darnay is revealed to be a criminal in the end, and Dr. Manette finishes maturing into a major character, a self-proclaimed “unfortunate physician.” The rural landscape of the chapter helps the reading of the letter become a story. Dr. Manette has his letter read aloud; after being called to a farmhouse out in the French countryside, Dr. Manette fails to save the lives of a man and woman. They had been attacked by Darnay’s uncle and father, both of the Marquis. After the letter is revealed, the court decides to put Darnay to death in order to pay for the horrible sins of his father and uncle. The actual letter is symbolic of the entire story, and the maturing of Dr. Manette from a simple doctor to a much more involved and deep character. The revolution connection can be found in Manette being held in the Bastille, and the chapter ends with the unanimous sentencing of Darnay to death, not a cliffhanger.

- Greer Peterson


 * Chapter 11: Dusk**

The scene opens with the courtroom crowd emptying into the streets of France—everyone gathering to celebrate in Darnay’s condemnation. Barsad, who is leading Darnay, allows Lucie, Darnay’s distraught wife to embrace her husband for what is inevitably the last time. Dickens describes her sorrow powerfully through her last words to her husband (“We shall not be separated long. I feel that this will break my heart by-and-bye;…”) Darnay is taken away to his cell to wait out the night for his execution in the morning. Lucie, in her despair passes out and is kindly taken home by Carton. Carton clearly displays his affections for Lucie in this chapter. Dickens exemplifies Carton's tenderness towards Lucie by the way he makes sure that no one wakes her and by the loving kiss he bestows upon her, whispering only a simple phrase (“A life you love.”) Carton immediately leaves the room and confronts Doctor Manette to tell him to try once more to save Darnay and then meet him at Tellson’s. Carton grasps for hope that neither him nor Manette truly believe is possible.

- Hailey Randol

Dickens keeps the reader's attention with the intrigue presented with Madame Defarge's accusations and their reprecussions. He puts his narrator into the role of a story teller; he writes as if he had been there himself. The settings transitions from the wine shop, where mischievous dealings and plans were heard, back to Tellson's. The chapter starts with Carton going to the Defarge's wine shop where he over hears Mrs. Defarge's plot to accuse Manette, Lucie, and Lucie's daughter of spying. Mr. Defarge tries to convince her that her thoughts are too extreme, but she reminds him of the actions of Marquis and his brother. Carton buys his wine and rushes out to find Manette and they send Lucie, her daughter, and the doctor to safety. Dickens uses the physical comparison between Carton and Darnay again to show some foreshadowing, also, the title of the chapter "Darkness" to foreshadow bad time ahead. This chapter keeps with the theme of putting others before one's self. The French Revolution is represented by the questions of truth and trust. We leave this chapter not yet knowing what will happen after the accusations are made. -Caroline Renz
 * Chapter 12: Darkness**


 * Chapter 13: Fifty-Two**

After Charles is condemned and writes letters to friends and family, Carton switches places with him -- taking Darnay’s place at the guillotine. While an old lady encounters Carton, amazed by his courage; Lucie, Charles, and their child leave Paris yet unscathed. Dickens draws attention directly, stating, “In the black prison…the doomed…awaited their fate,”. Charles Darnay is characterized as a strong man, as Dickens says, “so to strengthen himself…that he might be able…to strengthen others” and also as a Godly man, “devoutly thankful to Heaven for his recovered self-possession.” The physical setting casts a gloomy, urgent mood; Dickens describes death day at the guillotine (a symbol of the French Revolution) as “a dark winter day…darkly discern the others…to have their arms bound. …majority were silent and still, looking fixedly….” There is irony because Darnay never thought to write a letter to the man who came to save him -- Carton. Courage is the great theme to be understood, as Carton risks his life, bringing significance to his “nothingness.” Dickens leaves the audience nervous, as “the wind is rushing after…clouds are flying after…moon is plunging after…whole night is in pursuit; but so far, we are pursued by nothing else.”

- Becky Stoneman


 * Chapter 14: The Knitting Done**

In the chapter entitles The Knitting Done, Dickens discusses the ominous council held by Madame Defarge. This makes the reader wonder why she is speaking with The Vengeance and Jacques Three of the Revolutionary Jury. Dickens writes as a storyteller because never speaks of the feelings of any characters. All that he states can be observed by a viewer. However, he makes the writing more interesting by letting the story unfold before the reader’s eyes rather than tell them from the beginning what will occur throughout the chapter. Madame Defarge becomes vindictive and scheming when she attempts to catch Lucie mourning the death of a prisoner and have her punished. She speaks to a wood-sawyer and says, “Touching those signals, little citizen,… that she made to the prisoners; you are ready to bear witness to them this very day?" The small area of the apartment in which part of this chapter takes place adds a sense of urgency when Dickens writes, “It flashed upon Miss Pross's mind that the doors were all standing open, and would suggest the flight. Her first act was to shut them. There were four in the room, and she shut them all. She then placed herself before the door of the chamber which Lucie had occupied.” Madame Defarge tries to catch Lucie in the act of mourning, but instead speaks with Miss Pross. Madame Defarge pulls out a gun and struggles with Miss Pross and is then shot. Dickens writes, “Haunted by her feverish apprehensions, she could not bear to have her sight obscured for a minute at a time by the dripping water, but constantly paused and looked round to see that there was no one watching her.” This creates a feeling of apprehension on the part of Miss Pross. In this chapter Madame Defarge attempts to inhibit Lucie’s mourning. By today’s standards, mourning is a personal right. When Madame Defarge is shot by Miss Pross it symbolizes the replacement of previous customs of France with the idea of inalienable rights.

- Christine Taylor


 * Chapter 15: The Footsteps Die Out Forever**

As a storyteller-philosopher blend, Dickens creates a picturesque image of Carton’s final act of good nature while welcoming the reader to the book’s finale in his references to Time, Jezabels, the Creator, and rolling tumbrils, a metaphorical hook. To end his novel, Dickens shifts from his initial philosophical viewpoint to an interlude of storytelling beauty and philosophic love. Describing the bond between Carton and an innocent girl, Dickens writes, “The two stand in the fast-thinning throng of victims, but they speak as if they were alone. Eye to eye, voice to voice, hand to hand, heart to heart, these two children…have come together on the dark highway…” This bond beautifully characterizes the young girl and carries a florid description of Carton to an expected, yet stunning, conclusion. The Guillotine, the chapter’s main setting, closes the novel and the kindhearted bond between Carton and the girl. Madame Defarge, slain in the last chapter, does not attend the killing. Reliant on imagery, Dickens complete the theme of dying for loved ones and accepting one’s fate at the appropriate time through masterful and expert language that highlights the treasure of kindness and blasts the bloodshed of the revolution.

- Zach Terner