Book the Second: Chapter 6

Chapter Summary:
Four Months have gone by since the trial of Charles Darnay. The chapter begins with a description of Dr. Manette's house. It seems like a very lovely place to live, in a very lovely part of town. It is a Sunday afternoon as Mr. Lorry walks towards the Doctor's house. Upon his arrival he finds that Dr. Manette and Lucie are out so Mr. Lorry talks with Ms. Pross for a while. They discuss Dr. Manette's health and why he still has the shoe making bench and tools. Ms. Pross speculates that although he doesn't speak of it, it is still very much a part of his life. She confides in Mr. Lorry that often in the night there will be heard walking up and down and then Miss Lucie knows that her father is in bad shape and will go walking up and down with him to help settle him. We find in this chapter that Ms. Pross has a brother, Solomon, whom she thinks is the greatest man alive despite the fact that he was dishonest with her. Ms. Pross is agitated that there are so many people coming all the time to visit "her Ladybird" as she calls Lucie. The hundreds of people turn out to be only Mr. Darnay and Mr. Carton. The group comprised of Mr. Lorry, Dr. and Lucie Manette, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, all sit outside in the yard until it begins to rain. The party then moves inside where Lucie speculates that echo of footsteps represents the numbers of people that will come into their lives. The chapter ends with Jerry Cruncher coming to escort Mr. Lorry home.

Historical Context:
Paupers: From the 16th to the 18th centuries England had a very particular way of caring for the poor. Parishes, ecclesiastical divisions of land, were responsible for supporting the poor, old, and mentally ill members of their community. A pauper living in a given parish would be "settled" there.

Peaches: Peaches were hard to grow in England and so the trees were usually planted near a wall that could offer some shelter and protection to the ripening fruit.

Bark: Bark here refers to a boat. At the time Dickens was writing A Tale of Two Cities that word was already old fashioned and used mostly in poetic ways.

Chasing silver: Ornamenting silver

Tower of London (or, The Tower): Originally, a strategically placed fortress used to protect the city of London. In the 16th century it became a prison and execution site for high-profiled prisoners. By the late 18th century, the tower had become a museum spotlighting its own history. Although The Tower had taken on this "touristy" nature, prisoners, such as Darnay, could still be imprisoned there.

Footpads: Highwaymen who robbed on foot.


Vocabulary:
affidavit (pg. 110): A written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation, for use as evidence in court.

imputation (pg. 110): a statement attributing something dishonest (especially a criminal offense).

compunction (pg. 111): A feeling of guilt or moral scruple that follows the doing of something bad.


Stacy's Thoughts:
Miss Pross is a funny character. She is so devoted to Lucie. She is jealous of anyone who has a desire to be around Lucie, especially the men who have come courting. I like that Mr. Lorry esteems Miss Pross only a little lower than the angels because of her undying devotion to Lucie. I think that is nice.

Dickens used the repetition of the phrase "walking up and down" several times in a very short period of time in this chapter. To me, that really gave a message about the agony that Dr. Manette is feeling and the lengths Lucie is willing to go to help her father.

I read an interesting thing about Lucie. Many commentaries say that she is a very flat and disappointing character. Having said that, she is typified as the golden thread that is connecting Dr. Manette to his past, present and future. She is also the golden thread that is connecting the lives of all the characters. Sparknotes had this to say, "Making Lucie — a rather two-dimensional character — so central to the book may seem strange, but keep in mind that Dickens created Lucie to be an ideal rather than a real woman. She represents all that is good in humanity — innocence, kindness, faith, and hope — and she serves as a touchstone for other characters to find those qualities within themselves. Her premonition at the end of the chapter that she hears the echoes of the footsteps of those who will enter their lives, along with Carton's statement that crowds of people will be entering their lives, implies that these higher qualities of humanity will be challenged in the future." I thought that was very astute of them.