In his masterpiece, A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens reinforces his theme of opposites by juxtaposing the characters of Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay. Initially, it appears that Carton and Darnay are completely bipolar. While Darnay shows nothing but poise and good manners, Carton is crude and unmotivated. However, as the novel progresses, Sydney Carton proves to be a much more complex character than she once seemed. He begins to reveal a multifaceted personality, made up of underlying nobility, altruism and, of course, unconditional love for Lucie Manette. Eventually, Sydney transforms into the calm, knowing man Darnay once was, and Darnay degenerates into a useless, stupefied character. The similarities and differences between Darnay and Carton, including the absolute reversal of their roles, can be explained through a chronological analysis of A Tale of Two Cities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay When Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay first meet at the beginning of the second book, they are complete opposites. At Darnay's trial, Sydney looks like an inept, disheveled lawyer, staring casually at the ceiling to pass the time (Dickens 75). However, it is not long before he demonstrates his true intelligence, having cleverly saved the day by pointing out Darnay's physical resemblance to his own (81). Immediately following the trial, Sydney relapses into his previous state of idleness, leaving it doubtful whether he possesses any resemblance to the dignified and staid Darnay outside of physical resemblances! He is particularly rude to Darnay while the two dine, and Darnay even comments, "I begin to think we are not very alike in any particular, you and I" (90). Throughout the night, Carton is "not quite sober" (89), and makes a fool of himself while Darnay maintains a calm demeanor. Although Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay are mirror images of each other, Darnay has proven to be, in fact, a perfect reflection of what Carton could have been. Carton knows this, and bitterly compares his wasted life to Darnay's perfect world: "A good reason to fall in love with a man, who shows you what you have strayed from, and what you might have been! ... You hate the mate" ( 91). Now that he has moved away from what could have been, Carton knows he can never win Lucie. Because of this, Darnay is a constant source of frustration for Carton, reminding him of the life he lost. In the later chapters of the second book, several new facets of Sydney Carton's character are revealed, and he begins to resemble Charles Darnay slightly more. Carton reveals that he has been a "jackal" his entire life, living and working for people like Stryver. “Even then [at the old Shrewsbury School] I did exercises for the other boys, and rarely did them on my own” (95). Although Carton is perfectly capable and intelligent, he no longer has the confidence to pursue his own success. He had become "incapable of his own help and happiness, aware of the plague that weighed on him, and resigned to allow himself to be devoured by it" (97). Sydney knows he's in no position to woo Lucie, but he decides to express his adoration to her anyway. He is similar to Charles Darnay in that they share an honest and absolute love for Lucie Manette. Both Carton and Darnay are sincere and compassionate guys (unlike Stryver, who only wants to have Lucie as his "trophy wife"). However, Sydney is different from Darnay in that she does not desire Lucie's hand in marriage. Instead, his only desire is to make her happy, no matter whatsacrifice, even if he gets nothing in return! "For you, and for every person dear to you, I would do anything... think every now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love next to you!" (156). Here, Sydney reveals herself to be a type of great delicacy, more so Damn. This is not to say, however, that Darnay does not possess a delicacy of his own.2E He nobly recognizes the wrong his family has done to the poor and thus renounces his aristocratic lifestyle. Furthermore, he reveals his respectful nature when he tells Doctor Manette about his love for Lucie rather than telling Lucie directly. "Doctor Manette...I seek only...to be faithful to you until death. Not to share with Lucie her privilege as a daughter...but to come to her aid and bind her more closely to you" (164). Dr. Manette approves Darnay's proposal and Darnay marries Lucie shortly thereafter. After the marriage of Charles Darnay and Lucie Manette, an interesting change occurs between Darnay and Carton. When Darnay and Lucie return from their honeymoon, Carton is the first person to visit the newlyweds. In a very sincere and compassionate apology, Carton begs Darnay to "forget" past incidents, in the hope that "they might be friends" (236). During this conversation, Sydney constantly criticizes herself: "Anyway you know me as a dissolute dog who never did any good, and never will" (237). To this, Darnay nonchalantly responds, “I don't know that 'you never will'” (237). It's clear that Sydney Carton is willing to do anything to be friends with Lucie and Darnay. However, Darnay points to the opposite side of the "mirror" through his dismissive attitude towards Sydney. Soon after Sydney's departure, Darnay refers to the poor man as having "a problem of carelessness and recklessness" (237)! When you compare Darnay's flippant stance with Carton's sincere intentions, you can't help but notice that the tables have turned. Dickens reversed the "mirror images" of Darnay and Carton: for once, Carton is completely serious and polite, while Darnay is indifferent. The roles of Darnay and Carton progressively change in the third book; in the end, their roles were completely reversed. After receiving a pitiful letter from his old servant, Gabelle, Charles Darnay immediately decides to return to Paris to save his faithful friend. His noble and selfless response in the face of great danger is admirable; however, he is naive in thinking that he can reason with the senseless crowd. Darnay quickly proves incapable of accomplishing anything and requires Dr. Manette's help/influence after being thrown into prison. Although Doctor Manette is powerful enough to influence a fickle crowd at Darnay's court, he is unable to save Darnay a second time, from the clutches of La Force. In turn, Darnay becomes a weak and useless character, unable to accomplish what he came to do. Later, when Sydney Carton joins the Manette/Darnay family in France, she proves to be much more successful. Carton and Darnay have very similar reasons for coming to France: they both want to help the people they care about. (Carton comes to help Lucie and Darnay initially comes to save Gabelle). However, the “mirrors” have completely reversed. Carton is no longer a man without a purpose; he decided to give his life for the woman he loves. As he carries out his plan, Carton reveals his strong sense of calm, confidence and clarity. He uses his expertise to defeat Barsad's "deck of cards" (thus gaining entry into Darnay's cell) and visits the apothecary to purchase the necessary materials, all before even going to trial. In the end, before facing the guillotine, he says goodbye to Lucie for the last time, reiterating his oath. 1970. 9-25.