Setting: In the novel A Tale of Two Cities, the time and place went from
1775 to 1793 in England and France.
Effect of Setting on Characters and Plot
A Tale of Two Cities reflects a tremendous effect of setting on the
characters and plot. During this time in the novel, the French Revolution
was taking place as well. As a result, people in France were sent to prison
and then were accused of being guilty. These people were then sent off to
the guillotine to die. Everyday people were sent off to die and this is why
Lucie was always worried about Charles when he was in prison. Lucie
feared every second of the one year and three months that Charles was
away at prison wondering if his life would end or not.
The setting of this novel showed that the Bastille was a sign of
oppression. This is why the peasants in Saint Antoine stormed it. The
peasants were very upset with the government for oppression of the poor
working class. However, the poor people were then led by the Defarges
to revolt against the government and free all the prisoners imprisoned in
Doctor Alexandre Manette: A doctor from France whom was secretly imprisoned
in the Bastille for 18 years. He suffered greatly from some mental trauma from the
experience. After his releasing, he is nursed back to health by his daughter, Lucie,
in England. During the Revolution, he tries to save his son-in-law, Charles
Lucie Darnay: A beautiful young woman who was known for her kindness and
compassion. After she was reunited with her father, she devotes herself to him,
even after her marriage to Charles Darnay.
Charles Darnay: A French aristocrat. Darnay renounced his family name of
St.Evremonde and then moves to England. He then works as a tutor and eventually
marries Lucie Manette. He is put on trial during the Revolution for the crimes of
Sydney Carton: A lawyer who resembles Charles Darnay and lives in a state of
apa...