Essay on A Tale of Two Cities Madame Defarge - 987 Words

Madame Thà ©rà ¨se Defarge When terrible things happen to good people there are two paths that can be traveled: forgiveness can be offered, or vengeance can be pursued. Madame Defarge from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, takes the latter of these two options and religiously lives by it, seeking revenge on the cruel heartless aristocracy plaguing France with famine, poverty, and oppression; however, the reasons behind her malice force the reader to understand why she performs such hateful acts during the French Revolution. Madame Defarge, though intelligent, is consumed by her hatred and has transformed into something just as bad, if not worse, than the members of the aristocracy. Madame Defarge will stop at nothing to see the†¦show more content†¦She witnesses firsthand all of the hardships the French commoners are enduring and it fuels her rage and anger toward the nobility. Madame Defarge channels all of this anger into exacting her revenge, but we cannot h elp pitying her for her wretched childhood. We comprehend the reasons behind the madness, but that does not justify her actions. Hundreds of people die on account of Madame Defarge, but she feels no concern and regards this loss of human life as a rightful tribute to the revolution. Her hatred and desire for vengeance has swallowed her whole, and nothing good is left of Madame Defarge: It was nothing to her, that an innocent man was to die for the sins of his forefathers; she saw, not him, but them. It was nothing to her, that his wife was to be made a widow and his daughter an orphan; that was insufficient punishment, because they were her natural enemies and her prey, and as such had no right to live. (367) Her need to see her enemies destroyed is so strong that it overrides any other emotion that Madame Defarge may have left, and it leaves her â€Å"absolutely without pity† (367). She cannot see the monster she has become because she is so focused on immolating every last aristocrat or enemy of the republic. France may have suffered from poverty,Show MoreRelatedRevenge By William Shakespeare s A Tale Of Two Cities1143 Words   |  5 Pagesin A Tale of Two Cities Suppose your family or someone close to you was hurt by someone or a group of people. What would you do and how would you react to the situation? With that thought in mind, think of how you would react if you were the one hurt. In both situations, you may desire compensation from the offenders who hurt you or a loved one. Depending on the reason why you would desire this compensation it can be classified as revenge or vengeance. Some characters in A Tale of Two CitiesRead MoreThe Duality Of Light And Darkness1117 Words   |  5 PagesOn the Duality of Light and Darkness in A Tale of Two Cities The French revolution was filled with bloodshed as the people of France rebelled against the aristocracy. 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Lucie hasRead MoreA Tale Of Two Cities By Charles Dickens1305 Words   |  6 Pages In A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, isolation impacts Madame Defarge and Sydney Carton by altering their perception of life, influencing Madame to become obsessive with her vengeful goal of eliminating the aristocracy and damaging Carton by forcing him to contain his depressive emotions. Madame Defarge is first introduced as a stern woman with a rather ominous habit of knitting, with no indication of her bloodthirsty habits. However, it is later noted that Madame Defarge is actually knitting