Madame Defarge as a symbol of the french revolution in a Tale of Two Cities
...lic, and mainly when spoken of, around a select few. Despite the revolution’s ambiguous nature, feelings for the cause were fervent, much like the illusion of calm about Mme. Defarge. During the period before the revolution begins, Mme. Defarge’s knitting is symbolic of the passing of time before the revolution’s commencement, as well as imminent death during the revolution to those whose name she knits. Madame Defarge’s knitting aids in preparation by secretly listing the names of members of the aristocracy to be taken care of during the revolution. When the mender of roads asks Madame Defarge what she makes, she hints at her true purpose by responding, “’For Instance,’ returned Madame Defarge, composedly, ‘shrouds’” (Dickens 133). Shrouds are used in wrapping dead bodies before burial. In this case being in Madame Defarge’s register is like having an ominous shroud of fate about the person. During the revolution Madame Defarge’s brutal acts are representative of the actions of the French revolutionaries as a whole. At the storming of the Bastille, Dickens describes Madame Defarge’s vicious actions, “…the governor’s body lay-down on the sole of the shoe of Madame Defarge where she had trodden on the body to steady it for mutilation” (Dickens 169). This type of action is prevalent among the revolutionaries, as many victims had their heads put on pikes or met there fate in other barbaric manners. Her pursuit of all associated in anyway with the aristocracy (i.e. Lucie and little Lucie), even if they played no part in the oppression of the French people is also representative of the masses. Almost all the prisoners taken in by the mob were executed with or without having committed any real harmful acts. In the last chapter of the novel, Dickens hints that the way in which Madame Defarge meets her demise is a glimpse into what will happen to the other revolutionaries. He does t...