As a result, the French vandalized churches, forced priests to marry, and renamed the Notre-Dame cathedral as the "Temple of Reason."Dickens refers to the dechristianization trend when he mentions the "Year One of Liberty"and the people's worship of the guillotine instead of the cross. In an attack on the Catholic religion, the new government stated that the only religion of France was the religion of liberty and equality. His technique may seem dramatic, but it is good storytelling - it builds suspense and allows his characters to evolve and shine in ways they never could have if they had remained in their quiet Soho home.ĭickens' allusion to the dechristianization movement that was occurring at this time is also significant. He positions the Doctor, Darnay, and Lucie, who are bound by faith and love, against mobs motivated by violence and vengeance. By doing so, he is preparing a face-off between the forces of love and the forces of hate. The year that passes takes France into the Reign of Terror and places the Manette and Darnay family in the heart of the most violent period of the Revolution.ĭickens deliberately chose the timing of the story to correspond with the September Massacres and the Reign of Terror. Without Doctor Manette's influence, Darnay's captors almost surely would have killed him. In September 1792, revolutionaries killed between 1,110 and 1,400 prisoners, about half of Paris' prison population at that time. In the meantime, the Doctor becomes well known throughout Paris and gains status as the inspecting physician for three prisons.ĭarnay has been imprisoned at one of the most dangerous times in the Revolution for political prisoners. Despite the Doctor's efforts, though, Darnay remains in prison for a year and three months. Feeling strong in his power as a Bastille survivor, Doctor Manette is confident that he will be able to free Darnay. He also recounts the erratic behavior of the mob, which one minute would violently attack condemned prisoners and the next minute would exuberantly cheer the freeing of other prisoners. Lorry how he tried to influence the court tribunal to free his son-in-law, but only secured a guarantee of Darnay's safety. After four days, Doctor Alexandre Manette finally returns from the prison.
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