An Uphill Slog through Mud and Fog: ATOTC, Chapter 2

Mr. Jarvis Lorry reads the letter delivered by Jerry Cruncher.

The novel opens with the philosophical, long-sighted Chapter 1, but the action begins in Chapter 2.  The scene may be difficult to decipher, but this is likely intentional on Dickens' part, as it sets the mood for the action to come. Here's what we know:

The coach carrying the mail to Dover is also carrying three passengers, among them Mr. Jarvis Lorry. The passengers reflect the general air of suspicion and fear that has gripped England, "for anybody on the road might be a robber or in league with robbers." (p. 7)

The coach is stuck in the mud, on an uphill incline. The passengers are forced to walk through the mud, while the coachmen abuse the horses. It's not too difficult to find the metaphor here for a country that is going nowhere and whose powers-that-be (the crown, the government and the clergy) heap abuses on those who toil to move it forward. Meanwhile a fog "roamed in its forlornness up the hill, like an evil spirit, seeking rest and finding none." (p. 6)

No surprise, then, that when Jerry Cruncher, an "honest tradesman" arrives with a message for Mr. Lorry, he is met with suspicion by the heavily armed coachman and guard. His message: "Wait at Dover for Mam'selle" (p. 10) is given the reply by Jarvis Lorry: "RECALLED TO LIFE." Since this is the title of Book One of ATOTC, we can assume this has some significance. It does.