The Grindstone
On page 264, Dickens writes, "on his honest and courageous face there was a deeper shade than the pendent lamp could throw, or any object in the room distortedly reflect--a shade of horror." Who is he talking about? What are they horrified of? Who came to visit Mr. Lorry? Why did Manette have respect among the patriots? Why didn't Lorry want them to look outside, and what were they not looking at? How was the mob in the courtyard described? What word in particular did Dickens use in describing the mob on page 267? What are they doing with the grindstone? What is the significance of the grindstone? Feel free to answer any of the questions, or discuss something completely different.
In this chapter, Lucie and Dr. Manette come and visit Mr. Lorry in Paris. They are both in fear of the danger that Charles Darnay has put himself through. “My dear friend, I have a charmed life in this city. I have been a Bastille prisoner. There is no patriot in Paris—in Paris? In France—who, knowing me to have been a prisoner in the Bastille, would touch me, except to overwhelm me with embraces, or carry me in triumph." (p. 265) Dr. Manette has respect among the patriots because he has been a prisoner in Paris and he knows that no one would bother him here again, so he assures Mr. Lorry not to worry.
ReplyDeleteMr. Lorry did not want them looking outside because he knew it was a terrible sight of the mobs of men and women preparing to kill the prisoners. All of their eyes were filled with revenge and eagerness to finally get rid of the nobles. The men and women are using the grindstone as a storage for their weapons. They use it to prepare themselves until they are ready to kill. "The grindstone had a double handle, and, turning at it madly were two men, whose faces, as their long hair flapped back when the whirlings of the grindstone brought their faces up, were more horrible and cruel than the visages of the wildest savages in their most barbarous disguise." (p. 266) This is how the mob is described at the grindstone. This description is startling to me. I can't imagine watching these bloodthirsty men and women preparing their weapons to kill other humans. I can see why Mr. Lorry begged for them not to look.
The quote on page 264 is about Mr. Lorry. I thought this was a great quote because Mr. Lorry is a really great man and we never really talk about what he has done for the Manettes. Not only was he a great friend to that family he also was overall a really nice man to everyone. Dickens had to bring up the word honest because maybe he is connecting him to Jerry Chrucher, who calls himslef an honest tradesman. Mr. Lorry is horrified because he doesn't want anything to happen to himself. He knows what happened to Darnay and he does not want this happening to him too.
ReplyDeleteLucie and Doctor Manette came to visit Mr. Lorry in Paris, but also to get Darnay out of La Force. I thought this chapter was very interesting because we see the feelings Lucie has for her husband. She is devastated that he is gone, but also really scared. The way she reacts when he father goes to find him shows her love for Darnay. This scene also shows her love for her father. She does not want her father to be sent back into imprisonment. He will go insane all over again.
The chapter here was another transitional one, for Lucie and Manette, along with Ms. Pross, have come to the heart of the beast, the great and famous city of Paris. They come into see a worried Mr. Lorry that fears, rightly so, he is in a very dangerous place. The horror he is dwelling upon is the masses of people that are sharpening their weapons to kill the aristocrats and nobles, and the blood that smears all of their faces. "The eye could not detect one creature free of blood." (p. 167) Then Lucie and Dr. Manette pop up.
ReplyDeleteThe family could get to Paris so easily because Dr. Manette spent a great deal of time in the Bastille, and he is loved for it now, as the quote chosen by Elizabeth G. shows so readily. Meanwhile, Lorry does not want them to look outside because of the ghastly sight of the killing of prisoners. The description of the mob can be summarized with a single word: Blood. The paragraph on page 167 clearly shows this to be true. The mob was sharpening their weapons on the grindstone. This grindstone represents the thirst for blood and the anger that the people of France have. And thus, I put a finis on this post.
In this Chapter, Dr. Manette and his daughter, Lucie, come and visit Mr. Lorry in France. They are worried about Charles Darnay and the condition of the country. And so is Mr. Lorry when he is described in such a way. "On his honest and courageous face there was a deeper shade than the pendent lamp could throw, or any object in the room distortedly reflect--a shade of horror." From this expression, we can tell that Mr. Lorry is concerned for Charles Darnay and even more so, the country. To answer the question, Manette, having been a Bastille prisoner, felt some respect among the patriots.
ReplyDeleteLater on, Mr. Lorry didn’t want Lucie and her father to look outside because the revolutionaries were gathering together, sharpening their spears, and preparing to kill the prisoners. During this part in the book, Dickens uses some very strong language to describe the mob of rebels. “[Their faces] were more horrible and cruel than the visages of the wildest savages in their most barbarous disguise… all awry with howling, and all staring and glaring with beastly excitement and want of sleep” Dickens is portraying them as monstrous and stupid and more like creatures then men. I’m not sure why he portrays them in such a way. Earlier in the story, he was trying to justify the killing of the Marquis, but now he is portraying the revolutionaries as monsters.
Mr. Lorry-once convinced of the relative harmlessness of the revolution-has finally had a chance to witness it first hand, and he is absolutely horrified at what he finds. Outside his window, in the courtyard of the former monseigneur's house is a grindstone where "patriots" sharpen their assortment of weapons. This is a truly terrible sight, seeing "men stripped to the waist, with stain all over their limbs and bodies; men in all sorts of rags, with stain upon those rags; men devilishly set off with spoils of women's lace and silk and ribbon, with stain dyeing those trifles through and through."
ReplyDeleteDickens repeatedly brings up how these men and women are "stained" by their deeds. Literally, he is referring to the blood of their victims, but metaphorically these people have been stained by the atrocities they have committed. Dickens uses the grindstone to illustrate that through the ferocity of the mob, all reason and any good intention of the revolution had been.
Dr. Manette is able to get help from the mob because he was a prisoner of the Bastille, and thus a true hero of the revolution. He was an original sufferer of the injustice of the aristocracy, so he is revered by the mob.
Although this chapter was a bit slow, it still had some purpose to it. The quote in the beginning of the chapter on page 264, refers to Mr. Lorry. The words “courageous” and “honest”, are two perfect words Dickens uses to describe Mr. Lorry. His character is very kind, and always puts others before him. He has also been very loyal to the Manette family and rarely displays any traits of menace in his personality. As one would be this situation, Mr. Lorry is very scared about what could happen to him or even Charles Darnay. Since he knows the type of situation Darnay is in, he realizes what could possibly happen to him if he doesn’t take precautions.
ReplyDeleteI thought the significance of the grindstone, was preparation for battle anytime soon. The mob is aggressive and ready to always fight against the nobles in prison. One of the main reasons Mr. Lorry begged Lucie and Dr. Manette not to look outside, was for their protection and own good. They would have been even more frightened and worried had they seen what was going on outside. The one thing I liked about this chapter, was the way Dickens described the mob. He really explained in depth, almost as if you could see it coming to life, a vicious and intimidating group of people ready to fight others. Descriptions such as describing a mob, as Dickens did, is what really grabbed my attention.
Doctor Manette was a prisoner who suffered at the hands of the aristocracy. If the revolutionaries have sympathy for anyone, it would be Doctor Manette. The maltreatment he endured was sybolic of the maltreatment of a nation and he embodies the image of an oppresed frenchman. Doctor Manette seems to now be the hope for Darnay. He surely would've faced death at the guillotine but now with Manette fighting on his side he has a chance.
ReplyDeleteThe grindstone is the tool that allows the revolutionaries to kill the prisoners. It sharpens the weapons used against the aristocracy. The frequency with which weapons are sharpened is the same as the frequency with which people are dying. The mob is blood-soaked and greedy. Anxious to prepare for more bloodshed. The scene at the grindstone exemplifies the mood of the revolution.
This chapter was an interesting one to read. when Lorry tells Manette to look outside there is a throng of people sharpening their weapons on a grindstone. Lorry then tells Manette that they plan to kill the prisoners. Manette then immediately rushes out soon a cry arises: "Help for the Bastille prisoner's kindred in La Force!" I thought that this was very important. This shows that Manette still commands a lot of respect over the every day people and is very influential in their actions. I think that Manette commands respect among the patriots because of his position of being a prisoner at the Bastille. A lot of people respect him, therefore he gets a lot of respect.
ReplyDeleteI think that the grindstone signifies a bloody battle yet to come. When Lorry describes the mob you can realize that there is a lot of people their and it is only time until that mob confronts another mob in battle. I have a feeling that their will be several bloody chapters coming up.
Things are heating up in Dickens' novel! With a revolution comes anger, hunger, fear, and beating people up. The central event of this chapter was the lookout of the courtyard, where people are sharpening their various weapons on a GRINDSTONE, aka the title of the chapter, getting ready to kill the prisoners. I hope this is a turning point in the book, considering the Marquis is in the prison with many people sharpening their weapons ready to kill him!
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