Discussion questions – A Tale of Two Cities: Questions 10-12

Questions 10-12
10. Carton has clearly misused his youthful promise and believes himself to be unredeemable. Does this view of himself actually change, and if so, how? Is Carton a man of faith? Does he become one?

11. Lucie finds “faith” in Carton, described as a “lost man,” after he confides in her. Does Lucie come to understand Carton? How? Does she believe that he can be saved from himself?

12. Dickens prefaces the final paragraphs of the novel, which are in Carton’s voice, by noting that “if he had given any utterance to his athoughts], and they were prophetic, they would have been these.” How might we read the vision expressed in these words? Are we meant to take these thoughts as prophetic—that is, as a portrayal of what actually came after the end of the novel, in both France and in England? Among the beloved friends he has left behind?