论《双城记》中的-自我牺牲-与-复活--文学学士毕业论文.doc

Self-sacrifice and Resurrection in A Tale of Two Cities

摘要

作为19世纪最伟大的小说家，查尔斯·狄更斯的宗教思想非常深邃。从本质上来讲，其风靡中国数十载的经典巨作《双城记》是一部宗教色彩极为浓厚的小说。本文作者尝试从基督教救赎思想的视角去分析《双城记》中“自我牺牲”和“复活”的重要主题，希望能帮助中国读者进一步理解狄更斯小说创作及其对基督教的认识。
关键词：查尔斯·狄更斯；《双城记》；自我牺牲；复活；基督教

Table of Contents

Abstract i
中文摘要 ii
1. Introduction 1
2. Self-sacrifice in A Tale of Two cities 2
2.1 The Christian belief in self-sacrifice 2
2.2 Personal self-sacrifice 2
2.2.1 The sacrifice of life 2
2.2.2 The sacrifice of will 3
2.3 Societal self-sacrifice 4
3. Resurrection in A Tale of Two cities 6
3.1 The Christian faith in resurrection 6
3.2 Personal resurrection 6
3.2.1 The renascence of earthly life 6
3.2.2 The resurrection of soul 7
3.3 Societal resurrection 8
4. The Significance of Self-sacrifice and Resurrection in A Tale of Two cities 9
4.1 The relationship between self-sacrifice and resurrection 9
4.2 The importance of Charles Dickens's Christian belief 9
5. Conclusion 11
Bibliography 12
Acknowledgements 13

1. Introduction

Charles Dickens (1812 -1870) is one of the most popular English novelists of the Victorian era and his popularity has never faded. Entering the world of the working class at an early age, he witnessed the evil of the time. The land of Britain groans under the oppression of Capitalism. Charles Dickens is best known for the characters he created, and many of his works show a deep concern for social reform, for instance, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, , Bleak House, Hard Times,and Our Mutual Friend.
A Tale of Two Cities depicts the conflict between the French peasantry and the French aristocracy in the years before and during the French Revolution. Having been thrown to the Bastille by the Evrémondes and suffered excruciating pain both physically and mentally, Doctor Manette was finally rescued and gradually recovered from amentia under the care of his daughter Lucie. Years later, the heritor of the Evrémondes, alias Charles Darnay, renounced his title and property to teach in London, where he married Lucie. But after the outbreak of the French Revolution, he was imprisoned and sentenced to death in Paris, at an attempt to free his incarcerated servant. In the end, Sidney Carton, who had an immense love for Lucie and a strong facial resemblance to Darnay, saved the latter by sacrificing his own life at the Guillotine.
With more frequent Sino-Western cultural exchanges, the deep religious thoughts of Charles Dickens expressed in A Tale of Two Cities gradually become the focus of Chinese scholars. Chen Cui-ping (2005) explores the characteristics between Dr．Manette and Madame Defarge from the Christian point, while Zhou Hui-mei (2008) emphasizes the benevolent spirit of the novel, which also comes from Christianity. Abroad, Ruth Glancy (1991) believes that A Tale of Two Cities is more deeply influenced by Christianity than any other novel by Charles Dickens. In his opinion, the oppression inflicted upon Christianity by the revolutionaries is responsible for the tragedy of many in the novel. However, most of their focuses are on faith, hope and charity, the three virtues of Christianity, while not enough attention has been paid to resurrection, the core part of Christian belief. In fact, self-sacrifice and resurrection, the two integral parts in God’s redemption, are two of the important themes of the novel.
This dissertation aims to show how Charles Dickens reflects the themes of self-sacrifice and resurrection in A Tale of Two Cities, and the author’s relevant thoughts about redemption. Perhaps it could renew our understanding of Charles Dickens’s novels. The dissertation consists of five parts. Part One is an introduction to Charles Dickens and A Tale of Two Cities, the Christian beliefs in self-sacrifice and resurrection, the research background, as well as the reasons and purpose of studying A Tale of Two Cities from the perspectives of religion. Part Two is a detailed analysis on how the theme of self-sacrifice is reflected in A Tale of Two Cities. Part three focuses on the analysis of resurrection in the novel. Part four illustrates the significance of the two themes. Part five is the conclusion of the dissertation.

2．Self-sacrifice in A Tale of Two Cities

Self-sacrifice is one of the important themes in A Tale of Two Cities. Charles Dickens believes that this supreme deed should be performed by the characters out of love and charity. In this novel, self-sacrifice can be classified into two types. The first type is personal self-sacrifice, and the second type is societal self-sacrifice.

2.1 The Christian Belief in Self-sacrifice
According to the Bible, when the ancestors of human beings sinned against God and was expelled from the Garden of Eden, they began their exile for thousands of generations. Gradually, they perverted and forgot their Creator. Sins were prevalent throughout the world. As we know, the Trinity in Christianity refers to the union of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Unlike Allah in the Koran, who forever rules the world in the remote and untouchable Heaven, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Almighty himself came down on Earth to redeem the humans. That is known to be “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”(John 1: 14). However, Jesus didn’t choose a comfortable life inside the royal palace like his ancestor King David. He became the son of a poor carpenter named Joseph, and finally sacrificed his life on the Cross. What he reveals to us is that self-sacrifice is necessary to gain the narrow path to Heaven.

2.2 Personal Self-sacrifice
In A Tale of Two Cities, personal self-sacrifice could also be subdivided into two types, one of which concerns the sacrifice of the characters’ life, while the other concerns the sacrifice of their wishes.

2.2.1 The Sacrifice of Life
Sydney Carton is probably the most important character in A Tale of Two Cities. At first, he is no more than a lazy attorney who indulges himself in alcohol and claims to be the “idlest and most unpromising of men”. Charles Dickens successfully gives us a false impression that Carton is no more than a foil to other characters. However, from the bottom of his heart, the insolent attorney loves Lucie more than himself. It’s the sense of inferiority that clings to him and delays his courtship. In the end, Carton professes his love to Lucie before her wedding. This event is a crucial catalyst for his transition. He embarks on the journey of his future self-sacrifice, which is done out of pure love. In fact, it’s Lucie’s kindness that redeems him from despair and gives him a new life. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ taught the people around him, “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Farther who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16). In choosing to suffer at the Guillotine for Darnay, to whom he bears a striking facial resemblance, Sydney Carton ensures his spiritual rebirth and becomes the salt and light of the world.
Wu Min (2004:125) states that Sydney Carton is destined to die，which means it’s Charles Dickens who sends him to the Guillotine, and nothing could better reflects his Christian thoughts. The author, brought up as a Christian, is deeply influenced by the notion of redemption. He believes that it is only through such sacrifice that Carton could be redeemed. Jack Lindsay (1972:57) believes that the theme of the sacrificial death not only ends the compulsion and transforms violence into its opposite, but also ends the whole vicious circle of the curse. Therefore, it’s inevitable and necessary for Carton to perform this supreme deed for Darnay and the Manettes.

2.2.2 The Sacrifice of Will
While many people are deeply moved by Sidney Carton’s self-sacrifice at the Guillotine, they seldom pay any heed to another type of self-sacrifice, which concerns the sacrifice of the characters’ will. As a matter of fact, there are numerous examples about such sacrifices.
Doctor Manette is a great hero in this respect. He suffers great mental torture and relapses into his old habit of shoemaking for nine days and nights when his daughter’s suitor happens to be the heritor of his foe. But he decides to love his persecutor and sacrifice his own will by consenting to their marriage. In fact, such love and sacrifice come from Christianity. Jesus once said,“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:44-48).The doctor drinks the cup of bitterness and suffers excruciating pain inwardly. But as Soren Kierkeggard (1999:58) observes, “By defeating its inner rival, that is, the possibility of unhappiness, faith has defeated the world.” Doctor Manette’s faith finally helps himself recover from the bitterness of the world.
Charles Darnay is another example. He sacrifices his will by renouncing his title and risking his life to save his former servant Gabelle. Originally, Darnay is a French aristocrat. His uncle the Marquis Evrémonde is a cruel oppressor, who, when accidently killing a plebeian child, shows no sympathy, but argues that it is better for the poor little plaything to die so, than to live. This shows that he acts with utter disregard for human life. But Charles Darnay hates the aristocrats and sympathizes with the oppressed. Under the teaching of his mother, he knows well that if he follows the way set by his father and uncle, he will have to pay for their sins. He has decided to love, just as the great apostle Paul said, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love，as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2). However, many writers criticize Dickens’s characters in this novel by pointing out their lack of depth. In their opinion, Charles Darnay lacks the complexity that makes literary characters look real. There is no doubt that Charles Darnay is too perfect to be “complex”, but perhaps, what Dickens wants to show is an almost ideal Christian who has learnt to sacrifice his own will from the very beginning. By renouncing his title, Charles Darnay has taken a decisive step away from his own group of oppressors, and into the world of the lower class. In today’s secular society, such actions are considered silly by the others. But at that time, people generally believed that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24). Therefore, the rich have to go through much bitter struggle and make more sacrifices, so as to gain the promised land. However, what Charles Darnay worth our praise most is his bravery in rescuing Gabelle. Although in tumultuous France, all expatriates can be put to death, Darnay still hurries back to his motherland. His faith, hope, and charity make his self-sacrifice conspicuous.
Jarvis Lorry, who serves at Tellson’s Bank for most of his life, is also a hero of self-sacrifice. Probably, he remains a bachelor throughout his life just for his strong professional dedication, which keeps him busy. But he is still quite different from those modern workaholics’, most of whom work for nothing but money. He works hard because of his loyalty to the Bank. So we may also say that his bachelorship is a kind of self-sacrifice. As is known, before the 19th Century, Europe was still deeply religious, despite the increasingly thriving Atheism in the Continent. In Catholic France, almost all the trades had their own patron saints. Meanwhile in Protestant Britain, the businesspeople were strongly influenced by Christian morality, and were expected to be loyal to their work, and made some necessary sacrifices. It’s clear that Jarvis Lorry was one of them. But after the decline of Christianity in the mid 19th Century, the traditional religious values began to lose their appeal. Church attendance was decreasing because people were tired of sermons. Utilitarianism, widely accepted and practiced by all, put almost everything to test with its criterion, that is, the extent to which it could promote the material happiness. Thus, self-sacrifice is no longer appreciated by business people, who gradually became cunning and dishonest profiteers. It is evident that such phenomenon has raised Charles Dickens’s concern. For him, the 18th Century Jarvis Lorry, instead of the 19th Century Mr. Gradgrind in Hard Times, is a model of honest businessmen, who knows the value of self-sacrifice. Besides, though business-oriented, Jarvis Lorry does not behave like a mercenary machine. On the contrary, this kind-hearted old bachelor is trustworthy to all his friends and risks his life many times to help the Manettes. In a word, he is a perfect Christian businessman who knows to sacrifice both for his work and for his friend.
In A Tale of Two Cities, many characters have sacrificed their will. In the attempt to risk their lives in order to help or rescue others, all the Christian spirits embodied in them are fully shown.

2.3 Societal Self-sacrifice
In A Tale of Two Cities, self-sacrifice becomes societal when the tyrannical revolutionaries firmly believe that a new French Republic which stands for Liberty, Equality and Fraternity can only survive at bloody cost. For them, the citizens’ personal loves should be sacrificed for the benefit of France. Then people began to take delight in indicting one another on the charge of treason. With the omnipresence of spies and guillotines, history proves that such sacrifices have made France a land of terror.
The conviction of the revolutionaries is clearly shown when Madame Defarge, the cruel avenger who leads the storm of the Bastille, criticizes her husband for his personal devotion to Doctor Manette, and warns him of the necessity of being relentless against everyone who is disloyal to the new-born Republic. Similarly, when Darnay is again the prisoner of the Republic, the guards who arrest him tells Doctor Manette, “If the Republic demands sacrifice from you, without doubt you as a good patriot will be happy to make them. The Republic goes before all. The People is supreme” （256）.Then when the reason of the doctor