Study Questions & Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. Discuss at
least one way in which Dickens parallels the personal and the political
in
A Tale of Two Cities.
2. One of the
novel's most important motifs is the figure of the double. What
is the effect of Dickens's doubling technique? Does he use doubles
to draw contrasts, comparisons, or both?
3. Discuss
Dickens's use of foreshadowing in
A Tale of Two Cities.
Suggested Essay Topics
1. Some critics charge that Dickens,
in much of his work, failed to create meaningful characters because
he exaggerated them to parodic extremes. Do you find this a fair
assessment of his characterization in A Tale of Two Cities?
Does the author's use of caricature detract from his novel's ability
to speak to human nature?
2. Dickens relies heavily on
coincidence to fuel the plot of A Tale of Two Cities:
letters are found bearing crucial infor-mation, for example, and
long-lost brothers are discovered in crowded public places. Do such
incidents strengthen or weaken the plot and overall themes of the
novel?
3. Discuss Dickens's attitude
toward the French Revolution. Does he sympathize with the revolutionaries?
4. Based on Dickens's portrayals
of the villainous characters in his novel (particularly Madame Defarge),
what conclusions might the reader draw about the author's notions
of human evil? Does he seem to think that people are born evil?
If so, do they lack the ability to change? Or does he suggest that circumstances
drive human beings to their acts of cruelty?
