Sydney Carton appears to be a man resigned to his fate.
He recognizes the deterioration of his own character and seems convinced that his circumstances will only worsen. He is “overshadowed” by a “fatal darkness,” yet when Lucie asks why he does not change, he offers little hope that such a transformation is possible.
This resignation is particularly striking when we consider what Carton has already demonstrated himself capable of accomplishing.
He helped save Charles Darnay from a possible death sentence. His intelligence and legal abilities have contributed substantially to Stryver’s successful career. Yet despite these accomplishments, Carton seems unable to imagine a promising future for himself.
He has spent considerable time in the Manette household, often remaining withdrawn from the conversations around him. He sleeps little, continues to drink heavily, and wanders the stone streets near the Manettes’ home. Perhaps, during these solitary walks, he remembers the conversation about the echoes of approaching footsteps.
Now, walking alone through London, perhaps he is waiting for the moment when he might once again be “pierced by the light within him.”
On this particular August day, Carton arrives at the Manette household with a purpose. As his conversation with Lucie unfolds, he becomes overwhelmed with emotion. He weeps as he acknowledges what he believes to be the hopelessness of his condition.
Yet Lucie’s question challenges the certainty of his resignation.
“Then why not change it?”
The beginning of this conversation introduces an important distinction between the gradual development of character and the possibility of deliberately changing it.
Can qualities that develop gradually through experience and habit be changed through conscious effort?
Consider an individual who has spent many years responding to disappointment with resentment.
Over time, resentment may become an almost automatic response to adversity. The individual no longer consciously chooses resentment in every situation. Instead, it has become part of the way they interpret the world.
But if that individual recognizes this tendency, does that recognition create an opportunity to respond differently?
Perhaps changing an established character trait requires more than a single decision. Perhaps it requires repeatedly choosing different responses until new habits gradually replace old ones.
And perhaps the greatest obstacle to changing our character is not the difficulty of change itself, but the conviction that change is no longer possible.
Great literature should do more than entertain us. It should provide a roadmap to improving our lives.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens introduced readers to Sydney Carton, one of literature's most compelling and deeply flawed characters. Dickens also gives him an unusual title: the Jackal.
His struggles raise questions that remain relevant today.
Are we defined by our past mistakes? Can we overcome our weaknesses? What separates the people we are from the people we could become?
Lessons From the Jackal is a 25-day character study exploring these questions through Sydney Carton’s life, decisions, relationships, and personal development.
This is not a traditional course on A Tale of Two Cities. Our reading assignments will focus specifically on Carton, with sufficient background provided to understand his story. No previous knowledge of the novel is necessary.
Each day will feature selected readings, historical comparisons, reflection questions, discussions, and practical challenges ...
In the early 1780s, London was undergoing significant improvements to its streets and public walkways.
Many major roads were paved with stone blocks, while pedestrian footways were increasingly surfaced with broad, flat slabs of limestone. Legislation passed during the 1760s encouraged improvements in paving, drainage, and street maintenance.
Despite these improvements, London’s streets remained crowded, noisy, and frequently dirty.
Horse-drawn carriages and wagons rattled across the uneven stones, while the sound of iron-rimmed wheels and horses’ hooves echoed between the buildings. Rainwater collected along the gutters, carrying mud, manure, and other waste through the city.
Sydney Carton would have encountered these conditions as he walked through London’s streets.
One location particularly associated with Carton is King’s Bench Walk in the Inner Temple, the historic legal district where barristers maintained their chambers.
Dickens specifically describes Carton walking along King’s ...
