# A Companion Picture explained — A Tale of Two Cities

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

## What happens

Mr. Stryver informs Sydney Carton of his intention to marry Lucie Manette, not for her fortune but because she is a charming creature who will do him credit. Stryver patronizingly advises Carton to marry a respectable woman with property for his own good. Carton, worn out from work and drinking, responds with cynical indifference and self-deprecation.

## Themes in this chapter

### Class and Privilege

Stryver's patronizing advice to Carton reflects class assumptions about marriage and social standing, as he views Lucie as a credit to his station.

### Sacrifice and Redemption

Carton's self-destructive behavior and his friend's dismissive attitude foreshadow his later sacrificial role.

## Character check-ins

### Sydney Carton

Exhausted from working double tides, drinking heavily, and displaying his characteristic self-loathing and incorrigibility.

### Mr. Stryver

Boastfully announces his plan to marry Lucie Manette, patronizing Carton and inflating his own sense of worth.

### Lucie Manette

Referred to as the object of Stryver's matrimonial intentions, described by him as a charming creature and golden-haired doll.

## Key lines

> You have no business to be incorrigible

You shouldn't be so hopelessly beyond improvement.

_Stryver scolds Carton for his self-destructive attitude._

> I have no business to be, at all, that I know of

As far as I can tell, I have no reason to exist.

_Carton expresses his profound sense of worthlessness._

> She is a charming creature, and I have made up my mind to please myself

She is delightful, and I have decided to marry her for my own satisfaction.

_Stryver reveals his self-centered motivation for proposing to Lucie._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/xi-a-companion-picture
- 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