Book the First: Chapter 3

Chapter 3 begins with a change in the voice of the narrator. Up to this point the narrator has not used the word I. I assume this is Dickens interjecting his own thoughts on the topic of secrets for a moment. Jerry, the messenger, is on his way back to London to deliver the cryptic message, "recalled to life" to some people at Tellson's Bank more important than he. A beautiful description of Jerry is given; maybe one of my most favorite sentences thus far. "Except on the crown, which was raggedly bald, he had stiff, black hair, standing jaggedly all over it, and growing down hill almost to his broad, blunt nose. It was so like Smith's work, so much more like the top of a strongly spiked wall than a head of hair, that the best of players at leap-frog might have declined him, as the most dangerous man in the world to go over."

Jerry's eyes are described as having no depth in the color or form. Does that suggest that Jerry is a flat, non-developed character? The sentence describing Jerry's eyes also says that they were afraid of being found out in something. That coupled with Jerry's statement at the end of chapter 2, "'Recalled to life.' That's a Blazing strange message. Much of that wouldn't do for you, Jerry! I say, Jerry! You'd be in a Blazing bad way, if recalling to life was to come into fashion, Jerry!" , make me think that Jerry may have something to hide.

The mood and scene dark and foreboding as Mr. Lorry struggles with the coach up Shooter's Hill. The description of the fog and mist give the Eire feeling as the cryptic message about being recalled to live is given. Mr. Lorry, still in the dark of night along the road infamous for treachery- dreams of a conversation with someone buried alive 18 years.

At the end of chapter 3 the sun begins to rise- erasing the shadows. The sun is bright, placid and beautiful hinting that for the person buried 18 years there may be light and peace in the future. It is interesting that the scene he describes is filled with a plow next to a wood. This reminded me of the description of the Woodman (fate) and the Farmer (death) from chapter 1. So here again emerges the theme of fate and death. The fate and death of the man buried 18 years as well as the two cities from the title.