"THE CENTRALITY OF WOMEN IN "THE TALE OF TWO CITIES

A tale of two cities is a story where the characters are complex, multifaceted, and playing
a significant role. They are considered an important driving forces which lead to the other
players and plot developing. Although I believe that Dickens may not develop his female
characters as fully as he does some of his male characters in the novel, but we cannot neglect
.the centrality of women in the development of the plot and the events ; for example, Lucie

Lucie Manette is one of the women who has a central role in the story. She is an example
of ideal and perfect woman in the 19th century. She is beautiful, loyal, and delicate. These
qualities allow her to have a controlling power over the men around her like no one else in the
novel. Through her actions and conversations with these men, we can get to know their
personalities and reactions more. The first example is her father, Dr Manette. Lucie played
the role of the healing power for him when she found out at the age of 17 that her father had
been resurrected and he is now in a small room in the wine shop. She went to meet him where
she found him wreck of a man, both physically and mentally. He has lost his identity, sanity,
his status, and he is becoming a shoe maker. The only thing he knows that he is a number in
the Bastel. However, meeting Lucie makes him better. He back to his stability and recalled to
his life as a doctor.'' Lucie was the golden thread that united him to a past beyond his misery,
and to a present beyond his misery, and the sound of her voice, the light of her face, the touch
''of her hand, had a strong beneficial influence with him almost always

Sydeny Carton, the jackal, is another essential character that Lucie has an strong effect on
him. He is a lazy, alcoholic attorney lawyer who is not caring about his life. He is struggling
with low self esteem. He describes his existence in life as pale. He has many chances to
change his life and be success but he choose not to take them. However, from the first
moment he met Lucie at the court, he could not take his eyes away from her. It was the first
time when Sydeny Carton had shown interest in someone."And yet I have had the weakness,
and have still the weakness, to wish you to know with what a sudden mastery you kindled me,
heap me, heap of ashes that I am, into a fire''. Then we can see a change in his character as he
becomes resolute for the first time when he decided to meet Lucie to talk about his desperate
love. This love lead him to promise to protect her and the one who love. His love for her is
strong to induce him to give his life for that of her husband. Through his death, he redeems
.his sins

Another male character that Lucie has an especially influence on is Jarvis Lorry. He is a
worker on Tellson' s Bank. He always presented himself as a man of business, and a machine.
He was proud of that because he was live in the age of business, and money. There was no
emotion so he tries hard to hide his feelings. Lorry was the one who told Lucie about her
father's return. When he met her, he could not hide his feelings of affection and tenderness
that he had for her. So he keeps reminded himself "A matter of business. Regarded it as a
matter of business. Business that must be done.'' He was astonished by Lucie's relationship
with her father and wanted to get closer to her kind family. He becomes one of the men who
.want to protect Lucie. He protected her from striver when he comes to marry her

Finally, we can said that Lucie in "The Tale Of Two Cities" is the exception that negates
the rule. Lucie Manette is important for the story and without her the plot will not actually
exist and many characters also. At least, Lucie had an active role in the novel, as she
influenced many of the masculine characters around her. This is evidence of the concentration
.of women in the novel