A Summer Within A Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens's notorious novel was the source of my excitement and despair this summer. It was not my first trial with the book, as I read a child edition when I was younger, but my first competent analysis of it. My past experience with the story was a significant reason why I decided to retrace those steps through the summer assignment. Moreover, I wanted to know the story better as the end was the only element I could recall and the love story was one I felt I ought to read, or re-read, at some point in my life.
                    A Tale of Two Cities being my first Dickens experience I have a narrow-minded opinion of his storytelling abilities. These opinions are mostly positive. The intricacy with which Dickens wove his characters was unexpected; the novel began with a seemingly distant set of characters that resultantly came together to affect each other in unanticipated ways. Dickens progression of each of these characters was so detail oriented he must have known the direction each would take and thus, intertwined these character strands to apply each character's actions to the others. An example being Madame Defarge, whose original nonchalance grew into dangerous and powerful deeds that would punish those her husband had once helped. Dickens also used the characters to carry the story from various perspectives, regardless of who or where they were, the story continued on the same timeline guided by his different characters in different situations.
                   His excellence in storytelling continues with his unexpected, satisfying conclusion. In the midst of perilous Paris the story's center characters, Lucy and Doctor Manette, came away safe and content, but only after the sacrifice of a near stranger. Carton's decision to impersonate Lucy's husband and die for their happiness remained a vague plan until the book's end. Carton's own emotions towards Lucy and his dire devotion only shown threw as the reader put the pieces of Carton's plan together. This happy-with-a-price ending is original to Dickens and an unanticipated result that although may leave the reader in tears, grants them satisfaction which every good story possesses.
                  Dickens's ideas behind the text are another element of the novel that flatter his storytelling abilities. The tale pushes the reader to think, specifically the conclusion. The reality that a friend could do as much as die for your happiness and love you more than their own comfort, unbeknownst to you, shakes the minds of all that put Dickens down. He has made me realize that their is no way to measure love or know it to be true through words or evident deeds, only actions--the secret and private ones--can measure what love is. Although love is a major topic within the story, Dickens offers other ideas behind his text, ideas such as human barbarianism, cruelty, and animal instinct. The novel comes to be Dickens's own statement on humanity: how the French Revolution, as an example, destroyed the human facade of civility to reveal the dark truth of beastliness that lies mere years of hardship under our surface. These ideas to ponder are provided throughout the novel and manifest Dickens's exemplary storytelling abilities.
                Dickens's Tale is an exemplary work of excellent storytelling due to his incorporation of detailed characters and plot, unanticipated and satisfactory conclusion, and the philosophical ideas that lay behind the text.

My Memorable Books

1. To a God Unknown, John Steinbeck. I read this book last year for our English III independent project because the concept of religion and "god" interest me. The story line isn't anything special, but the idea of what religion is in the book made me think. I would consider it one of my favorites.
2. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein. This is the book that got me into science fiction literature. First of all, in my opinion Heinlein is a genius. Secondly, the out of this world plot and the manipulation of religion entertained me and made me think.
3. The House of Mirth, Edith Warton. This is my example of excellent storytelling! So it is no surprise that is also one of my memorable books.
4. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley. One of my summer reading books, I knew I would like it because of its utopian theme. But, once again, I liked it even more because of how Huxley played with religion. I'm still thinking about it, whether Huxley wanted to say religion is ridiculous ( how "Ford" is the new "God") or a saving grace (how John committed suicide, is he now a martyr?).
5. Miss Rumphius, Barbara Cooney. This children's story was one of my favorites when I was little and its theme has always stayed with me (Every where you go in life, make it a bit better). I think it's why I am as motivated as I am today.
6. The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom. I have reread this book at least five times. It's one of my all time favorites. We learn about Eddie in a backwards way, starting at his death then exploring the concept of an afterlife.

My recent favorite: Edith Warton's "The House of Mirth"

Warton's novel has become one of my favorites for both its thought-provoking content and unexpected storyline. Typically, when I read a book for pleasure I don't mark up the pages with my own ideas, but while reading this book I found that I had to. The book inspired too many opinions and debatable topics in my mind to ignore. This aspect makes the book an excellent example of story telling; the book pushed me to become involved and think for myself outside the novel's realm. The story's unexpected twists also captivated me and represent why the novel is so esteemed. The plot of the story seems materialistic enough; however, as the story progresses the reader learns that there is more behind the heroine than what first appeared. This part of the story made me love the book, how at first I thought Lily Bart was merely materialistic and not someone I could relate to, but eventually I realized how similar she was to all humans in general, with her doubts and discrepancies. The unexpected ending is the main reason why I think the book has many twists, I did not anticipate Lily's suicide (if you can even call it that, maybe an accident?). Here is that part of the book:

She could bear it—yes, she could bear it; but what strength would be

left her the next day? Perspective had disappeared—the next day

pressed close upon her, and on its heels came the days that were to follow—

they swarmed about her like a shrieking mob. She must shut them

out for a few hours; she must take a brief bath of oblivion. She put out

her hand, and measured the soothing drops into a glass; but as she did

so, she knew they would be powerless against the supernatural lucidity

of her brain. She had long since raised the dose to its highest limit, but

tonight she felt she must increase it. She knew she took a slight risk in

doing so—she remembered the chemist's warning. If sleep came at all, it

might be a sleep without waking. But after all that was but one chance in

a hundred: the action of the drug was incalculable, and the addition of a

few drops to the regular dose would probably do no more than procure

for her the rest she so desperately needed… .

She did not, in truth, consider the question very closely—the physical

craving for sleep was her only sustained sensation. Her mind shrank

from the glare of thought as instinctively as eyes contract in a blaze of

light—darkness, darkness was what she must have at any cost. She

raised herself in bed and swallowed the contents of the glass; then she

blew out her candle and lay down.

These last paragraphs seem conclusive about Lily's impending death but I found myself doubting that she would actually die, just as the character herself did. I became connected with her, and in fact, after I finished the book I cried. It is hard for a book to make me cry, but this one did. Lily had become a troubled friend, someone who I knew and she had done something unexpected and left me. Because I hurt, Wharton's novel is what I consider good storytelling, but after all, the storytelling "opinion" depends on the person...