Opposties Attract : Themes and Dualities in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Abstract: One of Britain’s most famous authors is Charles Dickens and his books have been read by millions of readers all over the world. Dickens wrote fourteen novels, and the one that he, upon completion, hoped was “the best story ever written” was A Tale of Two Cities. It was first published in 1859 and has sold over 200 million copies worldwide. It is also one of Dickens’ most famous novels. The story is about the two cities of London and Paris during the period when the French revolution took place. The title of the novel is very carefully chosen; it not only indicates that the story will be about two different cities but also about different types of themes. The two cities of London and Paris are described and divided just as the novel’s different themes, which is suggested already from the title. Just like he portrays the differences between London and Paris Dickens also portrays the differences between each theme and its counterpart. This essay will investigate in what way the different themes are connected to the different characters and show how the author is using his characters to play out the different themes. This essay will point out how the themes of darkness/light, love/hate and good/evil connect to the characters and to the story and also to the two cities as the title suggests.