This chapter raised many chapters. Firstly, what triggered Manette becoming insane again? Why did Mr. Lorry interrogate the Doctor so indirectly? Do you think the Doctor understood the truth of the conversation? This could be so, for on page 202, when Lorry tells the doctor he retained the information from the daughter, "the Doctor grasped his hand and murmured, 'That was very kind. That was very thoughtful!'" Why did the Doctor think it was unlikely that such an event to reoccur is unlikely? Why did he want to keep his tools, and why did Lorry and Pross destroy them? On the second chapter, what did Carton ask of Darnay? How did Darnay respond? Why was he a bit brusque? What does this tell of Darnay's character? Why did Lucie then intervene? Darnay then promised to respect his wife's wishes. What does this tell us of their marriage and relationship? Is Lucie good for something after all?
Answer any or all of the above questions. Conversely, go off and write on something completely different. Remember to supply a related, unused quotation from the text.
These two chapter I think still tried to stress this name. We stil have no idea what the name is, but I think Dickens is still using this technique to show us the importance of the name and how it effects Doctor Manette. A quote that I thought showed a great image in my mind was on page 207. "...while engaged in the commission of their deed and in the removal of its traces, almost felt, and almost looked, like accomplices in a horrible crime." I like this quote because when I hear it I can picture them perfectly in my mind burning all the evidence. I think that Lucie will find out about the name and what happened to her father after the wedding, but she won't find out yet.
ReplyDeleteThe other chapter was very slow, but also interesting to hear Lucie back up Carton. I think what happened in this chapter shows us that Darnay loves Lucie so much and he doesn't want to lose her. Maybe he never wants Lucie to find out his real name. Lucie loves her father more than anything and if she realizes that her husbands family did something terrible to Doctor Manette she might leave Darnay. Maybe Darnay follows everything she says because if that time comes when Lucie knows she might not leave him since she loves him so much and he has been great to her.
The doctor's condition is a strange one. It seems that things as minuscule as the utterance of a single word can bring it about and afflict the poor man for over a week. The way in which Mr. Lorry delt with the problem was incredibly skillful and wise especially for a simple man of business. The indirect manor of the conversation was the most important aspect of it. By avoiding adressing the issue too directly, Mr. Lorry eliminated the risk of bringing about another one of the doctor's bouts of insanity.
ReplyDeleteConcerning why the tools were destroyed, Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross behaved in a manor resembling what a family member might do for a relative battling addiction of some kind. Mr. Lorry first must convince the doctor that he should give up the tools thus allowing the doctor to take control of the situation and rid himself of his affliction.
As for Darnay I'm not sure he was "brusque." I think he was attempting to have a friendly back and forth with Carton and Carton was in a more serious mood. In addition to that Darnay went on to thank Carton for saving him in court and he was incredibly welcoming of Carton's plea for friendship. Only after Carton left did Darnay express his confusion over the events and only then did he mildly deprecate Carton who undoubtedly would have said much worse things about himself if given the opportunity.
In the first chapter, I think the main reason Manette became insane again was because of his past memories. I definitely think he still felt some guilt for not being there for Lucie her entire childhood and leaving someone else to do that job. Although he had said in previous chapters that if Lucie was happy, he would be happy for her sake, but in this situation not so much. I also think he said this to make Lucie believe he had got his emotional side together, but in reality he still felt horrible inside and didn’t believe it. On the other hand, when Mr. Lorry started interrogating Dr. Manette, I think he started to catch on that the “friend” was him. An interesting quote I found was (p. 202). “ No. It has been kept from her, and I hope will always be kept from her. It is known only to myself, and to one other who may be trusted.” I think Dr. Manette felt Mr. Lorry was being thoughtful about not telling Lucie about his depressive stage because he doesn’t want to ruin her happiness with his memories of the past. I think he obviously knew it was about him, because Lucie’s happiness is an important aspect for him at this point in the book.
ReplyDeleteAs for the second chapter, I was surprised Sydney Carton was the first to visit Lucie & Charles. I thought he would have been a little jealous Charles married Lucie, but he had other thoughts as we soon found out. He went over to apologize for his actions he caused at the tavern when he was drunk. Charles calmly accepted this apology, and I think Sydney thought he’d get a different reaction. Since Charles did accept it, I think Sydney might have wanted to just be closer to Lucie if he apologized and made peace with Charles.
The real name of Charles Darnay is what triggered Dr. Manette to become insane again. The conversation between Mr. Lorry and him proves it. As Mr. Lorry asks Dr. Manette on how to handle this situation indirectly, Dr. Manette admits that it was a recent event that had triggered a memory that ultimately caused him to go insane again. "...that anything but the one train of association would renew it. I think that, henceforth, nothing but some extraordinary jarring of that chord could renew it. " (p. 205) So in the end, Miss Pross and Mr. Lorry decided to do what Dr. Manette suggested what was best for "the patient." That was to take away "the forge" for they fear that he might relapse. The prolonging mystery of Charles Darnay's real name has not only made Dr. Manette go insane, but it also has affect on the reader! I hope the real name of Charles Darnay is soon revealed.
ReplyDeleteIn this next chapter, I think that the title suits the content very well. After Sydney Carton approaches Darnay, he apologizes for his actions and the way he has treated Darnay in the past. Darnay simply accepts his apology, however, Carton thinks that tension still remains. From this, I think that Darnay's character is in such bliss right now after marrying Lucie and will do anything to push the past away. The fact that Lucie was able to confront Darnay and change his attitude towards Carton portrays the strong relationship they convey. He, without a doubt, accepts her advice and moves on. He loves her too much to ruin what they have together by arguing.
Dr. Manette's condition, just as Corey said, is a very strange one. He seems to be completely healthy, but really he is just teetering on the edge of another relapse and with one word, it can push him over the edge, just as one word just did. The way the Lorry reacted to his relapse surprised me. I did not think that Lorry would have responded the way that he did. He showed incredible insight and realized the severity of the situation and made sure to tread softly when talking to Manette about it. It shows that he is more than meets the eye.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Lorry and Pross destroyed the tools for a good reason. They both knew that Manette wanted to keep them, but to their eyes, keeping them was too risky. They both felt that there was a chance by keeping them that it could bring on another bout of insanity and they did not want to risk it. In my opinion they did the right thing in destroying his tools, there was a chance no matter how small, that those could cause a relapse.
As for Carton coming to visit Lucie and Darnay, I found this very interesting. I believe that Carton was very sincere in his apology and that there is some good in him. I have to agree with Darnay being a bit brusque, but him accepting that apology I think he will come to not regret it. It will be interesting to see how Carton comes into play later in the novel.
In this chapter, Doctor Manette comes out of his trance. As the reader has seen before, when Manette is proposed with a problem or is slightly stressed, he goes into a weird state where he locks himself in his room and preoccupies himself with making shoes. In chapter nineteen, he comes out of this state and brings himself into the real world. However he doesn’t remember all that had happened two weeks before. So instead of directly addressing the issue and sending Manette back into his trance, Mr. Lorry carefully and indirectly reminds Manette of the past events. Mr. Lorry's careful skill was key in this situation. If he didn’t go about it the way he did, Doctor Manette would have gone back into his insane state
ReplyDeleteIn the second chapter, the reader sees how much Charles Darnay cares for Lucie. Many times, he refers to her as “my love” and “my life.” And it seems as though Lucie loves him very much too. But I don’t think their marriage will stay like this. As the reader knows, Lucie will not be very fond of Charles’ name and heritage when she hears of it. Also, in this chapter, Lucie expresses a care for Sydney Carton. She urges her husband to be kind to him and not act the way he did earlier that evening. Lucie is probably just being a good friend and is thinking about Carton’s feelings; however, I think she still has feelings for him, which would cause problems in Lucie and Darnay’s marriage.
The cause of the doctor's relapse into insanity was caused by the contents of his discussion with Darnay. Obviously, Darnay told him something he didn't want to hear. When Mr. Lorry tries to talk to Manette about the nine days the doctor spent making shoes, fearing another relapse, he tries to mask the true subject of the conversation through proxy. Despite this, judging by the way he responds to the conversation, Manette probably knew the true subject. For example, when Lorry asks if the relapses are "dreaded by him?" Manette responds with an "involuntary shudder." (pg. 205) Manette must know. Otherwise, why would he physically respond to the question?
ReplyDeleteManette believes that another relapse is unlikely because he has already gotten the worst news he could receive. He explains to Lorry that "noting but some extraordinary jarring of that chord could renew it...I trust, and I almost believe, that the circumstances likely to renew it are exhausted."
I don't think that Darnay was particularly unkind to Carton. In fact, if anything their conversation showed that Darnay was willing to, if not be sensitive to Carton, he is willing to meet Carton on his level. How would you act if the local drunken, wastrel suddenly decides to earnestly ask for your friendship? As Darnay states, "Earnestness in you, is anything but alarming to me!"
Manette's insanity was clearly triggered by the name that Darnay bears. We assume that the Marquis was involved in his imprisonment, and now Lucie carries that name. When Lorry interrogates him using the "blacksmith" example, I think that Dr. Manette must know what Lorry is really talking about. He responds something along the lines of, "A relapse shall not occur again, because the things that sparked the relapse will not resurface (paraphrasing)." He would have no way of knowing that unless he knew what Lorry was talking about.
ReplyDeleteI thought the second chapter actually revealed more than the first. It was a very important chapter, because it sets up Sydney Carton's heroic redemption, whenever that will be. He is now allowed to come and go as he pleases, and Dickens will not need a justification for why they are in the same place later in the book. Also, this chapter reveals Lucie's kindness on another level, and shows us Darnay's respect for his wife.
Mannette has shown to be unstable, and I think that anything could have triggered his relapse. The way Mr. Lorry went about questioning Dr. Mannette was very skillful, because blatantly asking questions might not of turned out well.
ReplyDeleteI think that Lorry and Pross buried the tools because Dr. M keeping them would of just made things worse for him, and they want to look after him to make sure he makes the right decisions.
Darnay did not show much respect towards drunken Carton, who even apologized for his stupidity. Lucie tells Darnay to be more sensitive, and Darnay respects his wife's wishes, showing how much Darnary really loves Lucie.