A Tale of Two Cities · Chapter
Still Knitting explained
The Defarges return to Saint Antoine, where Madame Defarge learns of a new English spy, John Barsad, and registers him in her knitting.
What happens
The Defarges return to Saint Antoine, where Madame Defarge learns of a new English spy, John Barsad, and registers him in her knitting. She later leads a group of women in knitting, symbolizing the gathering revolutionary storm.
Themes in this chapter
Social Injustice and Revolution
The chapter highlights the suffering of the poor and the secret revolutionary activities, with Madame Defarge knitting a register of enemies.
Vengeance vs. Justice
Madame Defarge's knitting and her instructions to wait for the time to unleash 'a tiger and a devil' reflect the theme of vengeance in the name of justice.
Characters to notice
- Madame Defarge
Returns to Saint Antoine, learns of spy Barsad, registers him in her knitting, and leads women in knitting as a revolutionary act.
- Monsieur Defarge
Returns with Madame Defarge, gathers intelligence from Jacques of the police, and admires his wife's strength.
- Mr. Barsad
Introduced as a new English spy commissioned for Saint Antoine; visits the wine-shop and is identified by Madame Defarge.
- The Vengeance
Appears as a companion to Madame Defarge among the knitting women.
Key passages
“When the time comes, let loose a tiger and a devil; but wait for the time with the tiger and the devil chained—not shown—yet always ready.”
When the revolution arrives, unleash your full fury, but until then, keep your anger hidden and controlled.
Madame Defarge advises patience and restraint until the moment for violent action arrives.
“All the women knitted. They knitted worthless things; but, the mechanical work was a mechanical substitute for eating and drinking; the hands moved for the jaws and the digestive apparatus: if the bony fingers had been still, the stomachs would have been more famine-pinched.”
The women's knitting was a mindless activity that distracted them from their hunger; if they stopped, their starvation would feel even worse.
The narrator describes how knitting serves as a coping mechanism for the women's physical deprivation.