Suggestions
Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.Please wait while we process your payment
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
Please wait while we process your payment
By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.
Don’t have an account? Subscribe now
Create Your Account
Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial
Already have an account? Log in
Your Email
Choose Your Plan
Individual
Group Discount
Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!
Purchasing SparkNotes PLUS for a group?
Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more!
Price
$24.99 $18.74 /subscription + tax
Subtotal $37.48 + tax
Save 25% on 2-49 accounts
Save 30% on 50-99 accounts
Want 100 or more? Contact us for a customized plan.
Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
SparkNotes Plus
You'll be billed after your free trial ends.
7-Day Free Trial
Not Applicable
Renews December 11, 2023 December 4, 2023
Discounts (applied to next billing)
DUE NOW
US $0.00
SNPLUSROCKS20 | 20% Discount
This is not a valid promo code.
Discount Code (one code per order)
SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan - Group Discount
Qty: 00
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.
Choose Your Plan
For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more!
You’ve successfully purchased a group discount. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link.
Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership.
Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial.
Please wait while we process your payment
Your PLUS subscription has expired
Please wait while we process your payment
Please wait while we process your payment
Monsieur Ernest Defarge is a morally ambiguous Revolutionary character who often functions as a foil to his more bloodthirsty wife, Madame Defarge. Like Madame and many of the other French revolutionaries, Ernest Defarge has good reasons to despise the aristocracy. He is present when the Marquis responds coldly to the death of a young child and shows his spirit by throwing the coins the Marquis has tossed him back into the carriage. Readers also learn that Ernest Defarge once worked for Dr. Manette and saw the way that the Doctor was unjustly imprisoned by the Evremonde brothers. He also knows the story of his wife’s family, and the horrible things they suffered at the hands of the aristocracy. With this context in mind, it is unsurprising and probably justified that Ernest Defarge becomes involved in Revolutionary activities, including violence.
Nonetheless, Ernest seems to retain his humanity and his loyalty to Dr. Manette. As Madame Defarge explains when she plots to attack and kill Lucie and her daughter, “I cannot trust my husband in this matter. Not only do I feel, since last night, that I dare not confide to him the details of my projects, but I also feel that if I delay, there is danger of his giving warning”. While Ernest Defarge shares his wife’s hatred of the aristocracy, and her desire to create a different social order, he cannot bring himself to support the killing of innocent women and children as an act of revenge. He contrasts with his wife by suggesting that not all Revolutionaries were totally bloodthirsty. However, while he refuses to participate in his wife’s plan, Ernest also does nothing to stop it. He fades from the novel without any mention of how his storyline concludes. Because he cannot fully commit to either participating in violence or working against it, his story ends ambiguously.
Please wait while we process your payment