A Tale of Two Cities was written by the famous English novelist Charles Dickens and was published in 1859. It is set during the time of the French Revolution and focuses on the two cities of London and Paris. The novel follows a time line, but also drops many hints about what is going to happen later on in the book. Especially in chapters two and five, it becomes obvious that Dickens is using foreshadowing to hint at civil unrest in the future of the book.
Chapter two begins with a coach struggling up a muddy hill. It also happens to be a misty night in November. Struggle will be a common theme in
A Tale of Two Cities, and the dark misty night also points ahead to dismal and chaotic times to come. A mysterious messenger comes to the coach while it is struggling on. This really makes the coach guard suspicious. He thinks the messenger may be a highway robber and even threatens to shoot him if he isn't careful. By this, Dickens shows that people of the time period were distrustful because of dishonesty, and did not want their money being taken by other people. It is possible that this lack of trust in money-snatchers will reveal itself in a more complete way later on. Perhaps Dickens is alluding to the French government lying to the people and taking heavy taxes from them.
In comparison to chapter two, the foreshadowing in chapter five is much more obvious. When a wine barrel is broken on the street, many poor French people rush towards it to indulge themselves and forget some of their worries. But then something else happens. A man scrawls “BLOOD” upon a wall. Dickens then adds a chilling line after that. “The time was to come, when that wine too would be spilled on the street-stones, and when the stain of it would be red upon many there” (Dickens 32). This alludes to a future time when inhabitants would gorge themselves in a more gruesome way to attempt an escape from poverty. The people in the streets of Paris were so poor and hungry that they were killing their dogs, searching for offal, and eating bad black bread. The situation was so bad that people mused about enduring gallows, an ordinary thing in their lives. But then Dickens adds something chilling. The people also muse about inflicting gallows on the people that are hanging them. Revenge is in the air. There are more hints towards the future in chapter five. It is said that “the birds, fine of song and feather, took no warning” (34). This is most definitely a reference to the French royal house. They eat, drink, and are merry while foolishly disregarding the people. Finally, Mr. Dickens emphasizes a word later on in the chapter. He writes: “In the gloomy tile-paved entry to the gloomy tile-paved staircase, Monsieur Defarge bent down on one knee to the child of his old master, and put her hand to his lips” (37). At the beginning of the sentence it is quite clear that Dickens does not use the word “gloomy” twice without a purpose. Not only does this sentence seem to evoke a sense of dark humour, it also makes a serious observation on the gloominess of the time period in general. Readers of the book are left curious as to whether or not the gloominess will be tolerated for much longer.
A Tale of Two Cities is a classic piece of English literature for many reasons. One of these reasons is its' successful use of foreshadowing. The beginning of the book has two or three confusing chapters, but they begin to make more sense as the story goes on. Each chapter leaves you with questions that can only be answered by reading further. As a result, the book is a joy to read as it leads you further on a quest of discovery.
Works Cited
Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. England: Penguin Classics, 2000.
