Coincidences in "A Tale of Two Cities" | Coincidences in "A Tale of Two Cities"

In literature, coincidence often adds to the plot when it's used to reveal irony or hidden meaning reveal to the reader. Charles Dickens uses the coincidence literary element in his novel, A Tale of Two Cities. He presents this literary element through the coincidence of Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay's physical resemblance, Charles Darnay being the nephew of the Marquis St. Evremonde, and Dr. Manette's condemning of the Evremonde family, without the future knowledge of his daughter's marriage to a descendent of the Evremonde family.

*One of the first major coincidences that is presented in A Tale of Two Cities was Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay's physical resemblance. Dickens uses the their physical resemblance to save Charles' life. In the beginning of the book, Sydney use the his appearance to help acquit Charles on charges of treason. After the trial, it is revealed that Carton is envious of Darnay because he feels that he could have been just as successful as Darnay if he had just had a different attitude. Dickens may have used the physical resemblance to show that all Carton did need was an attitude change and he could be just like Darnay, since he already looked like him. In addition, Dickens uses coincidence for the resolution when Charles' life is saved at the end of the book when Carton and Darnay switch places and Sydney is executed in place of Charles. Without the coincidence of Carton and Darnay's striking resemblance, the novel wouldn't have been the same.

*The major coincidence and problem in the novel was the fact that the nephew of the Marquis St.Evremonde just so happened to be Charles Darnay. Another part of this coincidence is that Lucie marries Darnay. This becomes a problem when Charles is put up on trial for the second time and it is revealed that he is the nephew of the Marquis. As we already know, Sydney comes to La Force, the prison that Darnay was in, and saves the day for Lucie and commits the ultimate sacrifice. The novel would not have had an important problem without the coincidence of Charles Darnay being the nephew of the Marquis St.Evremonde.

*Finally, the deciding factor for Darnay's execution was Dr. Manette's journal that he wrote in while in the Bastille. The doctor coincidentally wrote that he saw Darnay, his daughter's future husband, as a boy with a member of the Evremonde family. Later on, Manette is thrown in prison by the Evremondes and is treated horribly by them. Manette writes in his journal that he denounces the Marquis and his whole family. He never knew that his son-in-law would be the little boy in the carriage, so it is a huge coincidence. At the end of the book, Dr. Manette is the one and only person that can acquit Charles. That is why it the readers probably find it so shocking that Dr. Manette is the one person who just so happens to send Charles to the guillotine. The coincidence of Manette denouncing his own son-in-law adds a lot of suspense to the story. It has the reader on the edge of his or her seat wondering 'what's going to happen next"'

*Charles Dickens is revered as one of the world's greatest authors. A Tale of Two Cities helped him to gain that respect. I thought that A Tale of Two Cities was a great novel, one of my all-time favorites. My favorite part about the book was the coincidences. I loved it when the light switch came on and I understood everything. Coincidence added a lot to this classic novel.