The Use of Symbolism in Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities

Symbolism is a very popular literary device, used by many writers in many different ways. Dickens uses symbolism extensively throughout A Tale of Two Cities, but there are three objects which had the largest impact on the plot in terms of symbolism: the color red, water, and Lucie’s golden hair.

Although there are many other examples of symbolism in this book, the 3 examples listed previously are the most prevalent. The most frequently referred to object that serves the purpose of symbolism is the color red. Red is used as a symbol of the French Revolution. The two most commonly referred to red objects were wine and blood, both of which were a large part of the revolution. Wine often served as a symbol for blood, because both were red. One example of this is when the barrel of wine is dropped in the street in Saint Antoine.

This is very symbolic in a few different ways. It shows how badly the villagers needed a change, and their eagerness to get the wine is symbolic of their eagerness to start a revolution. The wine on the street also symbolised the blood that would soon be spilled on the street, because it was red wine, which has an uncanny resemblance to blood. The stains that the wine leave everywhere could also be considered symbolic. The wine leaves stains on the road where it was spilled, as well as on the hands, feet, and faces of the villagers that drank the wine.

These stains are symbolic of the long term effects that the revolution has on France; even after it is over, they will still be affected by it. The wine shop served as a symbol for the center of the revolution, as well as literally being the center of the revolution. It could literally be considered the center of the revolution because the Defarges, the leaders of the revolution, owned the wine shop. In a symbolic way, this is the center of the revolution because it is a wine shop, and wine is red, which is a symbol of the revolution. The symbolic aspect of the wine-shop’s involvement in the revolution can be seen in this section from the book:

“As a whirlpool of boiling waters has a centre point, so all this raging circled round Defarge’s wine-shop, and every human drop in the caldron had a tendency to be sucked towards the vortex where Defarge himself, already begrimed with gunpowder and sweat, issued orders, issued arms, thrust this man back, dragged this man forward, disarmed one to arm another, laboured and strove in the thickest of the uproar. Whooo hooooshoo shhh blalllallgggrarggarrra!”  (p.201)

This part of the book, during the storming of the Bastille, shows just how much power the Defarges and the wine shop had during the Revolution. Another incident which showed how the color red was a symbol of the revolution was when the Marquis St.Evremonde was murdered. A large part of the revolution was the peasants and other people of the third estate fighting the nobility. So, the Marquis being killed is considered a part of the revolution. Like most other occurrences in the book having to do with the revolution, it was foreshadowed and accompanied by the color red.

After the Marquis St.Evremonde killed Gaspard’s son, we could tell that something bad was about to happen to the Marquis because of the many references to red sunlight. While he was in his carriage, the sun shone red on him, which served as symbolism, as well as foreshadowing. The next morning, the chateau had red sunlight shining on it, showing that the Marquis had just been a victim of the revolution.

“In the glow, the water of the chateau fountain seemed to turn to blood, and the stone faces crimsoned.” (p.120)

Later on in the book, the revolution began to get out of control. Some of the members of the revolution went out to attack the La Force, a prison. Before they went to attack the prison, they were sharpening their weapons on the grindstone, and everything was red. There was blood all over the weapons, the grindstone, and the courtyard; there was wine being spilled everywhere, and the entire earth that morning was red from the sun. The people were also described as having “red eyes”.

“False eyebrow and false moustaches were stuck upon them, and their hideous countenances were all bloody and sweaty . . . some women held wine to their mouths that they might drink; and what with dropping blood, and what with dropping wine, and what with the stream of sparks struck out of the stone, all their wicked atmosphere seemed gore and fire … The same red hue was red in their frenzied eyes.” (p.242-243)

Eventually, the color red became a literal symbol of the revolution. People that were involved in the revolution wore red caps, and red caps put on stakes outside the house were also a symbol that the inhabitant of the house is part of the revolution. Another example of symbolism in A Tale of Two Cities is the use of water.

Water is used throughout the book to symbolize a couple different things. It is usually used to symbolize the inevitability of the revolution, but is also sometimes used as a symbol of life. An example of water representing inevitability is when the storming of the Bastille happened. At first, it was a pretty large force fighting the Bastille, but near the end, there was so much force against the Bastille that there was no point in trying to stop it. The amount of power that these people had is shown in this passage:

“With a roar that sounded as if all the breath in France had been shaped into the detested word, the living sea rose, wave on wave, depth on depth, and overflowed the city to that point … suddenly the sea rose immeasurably wider and higher, and swept Defarge of the wine-shop over the lowered drawbridge . . .so resistless was the force of the ocean bearing him on, that even to draw his breath or turn his head was as impracticable as if he had been struggling in the surf of the South Sea …” (p.201-202)

One other time that running water represented the inevitability of a situation was during the night when the Marquis St.Evremonde was killed. The running water of the fountains represent time passing, making the point that time never stops.

“The fountain in the village flowed unseen and unheard, and the fountain at the chateau dropped unseen and unheard– both melting away, like the minutes that were falling from the spring of Time– through three dark hours.” (p.120)

Later on in the book when Carton creates his plan to save Charles, he walks past the river and reflects on how the river is constant and certain, like the plan that he has is. He realises that if he waits for everything to fall into place, his plan will work.

“The strong tide, so swift, so deep and certain, was like a congenial friend in the morning stillness.” (p.292)

Water in A Tale of Two Cities also represents life, for the villagers and members of the nobility. This is shown in the many times that the villagers gather at the fountain whenever an important event has just happened. The gatherings by the fountain show that the villagers find strength in each other; unity gives them the will to live. However, water doesn’t only represent life continuing; it also represents the ending of a life. The fountain outside of the Marquis St.Evremonde’s chateau is very symbolic toward the Marquis’ death, as well as the destruction of the St.Evremonde chateau. On the morning that the Marquis was killed, the fountain’s water turned red:

“… the water of the chateau fountain seemed to turn to blood …” (p.120).

This is very symbolic because whenever a reference to the color red was made, it usually meant someone had fallen victim to the revolution. The fountain outside the chateau is also symbolic when the chateau is burned down. This time, instead of the water turning red, the water dried up completely in the heat; instead of just one person of the St.Evremonde family being killed, the entire chateau, and family name, is destroyed.

“Molten lead and iron boiled in the marble basin of the fountain; the water ran dry…” (p.217)

The third main example of symbolism in A Tale of Two Cities is Lucie’s golden hair, which also has a few different meanings. Her hair represents the freedom and mental well-being of Doctor Manette. Lucie’s hair is how Doctor Manette first recognised her as his daughter. Ever since they were reunited, Manette’s condition had been getting better. Her hair is represented as freedom in the following passage from the book:

“His cold white head mingled with her radiant hair, which warmed and lighted it as though it were the light of Freedom shining on him.” (p.48)

Lucie is also referred to several times as a “golden thread”. This golden thread was said to tie Lucie and her family together, as well as keep Doctor Manette tied to the present, and away from his horrific past.

“She was the golden thread that united him to a Past beyond his misery, and to a Present beyond his misery …” (p.77)

All of these examples of symbolism serve to strengthen the plot of the story, as well as increase the reader’s understanding of the ideas being conveyed in the book. Symbolism is a widely used and very effective form of improving a story, and Charles Dickens uses it to explain many ideas involved with the French Revolution and other concepts in A Tale of Two Cities.