Book 1, Chapter 3 Summary

Dickens comments on how every person remains a mystery of every other person in the world. Jerry is perplexed at the strange message, "Recalled to Life," which he is to deliver to Tellson's Bank. Mr. Jarvis Lorry, still in the Mail coach, speaks with a strange specter and reflects on years of digging, digging after being buried alive for eighteen years. This is his half-dreamt reverie as the coach lumbers towards its destination.

Book 1, Chapter 3 Analysis

Dickens weaves a painful story of life, death and fate, a story heavily colored with deep reflection on the mysteries of life and the ponderous tempo of the late eighteenth century. Yet, here and there, there are flashes of humor and tenderness. In the coach, Mr. Lorry's reflections raise great questions of the purpose of his journey.