In A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens writes of a cask of wine that has fallen from its cart. Like the majority of the book, Dickens establishes a distant, emotionless tone in this passage. One might question whether this is simply Dickens' style or if he purposely wrote the passage and book to this tone. Dickens establishes detail in his repetitive diction. He constantly repeats the words red, stained, and wine. Towards the end of the passage it is seen that wine is to be held equivalently to blood. This effectively resurrects the passage in a new light. Like his detail, Dickens' structure is also repetitious. However, this passage contains more than basic plot progression.
             The wine cask scene has purpose by itself and paired with external scenes. Internally, it is primarily a tool used to foreshadow the impending revolution of France. From here it is a short thought away that Dickens' theme of rebirth is reached. Externally, it is paired with the scene of the Monsieur receiving his daily allotment of hot chocolate. With this, one can easily see Dickens' reoccurring message of dualism. If quickly read then the cask may appear to be mere, however, in reality it conveys a much broader message both in plot and theme development.
             In plot, Dickens reminds us of the time and the squalor in which the French peasants were living. This is linked to the inevitable revolution of the French populace and insures that a reader understands their motivation. However, Dickens never truly condones the peasants' actions, which is why he has a constantly distant tone. In one way, Dickens is simply intertwining the book to reality. In another, he is creating another window from which to see his themes.
             When juxtaposed with the scene in which the Monsieur receives his chocolate Dickens directly furthers his theme of duality. This theme encompasses the lesser, yet more popular, theme of rebirth, always p...