A Tale of Two Cities Summary

Book The First: Recalled to Life

• “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”. It is 1775 and both France and England are facing harsh times of economic and social distress.

• Jerry Cruncher an employee of Tellson’s Bank stops a mail carriage on its way to Dover. He asks to speak to a Mr. Jarvis Lorry. He tells Lorry to wait for the young mademoiselle at Dover, Lorry looks at him and replies with the very vague “recalled to life”. When the carriage reaches Dover, he changes out of his traveling clothes and into his business suit and then goes into a dark room to meet the young lady.

• In the room he is met by Lucie Manette, a young, orphaned girl who’s father was thought to be dead. Lorry informs her that her father has been discovered in Paris and she must go with him immediately to identify him. The arrive at the Defarge’s wine shop where a wine cask has split open on the cobble stone streets.

• The streets are full of peasants who run towards the cask to lick the wine off of the streets. The impoverished community in Paris is so desperate they will lick the wine off of the bottom of their shoes just to get at taste of something so sweet.

• Monsieur Defarge greets Lorry and Lucie and leads them inside where they will go to identify her father. Defarge makes eye contact with his wife Madame Defarge who is mysteriously knitting. She points to 3 other men who are all called “Jaques”, which is a nickname for the French Revolutionaries. Defarge leads them up a dark narrow stair case to a room where a man is sitting at a shoe makers bench.

• The man is in fact Lucie’s father, but having been in prison in the Bastille for 18 long years he has been driven mad. He notices Lucie’s blonde hair and pulls a similar lock of hair out from a bag around his neck. He asks Lucie if she is his wife, she tells him that he is mistaken and she is his daughter. Lorry reminds her that with proper care and love her father can be “recalled to life” and returned to normal. She wants to take him immediately to England so he can begin his recovery process. They travel back by carriage.

Book the Second: The Golden Thread

• It is 5 years later in a court room where Mr. Charles Darnay is on trial for treason against England. A lawyer named Stryver pleads his case but the counter arguments prove to be very strong, until Sydney Carton, a man almost identical to Darnay, helps to get his eventual aquittal.

• He makes the argument that because they look so similar it would have been impossible for the court to have identified Darnay as the spy. Lucie and her father Doctor Manette have watched the trial. Later that night Carton and Darnay go to get drinks at a nearby tavern. Carton is obviously drunk and asks what it is like to receive sympathy from a girl like Lucie. Carton is resentful of Darnay who is ambitious and successful, he feels like he has given up on himself and the life that could have been.

• In France the Marqis Evermonde has come to town. He speeds his carriage throughout the streets that are full of people. He doesn’t even stop until he realizes that they have hit and killed a child. He shows no regret and throws a few coins into the street at the boys father. He then speeds away shouting that he would have hit any one of the people in the street. He is headed to his castle on the country side where he awaits the arrival of his nephew from England, Charles.

• His nephew is Charles Darnay. He is supposed to receive the title after his uncle dies, but he curses his uncle and all of the french aristocracy. He doesn’t want to be tied to the devastation and fear that is connected with his title as an Evermonde. Therefore, he renounces his title and returns to England. That night the Marqis is murdured and a note is left pinned to his chest that says “take him quickly to his tomb.” The note is signed “Jaques”.

• A year passes and Darnay and the Manette’s have grown very close. He decides to ask Doctor Manette for his permission to marry Lucie. He says that if he can marry Lucie he will reveal his true identity as an Evermonde.

• Sydney Carton has also pledged his love to Lucie, he says that a life with her will give him a greater more valuable purpose. Somewhere on the streets of London, Jerry Cruncher gets swept up with the funeral procession of a spy named Rodger Cly. He later digs up Cly’s body, this is something that is not uncommon for him. He spends many nights digging up bodies and then sells them for money. His son always wonders why his hands are so rusty all the time.

• In Paris, another English Spy, John Barsad comes into the Defarge’s Wine Shop. Barsad hopes to turn in evidence concerning the growing revolution, which is still a secret from the public. Madame Defarge sits in the shop knitting a secret registry of names of the people who the revolutionaries are out to execute. Back in London, it is Darnay and Lucie’s wedding day. Darnay keeps his promise to Manette and tells him of his true identity. Manette relapses into his old prison habit of makings shoes again. A few days later Manette recovers and decides to join the newlyweds on their honeymoon. When Lucie and Darnay come home Carton comes over to ask forgiveness and to see if he can mend his friendship with them. Darnay says he is welcome in their home any time.

• It is now 1789 and in Paris the revolution has begun. The peasants storm the Bastille and the revolutionaries are planning to murder all of the aristocrats in the streets. Gabelle, a man who worked at the Evermonde estate is being held prisoner. Three years later, he writes to Darnay, and asks to be rescued. Although it is dangerous, Darnay agrees to come immediately to Paris.

• As soon as Darnay reaches Paris he is arrested. Lucie and Doctor Manette hurry to Paris in hopes of saving him. He has to stay in prison for a year and three months before he can receive a trial.

• Manette is able to get his aquittal because the revoluitonaries respect him after hearing about how he was kept in the Bastille. He is set free, but arrested again later that evening. This time the charges come from Monsieur and Madame Defarge. Carton also arrives in Paris with a plan to rescue Darnay. He obtains the help of John Barsad, who turns out to be Solomon Pross, the long-lost brother of Miss Pross, Lucie’s close friend and servant.

• At Darnay’s trial Defarge brings a letter that was found in Manette’s jail cell in the Bastille. The letter contained the real reason why Manette was in prison. Many years ago the Evermonde brothers (Darnay’s father and uncle) asked Doctor Manette to tend to a woman who one of the brothers had raped and her brother who they had fatally stabbed. They had him arrested because they were afraid that he would tell someone about their crimes.

• After hearing the stories of Darnay’s father and uncle he was sentenced to death within the next twenty four hours. That night at the wine shop Carton hears Madame Defarge planning to have Lucie and Doctor Manette executed as well. She is holding a grudge against the Evermonde’s because she is the sister of the man and woman who the brothers raped and killed. Carton then arranges for the Manette’s to be immediately taken back to England.

• Carton goes to prison. He tricks Darnay into changing clothes with him. He drugs him and leaves him with a letter of explaination. After switching places Darnay, who is disguised as Carton is taken out of prison to a coach. Meanwhile Carton is about to face execution by guillotine.

• Doctor Manette, Lucie, Darnay and their child are all headed back to England. Madame Defarge heads to Lucie’s apartment in hopes of arresting her. Miss. Pross, is home and she and Madame Defarge break out into a fight. Madame Defarge ends up dying by her own bullett. The guillotine eventually comes down on Carton, who dies knowing that he has made something of his life and that he has saved Lucie, his true love, and her family.