A Tale of Two Cities · Chapter
An Opinion explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Lorry, after days of anxious watching, finds Doctor Manette recovered and reading at his window. He seeks the Doctor's opinion on a 'curious case'—actually Manette's own—about the effects of a severe mental shock and the wisdom of keeping the shoemaker's bench. The Doctor advises that the relapse was caused by a specific association and that the worst is likely over, but reluctantly agrees to have the bench removed. Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross secretly destroy the bench and tools, burying the remnants in the garden.
Themes in this chapter
Resurrection and Renewal
Doctor Manette's recovery from his relapse and the destruction of the shoemaker's bench symbolize a renewal and a step toward leaving his past imprisonment behind.
Sacrifice and Redemption
Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross's secret, guilt-ridden act of destroying the bench is a sacrifice for the Doctor's well-being, aiming to redeem him from his old trauma.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Jarvis Lorry
Anxious and watchful, he orchestrates the removal of the shoemaker's bench after consulting Doctor Manette.
- Doctor Manette
Recovered from his relapse, he provides an opinion on his own case and reluctantly sanctions the destruction of his old workbench.
- Miss Pross
Assists Mr. Lorry in the secret destruction of the shoemaker's bench, holding a candle as if at a murder.
Key passages
“Very strange to see what a struggle there was within him!”
It was remarkable to witness the intense internal conflict he experienced.
Describes Doctor Manette's hesitation before agreeing to remove the shoemaker's bench.
“So wicked do destruction and secrecy appear to honest minds, that Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross, while engaged in the commission of their deed and in the removal of its traces, almost felt, and almost looked, like accomplices in a horrible crime.”
To honest people, acts of destruction and secrecy seem so wrong that Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross felt and appeared as if they were partners in a terrible crime.
Highlights the moral discomfort of the characters as they secretly destroy the bench.