A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens, has many different characters with interesting personalities. Some of the characters in the novel all share one common fact that Dickens used throughout the book. Charles Dickens based the characters of A Tale of Two Cities on himself and his life.

Charles Dickens based the virtuous Charles Darnay as a version of himself. Dickens portrays himself through Charles Darnay in the fact that Dickens and Darnay have the same initials (C.D.) (“A Tale”, Novels for Students par 7). Dickens might be portraying that Darnay and himself have so much in common, so Dickens gave Darnay the same initials. Charles Dickens also presents Darnay’s relationship with Carton to himself. Charles Darnay’s relationship with Sydney Carton could portray Dickens’ own problem with his honorable and commonly negative side (“A Tale”, Novels for Students par 7). Darnay’s relationship with Carton was strong, as seen in the last book where Carton takes Darnay’s place on the guillotine to be killed. Dickens might have done this to symbolize love Dickens had for another friend, just like Darnay had with Carton. As Dickens based himself on Darnay, Dickens might have also based Dr. Manette as a version of himself.

Charles Dickens might have portrayed himself through Dr. Manette. A Gale research source says, “They trace parallels between Manette’s career as a physician and his selflessness in reporting the abuses of the nobility with Dickens’ career as a journalist and advocate for social improvement” (“A Tale”, Novels for Students par 2). Dickens might have done this through Manette to show what issues Dickens stood for. Dickens portrayed himself through Dr. Manette in one more instance. Some critics see resemblance in Dickens’s conception of alternative worlds in his books with Dr. Manette’s conception of a place where he is only a cobbler (“A Tale”, Novels for Students par 2). Dickens might have done this to basically resemble the two lives he has lived: one as a child working in a factory, and two growing up and becoming a great author. Dickens went though a lot in his “two lives”. As Dickens portrayed himself through Dr. Manette, he will now portray Mr. Stryver on a lawyer friend.

Charles Dickens might have based Mr. Stryver on a lawyer Dickens knew. A Gale research source says, “It has been surmissed that Dickens based the character on an actual person, Edwin James, a notoriously, unscrupulous lawyer…”(“Overview: A Tale”, Chars in Nineteenth par 6). Dickens might be portraying Mr. Stryver on this lawyer to show the rudeness and lying nature lawyers sometimes possess. Dickens also might have based Mr. Styver on one other characteristic. Charles Dickens based Mr. Stryver on a lawyer who had a bad reputation; hence, Mr. Styver gets a bad reputation (“A Tale Two”, Chars Young Adult,… Tl=, par 5). Dickens might have chosen Edwin James to portray Mr. Stryver to show that all lawyers have bad names. It is sad that even lawyers back then had bad reputations. Dickens now portrays Dr. Manette in many different ways.

Charles Dickens might have based Dr. Manette on his own father. Dickens’ father was not well with finances, and in 1824, Dickens’ father was imprisoned for debt (Dickens: A Brief Biography”, par 1). Dickens’ father was imprisoned probably for not paying what he owed to other people. In the novel, the confounded Dr. Manette is also imprisoned. A Gale research source says, “Imprisoned in the Bastille for his attempt to imprison the Marquis St. Evermonde’s treachery, Manette was permanently altered from this experience” ( “Overview: A Tale”, Chars in Nineteenth par 4). Dr. Manette was also imprisoned, but in a different way then Dickens’ father. Dickens might have portrayed his own father through Dr. Manette and his own imprisonment. As Dickens might have based his father’s imprisonment with Dr. Manette’s, Dickens might have also based the emotional and psychological problems with imprisonment on this experience.

Charles Dickens might have based the emotional and psychological side of imprisonment with his father’s and Dr. Manette’s imprisonment. David Cody writes, “When the family finances were put to at least partly to rights and his father was released, the twelve-year-old Dickens, already scarred psychologically by the experience, was further wounded by his mother’s insistence that he continued to work at the factory” (“Dickens: A Brief Biography”, par 1). The young Charles Dickens was hurt emotionally and psychologically because his father was in prison and he was forced to work in a factory with his whole family. Dickens might have portrayed emotional and psychological sickness through Dr. Manette and his experience with prison. Dr. Manette only identified himself as his jail cell number (“Overview: A Tale”, Chars in Nineteenth par 4). Dr. Manette is emotionally and psychologically hurt so bad, it has effected his communication and social skills. Charles Dickens might have based his own emotional and psychological problem through Dr. Manette. Charles Dickens might have also based another event on imprisonment.

Charles Dickens might have based solitude and loneliness through work and imprisonment on himself and Dr. Manette. David Cody writes, “His[Dicken’s father] wife and children, with the exception of Charles, who was put to work at Warren’s Blacking Factory, joined him in the Marshalsea Prison” (“Dickens: A Brief Biography”, par 1). Charles Dickens must have felt solitude and loneliness when he was put to work and all of his other family members were in jail. Dickens might have portrayed this event in his life through Dr. Manette and his imprisonment. While Dr. Manette was in prison, all he did was cobble, or shoemaking, which was all he learned to do in prison (“A Tale Two”, Chars Young Adult,… Tl=, par 1). . Dr. Manette was so lonely and in complete solitude, no wonder all he did was shoemaking. Dickens might have portrayed his own case of solitude and loneliness with work through Dr. Manette’s case of solitude and loneliness in prison. As Dickens based imprisonment on solitude and loneliness, he might have also based Lucie rescuing her father on an event in Dickens life.

Dickens might have based Dr. Manette’s rescue by his daughter on an event in Dickens’ life where he was rescued. A Glale research source says, “His father, however, rescued him[Charles] from this fate, and between 1824 and 1827, Dickens was a day pupil at a school in London” (“Dickens: A Brief Biography”, par 1). Even though Dickens’ mother wanted him to stay working in the factory, Dickens’ father rescued him from this doom and put him in school. Dickens’ might have symbolized this event through Dr. Manette and when he was rescued. Lucie Manette travels with Mr. Lorry to

rescue her father, Dr. Manette. Dickens might have allowed this event to take place to symbolize his own rescue from his father when Dickens was a child. It might have also felt good to remember as he wrote what happened and how his relationship with his father was strong. Dickens also bases some characters off love and relationships.

Charles Dickens based many characters off love and relationships. Sydney Carton loves Lucie Manette so much, he took the place of her, husband Charles Darnay, and Carton died because of his love for Lucie (Dickens 363-364). Dickens might be portraying this relationship of love on Dickens own relationship with Ellen Turnan, an actress who Dickens fell in love. Charles Dickens also bases another relationship of his life off of one relationship between parent and child. Lucie Manette loves her father, Dr. Manette, so much that Lucie takes care of Dr. Manette after he escapes and leaves the prison, La Bastille (“A Tale”, Char Young Adult Lit …vsrn= par 1). Dickens might be portraying his own love for his father through Lucie and her relationship with her father. Dickens’ relationship with his father was much like Lucie’s relationship with her father. Charles Dickens aptly based many characters on love and relationships.

Charles Dickens based the characters in A Tale of Two Cities on himself and his life. Charles Dickens portrays himself through the characters Charles Darnay, Dr. Manette, Mr. Stryver, and different relationships with certain characters. The way Dickens portrayed himself through his characters is brilliant and clever.

Reseach Paper, 2009

Thanks for the read-

--John

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