# The Wood-Sawyer explained — A Tale of Two Cities

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

## What happens

Lucie Manette endures daily anguish as her husband Charles Darnay remains imprisoned, facing the guillotine. She maintains a routine of hope, visiting a spot where he might see her from a prison window, despite the constant threat. The chapter depicts the grim reality of revolutionary Paris, including the terrifying Carmagnole dance and a brief encounter with Madame Defarge. Doctor Manette reassures Lucie that he can save Charles, who is summoned for trial the next day.

## Themes in this chapter

### Resurrection and Renewal

Lucie's daily vigil and hope for Charles's return embody a personal resurrection, while Doctor Manette's promise to save him suggests renewal from the shadow of death.

### Sacrifice and Redemption

Lucie's steadfast devotion and sacrifice of her own peace for Charles's safety reflect themes of redemption through suffering.

### Social Injustice and Revolution

The chapter vividly portrays the brutal excesses of the Revolution, with the guillotine as a symbol of indiscriminate state violence and the Carmagnole as a descent into collective madness.

## Character check-ins

### Lucie Manette

Lucie waits daily at a corner where her husband Charles might see her from prison, enduring the taunts of the wood-sawyer and the terror of the Carmagnole.

### Doctor Manette

Doctor Manette supports Lucie, claiming he can save Charles, and informs her of Charles's summons for trial the next day.

### Charles Darnay

Charles is imprisoned and occasionally sees Lucie from a prison window; he is summoned for trial the following day.

### Madame Defarge

Madame Defarge passes Lucie and Doctor Manette on the snowy road, exchanging brief salutations.

### Mr. Jarvis Lorry

Mr. Lorry remains at Tellson's Bank, managing confiscated property, and is sought by Doctor Manette for consultation.

### The Vengeance

The Vengeance is seen hand in hand with the wood-sawyer during the Carmagnole dance.

## Key lines

> Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death;⁠—the last, much the easiest to bestow, O Guillotine!

The revolutionary motto is twisted, as death becomes the most readily granted outcome.

_Highlights the grim irony of the Revolution's ideals._

> I call myself the Samson of the firewood guillotine.

The wood-sawyer jokingly compares his saw to the guillotine, named after the executioner Samson.

_Shows how the guillotine has become a macabre part of everyday life._

> No fight could have been half so terrible as this dance.

The Carmagnole dance is more horrifying than any physical combat.

_Emphasizes the savage and corrupted nature of revolutionary festivities._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/v-the-wood-sawyer
- 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