How does Dickens co-relate love and war in his A Tale of Two Cities

Answer

How does Dickens co-relate love and war in his A Tale of Two Cities? 

Introduction: The Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a remarkable work by the Victorian novelist Charles Dickens (1812-1870). It is a historical novel set against the background of the French Revolution. The novelist emphasizes multiple social issues. These are the class struggle, the resurgence, the family, the light and the darkness, especially the emphasis on love and war. Through the horrors of the revolutionaries, he has highlighted a strong connection between love and war. 

Critical views on co-related love and war: According to the critics, love means not only attraction to something or someone but also sacrifice and responsibility; war means not only destruction but also rebirth and regeneration. In this novel, Dickens presents the relationship between love and war particularly. 

Love is a source of psychological war: Sydney Carton is the model of psychological war. He is one of the sacrificing characters in the history of English literature. Being failure to build up a love affair with Lucie, he feels discomfort in his mind. It increases psychological conflict in his inner mind. He thinks that he can never improve his current condition.

Observing Carton’s condition, Lucie assures him that he has more possibility to improve his dignity in his life. Lucie adds that she has enough sympathy for Carton, but she cannot love him because she likes Charles Darnay as her life partner. Hearing Lucie’s statement, a psychological battle happens in his mind. Then he commits: although he will not find Lucie as his life partner, he will always try to keep her happy and always be ready to make any kind of sacrifice for Lucie. Carton declares;

            I would embrace any sacrifices for you and for those dear to you.

Love, the source of revenge: Marquis Evremonde is a bloodthirsty, cruel, immoral person who has no sympathy for the poor. He kills Gaspard’s run-over child on