A Tale of Two Cities Archetype List free essay sample

Madame Defarge- She possesses the devil figure archetype. Her role in the story consists of her keeping records of who she believes must die. She is pure evil and blood thirsty. Tell wind and fire where to stop, but dont tell me! (Dickens, 326). She has a vengeance and she will stop at nothing to carry out her plans. Monsieur Defarge- Monsieur Defarge can also be put into the father figure role in that he cares very much for the Menatte family and helps not only them but others as much as he can. â€Å"I know all, I know all, be a brave man my Gaspard! It is better for the poor little play thing to die so, than to live. It has died in a moment without pain. Could it have lived an hour as happily? † (Dickens, 102) Marquis Evremonde- He, like Madame Defarge, possesses the devil figure archetype. He is evil in that he has no concern for human life. We will write a custom essay sample on A Tale of Two Cities Archetype List or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He wants all peasants to be exterminated. It is extraordinary to me that you people cannot take care of yourselves and your children. One or the other of you is forever in the way. How do I know what injury you have done to my horses? (Dickens, 109). When he runs over the child on the streets, he has no guilt towards it at all. Setting/Symbols/Characters Fog: Fog is shown in the beginning of the story in the setting. â€Å"There was a streaming mist in all the hollows and it roamed in its forlornness up the hill, like an evil spirit, seeking and finding none†¦ it was dense enough to shut everything from the light† (Dickens, 11). This foreshadows the dark events that come later in the story. Tower/Bastille- the archetype of tower is portrayed as the bastille. â€Å"I†¦Alexander Manette†¦write this melancholy paper in my doleful cell in Bastille† (Dickens, 316) this symbolizes a place of evil because its where Manette was placed imprisoned and where deaths take place in the French revolution. It was also where Manette had lost his mind. The Unhealable Wound- The unhealable wounds are portrayed as psychological issues in Dr. Manette. He is constantly being haunted by the 18 years in prison and his time as a shoemaker. â€Å"You have no idea how such apprehension weighs on the suffers’s mind, and how difficult-how almost impossible- it is, for him to force himself to utter a word upon the topic that oppresses him. † (Dickens, 201). As much as he tries, he cannot forget the horrible memories, and even refuses to speak of them. Lightness-Darkness- Lightness and darkness are both used in the story to symbolize the good and evil in characters. 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. . . (Dickens, 1) Lightness refers to good people, like Lucie. Darkness refers to the evil in people like in Madame Defarge. Darkness represents things like the captivity of doctor Manette. Water-Desert- The water-desert archetype is best represented by Carton. As an alcoholic, he sometimes feels as if he’s drowning in his own failure. But can also feel like a desert, because there is no clear life path that he can see. â€Å"As the boat so favoured is usually in a rough plight and mostly under water, so, Sydney had a swamped life of it. But, easy and strong custom, unhappily so much easier and stronger in him than any stimulating sense of desert or disgrace†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dickens, 201) Heights-Depths- Heights and depths best represent the different sides of the characters. There good sides and there bad, and what sides they keep from people. â€Å"A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other. † (Dickens, 10) Spring-Winter- Spring and winter are used to symbolize the good and bad times in the story. †¦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. . . . (Dickens, 1) Spring is when hope is alive and when good things happen in the book. Winter is the opposite, there are more deaths and it’s a sad time. The use of spring and winter at the beginning foreshadow the events that are t o come. Hero/Rebel- The roles of the heroes and the rebels are portrayed through many characters. One of the characters is Sydney Carton, who throughout the book possesses both of these traits.