# Book the First: Recalled to Life explained — A Tale of Two Cities

> Chapter companion for A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

## What happens

The novel opens with the famous line 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,' setting the stage for a tale of resurrection and revolution. Mr. Jarvis Lorry, an elderly banker at Tellson's Bank, receives a mysterious message from Jerry Cruncher: 'Recalled to Life.' He travels to Dover, where he meets Lucie Manette and reveals that her father, Dr. Manette, whom she believed dead for eighteen years, has been found alive in Paris. They journey to France, where Dr. Manette is discovered in a garret above Defarge's wine shop, in a state of mental deterioration, compulsively making shoes. The chapter ends with Dr. Manette's dazed recognition of his daughter.

## Themes in this chapter

### Resurrection and Renewal

The central theme of the chapter, embodied in the message 'Recalled to Life' and Dr. Manette's return from the dead after eighteen years of imprisonment.

### Social Injustice and Revolution

The Defarges' wine shop and the secret harboring of Dr. Manette hint at the brewing revolution against the oppressive aristocracy.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Jarvis Lorry

Receives the message 'Recalled to Life' and travels to Dover to meet Lucie Manette, then accompanies her to Paris to retrieve Dr. Manette.

### Lucie Manette

Learns from Mr. Lorry that her father, Dr. Manette, is alive and travels with him to Paris to reunite with her father.

### Doctor Manette

Found in Defarge's garret after eighteen years of imprisonment, in a deteriorated mental state, compulsively making shoes.

### Monsieur Defarge

Keeps Dr. Manette hidden in his garret and shows Mr. Lorry and Lucie to him, revealing his role in the Doctor's concealment.

### Madame Defarge

Observed knitting in the wine shop, silently recording the names of the aristocracy in her knitting, foreshadowing her role in the revolution.

## Key lines

> It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness...

The era was marked by extreme contrasts, with both great hope and deep despair.

_Opening lines establish the duality of the period._

> Recalled to Life.

Brought back from the dead or from a state of oblivion.

_The mysterious message that sets the plot in motion, referring to Dr. Manette's release from prison._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/book-the-first-recalled-to-life
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters