Reading Summary

Chapter 5 The Wine Shop

Miss. Manette, accompanied by Mr. Lorry, went to the wine shop to find her father. The environment and living condition were very poor and uncomfortable there. What would happen after the daughter and father seeing each other? Could they recognize each other?

 

Chapter 6 The Shoemaker

This chapter answers the question who is the buried man waiting for Mr. Lorry’s help. It focuses on the plot that Mr. Lorry and Miss. Manette came to Paris to look for Mr. Manette. He has suffered a lot during his confinement. Hoping that Miss. Manette’s company and love could save him and make him relive.

 

Book 2 Chapter 1 Five Years Later

This chapter introduced the environment and staff members of The Telson Bank focusing on Mr. Jerry, a messenger of the House and his son. Mr. Jerry and his son treated Mrs. Jerry rudely and impolitely which indicated the low position of women at that time. Since this chapter is centered around Mr. Lorry, I wander the relationship between him and Mr. Manette. Did he have a special identity?

 

Chapter 2 A Sight

This was an age of indifference. People were cold-blooded and looked for watching the so-called criminals be quartered. The crueler the punishments were, the more excited the onlookers were. This was an epoch of injustice. People’s life was held by the officers. They could easily determine a man to be guilt or not.

 

Chapter 3 Disappointment

As far as I am concerned, the title of this chapter “Disappointed” means that because Mr. Darnay was acquitted the mass didn’t have the chance to see a “splendid” punishment of someone being quartered. This was a satire of the cold-blooded citizens. The author also performed a wonderful trial by fluid narrative and detailed writing. The parallel utterances and a series of questions indicate the speaker’s ability of critical thinking and speaking.

 

Chapter 4 Congratulatory

Mr. Carton mentioned that Mr. Darnay shows what he has fallen away from. Surely, he used to be a gentleman with a respectable social status and gentlemanlike manner. He has great talent, too. I wander the reason why he has fallen. He must have been deeply self-contradictory because the man he has helped was his rival in love. Apparently, Miss. Manette preferred Mr. Darnay. Poor Mr. Carton.

 

Chapter 5 The Jackal

“Jackal” refers to Mr. Carton. He is Mr. Stryver’s right-hand man. He is talent and capable. He assisted Mr. Stryver with difficult cases and helped him deal with materials. He seems to be more competent than Mr. Stryver. But why he presented to be the assistant of Mr. Stryver? Why didn’t he show out his competence? Why he concealed his capability and his admiration to Miss. Manette? Why he was so sorrowful? I was so curious about this character.

 

Chapter6 Hundreds of People

“Mr. Lorry knew Miss Pross to be very jealous, but he also knew her by this time to be, beneath the surface of her eccentricity, one of those unselfish creatures—found only among women—who will, for pure love and admiration, bind themselves willing slaves, to youth when they have lost it, to beauty that they never had, to accomplishments that they were never fortunate enough to gain”

In Mr. Lorry’s eyes, Miss Pross was a jealous but unselfish woman. “Youth”, “beauty”, “accomplishment” and “bright hopes" all refer to good things which Miss. Manette has but Miss. Pross has not. Though it is understandable for Miss Pross to show her jealousy towards her—a young and charming girl. But what Miss. Pross had done were total conversely. She took care of her with care and love. Even Mr. Lorry was moved by her faithful service of the heart.

 

Chapter 7 Monseigneur in Town

“All things ran their course”, I would like to say all things seems to run their course. The nobles indulged in pleasure and luxurious life. The normal people cowered in the corner and suffered from hunger. A strong power was gathering under the calm. One day, in the future, the poor people would stand up and make some changes. A country in which the governors didn’t care about their people would never last for a long period of time.

 

Chapter 8 Monseigneur in Town

There is a sharp contrast between the way that the people called the Monseigneur and the Monseigneur called the people. The Monseigneur called the man “pig” which was impolite and arrogant while the people called the Monseigneur “your clemency” which seemed really respectful. The address and the attitude of them demonstrated the exploitation to the normal people given by the noble. Who is the man hanging over the carriage?    

 

Chapter 9 The Gorgon’s Head

The Monseigneur was killed. The murderer might be the little girl’s father, or might be anyone who couldn’t tolerant the severe oppression any more. This was the first step of waking up. And this was also the first shot of revolution. Charles was an impressive person. Thought he had the noble identity he realized that man should live on work by themselves and he rejected the lifestyle of the Monseigneur which depended on taxing from lower-class people.

 

Chapter 10 Two Promises

Mr. Darnay fell in love with Miss. Manette. He loved her so much and wanted to marry her. However, when he proposed a marriage to Mr. Manette, the doctor became anxious and worried. What was he worried about? Did he realize Mr. Darnay’s identity? What his reaction indicated is that he really loved his daughter and he wish her to be happy.

 

Chapter 11 A Companion Picture

Just as what Mr. Stryver said to Mr. Carton “You have no business to be incorrigible.” Everyone has no right to be incorrigible. We have no right to give up ourselves since that there is someone who will support us firmly. These words also indicated that Mr. Stryver knew Mr. Carton very well. He appreciated his talent and capability. Meanwhile, he hated his self-abandoned behavior.

In a healthy romantic relationship, the two should take care of each other and pay out to build a stable family together. The husband and wife should have equal status.

 

Chapter 12 The Fellow of Delicacy

Mr. Lorry knew Doctor Manette and his daughter well. He held the opinion that they are not vain people at all. Doctor Manette would not allow his daughter to marry a person who did not love her and would never respect her at all though the man was rich and had a high social status. And Miss. Manette also would put love and respect at the first place whether the man she would marry was rich or not.

 

Chapter 13 The Fellow of No Delicacy

Mr. Carton was willing to show the most softened part of him to Miss. Manette. He loved her so much. However, she was fairly pretty and fascinating. He realized that she deserves a successful person instead of a man who sank lower day by day. “I wish you to know that you have been the last dream of my soul”, Mr. Carton said to Miss. Manette. How soulful the love story was.

'Mr. Carton,' she answered, after an agitated pause, 'the secret is yours, not mine; and I promise to respect it.' These words instruct me a lot. If we have promised to hold a secret for someone, we should never disclose it. The people who tell you their secrets are those who trust you a lot. In return, you should respect them.

 

Chapter 14 The Honest Tradesman

The mass, at that time, were fairly impulsive and irrational. They have been oppressed mentally and physically for a long time. They seemed like a bunch of dry firewood which could light easily by a small piece of spark.

During the day, Mr. Crunch worked at the Telson Bank. At night, he became a resurrection-man. Influenced by his father, little Jerry also wanted to be a resurrection-man when he grew up, which made Mr. Crunch feel satisfied.

 

Chapter 15 Knitting

How cruel the society was! How indifferent the people were! The noble amused themselves by watching people who were being punished. The people laughed and sang when building gallows for their fellows.

Madame Defarge was good at disguising. She looks like a normal woman who kept knitting in daily life. However, at the same time, she had a thoughtful mind and registered the crime of the Monseigneur waiting for time to revenge.

Chapter 16 Still Knitting

Lightening happens in a split second. However, it takes some time to make and store the lightening. It does not take a long time for an earthquake to swallow a tone. However, the preparation of an earthquake is lengthy. “But when it is ready, it takes place, and grinds to pieces everything before it. In the meantime, it is always preparing, though it is not seen or heard.”

Madame Defarge seems not so thoughtful. She was a little bit blinded by the hatred. Though Mr. Darney is a relative of the Monseigneur, he was totally different with him. Madame Defarge insisted on registering his name by knitting.