Light in the time
Light in the worst time
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so. far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. ” Dickens wrote at the beginning of the novel. This novel was set in the famous French Revolution in history. When we talked about the French Revolution, we often said that it was a manifestation of democracy. But Dickens said it was a dark age. Indeed, the description in the book did reflect a completely different side from the French Revolution I knew.
In this era, the contradiction between the noble class and the working class was more and more acute. The cruel and greedy aristocracy ruthlessly oppressed the people of the lower class. Among them, Marquis St. Evremonde who forced women and killed innocent people indiscriminately was a very powerful example. Obviously, this phenomenon could not happen by accident. It had become a social problem and a flame that ignites class conflicts. In such a high-pressure and exploitative society, the people at the bottom finally gave a roar. This was quite similar to modern China. "Either break out in silence, or go to death," the famous Chinese revolutionary Lu Xun once said. It was clear that the people at the bottom of France chose revolution.
This great revolution was getting more and more violent. People united and shouted Freedom while attacking the Bastille prison. Then, as the revolution progressed day by day, those oppressed people seemed to find a vent for their emotions from the revolution. They were eager to vent their grievances and oppression on the nobles who once held high. During that period, the original victim even became the perpetrator. They hated every nobleman, and they would fight with every nobleman until they were judged. Take Mrs. Defarge as an example. She was originally a woman from the lower strata of society with a tragic fate. During her childhood, her family suffered great changes. After his relatives were persecuted and killed by Marquis St. Evremonde one after another, the sad figure gradually became stronger. She had been patient, waiting for the chance of revenge. At the beginning of the revolution, she became a formidable woman leader and gradually began her revenge plan. So did other people. They were carrying out their own revolution with red eyes and boldness. They wanted everyone to go to the guillotine. This was a revolution full of violence and blood. People had also unconsciously separated themselves from the revolutionary humanitarian spirit. They thought they were going to heaven. In fact, they were going out of control.
Violence did not eliminate pain. Only tolerance and fraternity could be released. Those civilians had suffered. They were unfortunate. Those nobles were high above the world, and they were cruel. They were abominable. But when everything was turned upside down, what did the frenzied Revenge of civilians bring? It was nothing but blood and violence. They lost themselves. These wounds were not only deeply left on the civilians, but also engraved on the hearts of nobles. Two wrongs didn't make it right. Blinded by hatred, Madame Defarge was like a sickle wielding demon in this revolution. Eventually she died. When fighting with Lucie's servant, she died because her gun went off. Looking back on her life: she was innocent and pitiful. From childhood, Mrs. Defarge witnessed her relatives being trampled and persecuted by the Marquis St. Evremonde until she died. She was honest and compassionate. When she saw that the Marquis ran over a poor child in a carriage and threw a gold coin to express guilt and compensation, Mrs. Defarge was infuriated. She was brave in resistance and revolution. But hatred destroyed her mind. She was originally good and upright. Under the corrosion of hatred, she became violent and bloody. Her hands were covered with blood, and she finally fell into a pool of blood. She was a three-dimensional lady. Her life was a lamentable one.
On the contrary, Dr. Alexandre Manette also experienced the oppression and humiliation brought by the aristocracy. Under the coercion and inducement of the Marquis , he was forced to follow them to the clinic. In the Marquis's house, he saw a crazy beautiful peasant woman and a wounded young man. The young woman was the younger sister of the young man. The Marquis brother raped the young woman. The young man arranged his younger sister in the fisherman's house and took the sword to avenge the Marquis. However, he was killed. The young woman and the young man went away with hatred. The doctor witnessed the cruelty of the Marquis. He was filled with indignation at the atrocities of the Marquis , and expressed deep sympathy for the persecution of the devastated peasant girls and their families. He did not choose to be silent. He didn't want to go with the world. He wanted to accuse the Marquis of their crimes. He naively thought that the evil deeds of the Marquis would be punished and justice would be upheld. However, the Marquis covered the sky with one hand and put the doctor in prison. In this way, the doctor spent 28 years in prison. Perhaps it was the support of the conscience in his mind, and the justice in the heart was not destroyed. Under the meticulous care of his daughter, Dr. Manette's body recovered. After outbreak of the great revolution, doctors did not choose to return a tooth for a tooth. Instead, he chose forgiveness. Lucie, the doctor's beloved daughter, met Darnay, the Marquis's descendant. Darnay confessed his identity to the doctor. The doctor agreed to their association for the sake of her daughter's happiness. The doctor's approach was indeed more sensible. He ended his hatred on his generation.
In the younger generation, hatred was no longer the mainstream. They advocated love and giving. British lawyer Carton was brilliant but ruthless. After Lucie appeared, his life was different. Lucie's kindness and integrity deeply attracted him. He also changed a lot under Lucie's influence. He loved Lucie deeply, but at the same time, he also knew that his lung disease was very serious, and he could not give Lucie happiness. Watching Lucie and Darnay love each other deeply, He chose to bless and silently guard. Sometimes, love was not possession, but blessing. He envied Darnay. But it was undeniable that he clearly knew that Darnay was a person worthy of Lucie's love. He was willing to give everything for Lucie's happiness. Finally, he did not hesitate to replace Darnay on the guillotine. He realized his promise of love for Lucie with his blood and life. For Darnay, the importance of Lucie could be expressed in one sentence: To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world. As for Carton himself, he did not care about his own life or death. As long as he could do something for the people he like, it was worth it. Presumably, when he went to the guillotine, he thought of every minute he spent with Lucie and would also smile happily.
In addition, the kind Lucie and Darnay were also representatives of progressive youth. Lucie was kind and tolerant, and Darnay did not want to be an aristocrat who exploited others. They were all full of love and justice.
Forgiveness, dedication and love shone in this age. In this chaotic and bloody revolution, dark hatred and revenge enveloped the society. This was a dark age, an age of disorder. However, even in such an era, there were still people who chose to forgive everything with love, looked at the world with a kind eye, and upheld justice with integrity and unyielding. They were the flames of this era, the dim light in the dark sky and the tender shoots in the desert.
What I learned from them were not only to be loved, but also how to love. When you were good enough, like Lucie, naturally someone would find your shining point and be deeply attracted by you. All you had to do was keep yourself and looked at things around you with your own care and tolerance. Negative energy should be resolved in a timely manner. We should not accumulate hatred and eventually lose ourselves like Mrs. Defarge. Be strict with yourself and treat others leniently. Don't just take from others, but also learn to give. I couldn't be like Darnay, but I would try my best to protect the people I love. These were the lights of the times.
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