Mastic 1

Timothy Mastic

March 10, 2011

Dr. Oprisko

True Revolution

“I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free.”1 Charles Dickens was a man concerned with

freedom. As history and our country prove, pervasive freedom for citizens is most often gained by way

of revolution.2 Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities is a novel that focuses on the French Revolution

as a physical revolution; however, the true revolution discussed in this novel is not the French

Revolution but something more.

The French Revolution, as depicted in A Tale of Two Cities, began with a pure rebellion, the

revenge by the father of a trampled boy against the Marquis.3 Ultimately, rebellion is deciding that an

inequality cannot be tolerated.4 The ultimate equalizer is death.5 The father's actions made the

statement that the Marquis, in death, became equal to the man's trampled son.6 The peasant rebellion in

France started off with idealistic intentions, equality between the peasant class and the aristocrats, but

soon turned to a revolution filled with cruelty and bloodshed. Revolution, as opposed to rebellion, is

roughly defined as a change of the social norms and status quo of a society.7 The so-called revolution

first promoted the bloodshed of the aristocrats but quickly included other peasants as well.8 The

turning of the peasants against each other showed that at that point the revolution, no longer retaining

its pure and idealistic intentions, was reduced to a power struggle.9 Initially, the peasant uprising arose
1 Charles Dickens, Bleak House (Boston, Massachusetts: Ticknor and Fields, 1867), 43.
2 Robert Oprisko, “Rebellion/Revolution,” Lecture, February 24, 2011.
3 Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (London England; New York N.Y.: Penguin Books, 2003).
4 Oprisko, “Rebellion/Revolution.”
5 Oprisko, “Rebellion/Revolution.”
6 Oprisko, “Rebellion/Revolution.”
7 Oprisko, “Rebellion/Revolution.”
8 Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities.
9 Oprisko, “Rebellion/Revolution.”
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from feelings of oppression and acts of violence at the hands of aristocrats.10 In fighting cruelty with

cruelty, the peasants birthed no true revolution; rather, they only perpetuated the violence they had

suffered. “Sow the same seed of rapacious license and oppression ever again, and it will surely yield

the same fruit according to its kind.”11

The uprising in A Tale of Two Cities shows a movement toward revolution, but falls short of its

original lofty goals, ending in chaos and no eventual change in society. Voltaire's Candide breaks down

the image of physical revolution by focusing on a revolution within the human heart and mind.

Throughout the novel, the main character witnesses and experiences many violent and oppressive acts.

Candide is thrown out of his castle home entirely due to his ignobility.12 Cunégonde is raped, killed,

then miraculously survives only to be sold into prostitution.13 Candide witnesses the Anabaptist

Jacques save the life of a drowning sailor, who stands idly watching while the Anabaptist drowns.14

Overall, the world in which Candide lives is not a pleasant one: “Everywhere the weak loathe the

powerful before whom they crawl, and the powerful treat them like flocks whose wool and flesh are for

sale.”15 Once the characters decide to settle down into the garden, it is clear that cold, hard reality has

defeated optimism.

Pangloss sometimes said to Candide: “All events are linked together in the best of all
possible worlds; for after all, if you had not been expelled from a fine castle with great
kicks in the backside for love of Mademoiselle Cunégonde, if you had not been subjected
to the Inquisition, if you had not travelled about America on foot, if you had not given the
Baron a great blow with your sword, if you had not lost all your sheep from the good
country of El Dorado, you would not be here eating candies citrons and pistachios.”
“That is well said,” replied Candide, “but we must cultivate our garden.”16

'Cultivating our garden' is the true revolution. Candide began with Pangloss' idea that this world is the

10 Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities.

11 Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 385.
12 Donald Voltaire, Candide (New York: Signet Classic, 2001), 17.
13 Robert Oprisko, “GHS Class,” Lecture, Spring 2011.
14 Voltaire, Candide, 25.
15 Voltaire, Candide, 65.
16 Voltaire, Candide, 101.
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best of all possible worlds, that it cannot be a better place than it currently is.17 This philosophy is the

pervasive of Voltaire's novel, and throughout his journey, Candide does not seem to be convinced

otherwise. It is only after all of the years of adversity that Candide finally stands up to his teacher,

saying, “That is well said, but we must cultivate our gardens.”18 This revolutionary metaphor

represents the philosophy that we can change the world in in which we live, that we can make our

world a better place, that we are not forced to stand idly by in mandatory satisfaction that there is no

better alternative to what we are experiencing; instead, we have to option of working hard and making

personal sacrifices in order to improve our world.

Just as Candide's society mirrors that of A Tale of Two Cities, so does the true revolution. It is

found in the Messianic character of Sydney Carton. While the peasant regime is mirroring the violence

and oppression of the Aristocrats before them, each man acting as a beast and looking out only for

himself with no regard for others, Carton makes a selfless promise to Lucy: “For you, and for any dear

to you, I would do anything…there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside

you!”19 The time comes when Carton makes good on his promise, contradicting the status quo of

selfishness, violence, and oppression with a message of love, personal sacrifice, and a relinquishing of

bitter jealousy. Carton could have just as easily let Darnay be executed and run off with Lucy himself,

but he made the choice to honor her happiness above his own. This is true revolution, a revolution

against the animalistic self-preservation of mankind, a revolution against the tearing down of others in

order to further one's self, a revolution of love and of peace.

17 Voltaire, Candide, 16.

18 Voltaire, Candide, 101.
19 Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 159.
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Bibliography

Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. London England; New York N.Y.: Penguin Books, 2003.

Dickens, Charles. Bleak House. Boston, Massachusetts: Ticknor and Fields, 1867.

Oprisko, Robert. “GHS Class Lecture.” Lecture. Spring 2011.

Oprisko, Robert. “Rebellion/Revolution.” Lecture. February 24, 2011.

Voltaire, Donald. Candide. New York: Signet Classic, 2001