BLOG #5

In the book “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickson, dramatizes the horrors of mob violence, but this time with a twist: Doctor Manette is able influence the mob to do some good. Describing the scene at the grindstone as a vision of hell, Dickens depicts the mob members as savages and demons who work in a "wicked atmosphere” of "gore and fire.” Their bloody, sweaty faces are "horrible and cruel,” and the red of blood and fire is reflected "in their frenzied eyes.” The sight terrifies Mr. Lorry, but Doctor Manette, whom the reader has seen when lost and demented, simply smiles "a cool bold smile” and goes down to the crowd. With his white hair and calm demeanor, the Doctor is god-like in his ability to walk through the mob unharmed, "put [ting] the weapons aside like water.” His years as a prisoner have become a source of strength rather than weakness. As a former prisoner, he is a hero, and as a hero, he can rescue his daughter's husband from a living death, just as she rescued him.