Sydney Carton is a sacrificing hero

Who is Sydney Carton?

Sydney Carton is one of the most important characters in the novel, A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens. He is portrayed as an alcoholic and indifferent attorney who leads a miserable life, feeling hopeless. However, he is compared to a jackal for his cleverness. He closely resembles Darnay.

What does he sacrifice?

Sydney Carton makes the most important sacrifice in this novel. His sacrifice greatly impacts the lives of Charles Darnay, Lucie Manette, and their family. He sacrifices his life to save the husband of the woman he adores. By sacrificing his life, he fulfills his promise to Lucie Manette that he will sacrifice his life for her or for someone dear to her. He was willing to die for Lucie due to his deep love for her, but his motivation goes beyond simple affection. Towards the end of the novel, Sydney realizes that he wants to do something noble with his life. That is why he does something incredibly selfless, something few people could even imagine accomplishing in their dreams.

When Darnay was imprisoned in France, Sydney went to France and rescued him from prison by switching places with him just before Darnay was scheduled for execution.

Why is it important?

The sacrifice of Sydney Carton is highly significant in this novel, arguably receiving more importance than the sacrifices of other characters. Firstly, he saves Darnay’s life by sacrificing his own, acting as a rescuer. He frees Darnay, Lucie, and Dr. Manette from prison. As he heads towards the guillotine, Darnay and his family are on their way to England, safe thanks to Carton’s sacrifice.

Another important reason is that he kept his promise that he gave to Lucie Manette. He promised her that one day he would sacrifice himself for the person whom Lucie loved. By doing so, he has chosen his destiny. It shows his selfless love for Lucie. It is also important because we know that very few people in the world are capable of doing the thing that Sydney has done.

Different Sydney from first and last:

At the beginning of the novel, Sydney Carton was portrayed as an indifferent person who lacked any prospects in life and did not seem to pursue anything or anyone. He was careless. However, he is deeply passionate about Lucie. His feelings for her transform him into a man of profound merit. He loves Lucie so much that he does not hesitate to sacrifice his life for her. Despite his many bad habits, including drugs and alcohol, he captures the readers’ attention with his selfless love for Lucie.

Sydney is hero?

Sydney Carton is not the main hero of this novel. Instead, he is considered a sacrificial hero for his selflessness. He sacrifices himself for the benefit of others, which is undoubtedly a heroic deed. We cannot label him a hero based solely on his characteristics. He closely resembles Darnay in physical appearance, but they are two distinct individuals. However, he is not a hero in the traditional sense.

Is Sydney success or failure?

Sydney fails as a traditional hero, but by the end of the novel, he achieves a form of immortality and garners more attention than the main hero. Readers sympathize with him, elevating him beyond mere heroism. Through this novel, Dickens illustrates that redemption is always possible. For much of the story, Sydney appears to be a failure: he lacks a wife, family, or friends and shows little dedication to his job or career.

Love and sacrifice in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Charles Darnay-Lucie Manette relation:

Charles Darnay and Lucie Manette are two important characters in this novel. They are husband and wife. In this novel, we can see that they love each other very much. Darnay belongs to an aristocratic family in France, and he knows that Lucie is an ordinary girl. Despite this fact, he loves Lucie dearly. Both Lucie and Darnay are faithful to each other. When Darnay was imprisoned in France, Lucie went to France with her young daughter to save her husband’s life. She did not even think about her safety.

Selfless Love:

Sydney Carton represents selfless love. Though he knows that Lucie loves someone else, and in the religious context, it is not ethical, he is deeply in love with her. Throughout the novel, we find him not to be a good person like Darnay. Even he has all these bad habits. However, he is so deeply in love with Lucie that he is ready to sacrifice his life for her or anyone dear to her just to keep her happy. At the end of the novel, he fulfills his promise, which is why he is called the sacrificing hero.

Sacrifice:

Sacrifice is the most important theme of this novel. From the beginning to the end, we encounter many examples of sacrifice. Most of the characters in this novel make sacrifices. Dr. Manette is first seen sacrificing his life, imprisoned for eighteen years in the Bastille without any reason. Because of his long imprisonment, he becomes mentally ill. Throughout his life, he curses the family for whom he was imprisoned. On the morning of his daughter’s marriage, he learns of Charles Darnay’s true identity and is shocked. However, he agrees to the marriage, thinking of his daughter’s happiness.

Sydney Carton is the quintessential example of the theme of sacrifice. He sacrifices his life to ensure Lucie’s happiness. Through this ultimate sacrifice, he saves Lucie, Charles, and their family. By fulfilling his promise to sacrifice his life for the one Lucie loves, he demonstrates profound selflessness and devotion.

Charles Darnay also makes sacrifices, relinquishing his family, property, and various other privileges to lead a life free of guilt associated with the actions of his ancestors. He chooses to leave his homeland, France, in pursuit of a simpler existence. His decision reflects a commitment to distancing himself from the injustices perpetuated by his family’s past behavior.

The French Revolution plays a crucial role in this novel. It was a conflict between the aristocratic and peasant classes, with the lower class fighting for their rights and liberation from the oppression of the upper class. Throughout the revolution, ordinary French citizens sacrificed their lives in pursuit of freedom from tyranny and inequality. 

Gangaridai Kingdom: The only kingdom that Alexander feared

Gangaridai were an ethnic group of ancient Bengal during the first and second centuries BCE. We can come to know about this ethnic group from the writings of Greek and Latin authors. Various writers have referred to this ethic group using different spellings, such as Gangaridae, Gangariridum, and Gangarides.

In 327 BCE, Alexander crossed the Hindu Kush mountains and marched towards India. Then, in 326 BCE, he crossed the Indus River and entered Taxila. Greek historians who came to India during the time of Alexander mentioned a powerful king named Gangaridai. The descriptions of this ethnic group found in Greek and Latin writings are as follows:

·         “The Gangaridai kingdom boasted a formidable army of elephants. Due to this force, the kingdom was never defeated by a foreign power, leaving other kingdoms intimidated by the sheer number and strength of their elephant forces. The width of the last part of the Ganges is eight miles, and at its narrowest point, it reaches a depth of about 100 feet. The inhabitants of these distant regions are known as the Gangaridai. Their king maintains a prepared army of 1,000 cavalry, 700 elephants, and 60,000 foot soldiers. During the reign of Seleucus, Alexander’s commander and friend, Megasthenes (350–290 BCE) came to India as a Greek ambassador.”

·         “The Gangaridai are the most formidable of all Indian races. After coming to know about the Gangaridai king’s army of 4,000 elephants, well-equipped and prepared for battle, Alexander dared not engage in warfare against him.” - Diodorus (90–30 BCE)

·         “The Ganges River flows from north to south, and the sea meets at the eastern border of the Gangaridai kingdom.” – Megasthenes

·         “The Gangaridai kingdom encompasses the entire region at the mouth of the Ganges River.” - Ptolemy

·         “The last part of the Ganges River has flown through the Gangaridai kingdom.” - Pliny 

According to Ptolemy’s writing, we can come to know the location of Gangaridai. The Gangaridai occupied almost the entire area adjacent to the five mouths of the Ganges. “Gange” was its capital. The four longitudinal degrees he described included the region from the westernmost to the easternmost mouth of the Ganges River, along the coast of the Bay of Bengal. Practically, this means that ‘Gangaridai’ extended from the westernmost to the easternmost mouth of the Ganges River near the Bay of Bengal. It is observed that the longitudinal degree between the mouths of the Bhagirathi (near Tamluk) and Padma Rivers (near Chattogram) is slightly more than 35 degrees. Therefore, according to Ptolemy’s information, Gangaridai can be identified in the regions between the two main branches of the Ganges in present-day West Bengal and Bangladesh.

A Greek navigator in his book, Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, mentioned the Gange country located east of the coast of Odisha, adjacent to the Bay of Bengal. According to him, Gange was a commercial city named after the river.

The word ‘Gangaridai’ is derived from ‘Gangarid.’ It is believed that ‘Gangarid’ is the Greek form of the Indian word ‘Gangahrd,’ meaning the land through which the Ganges flows. According to the historian Atul Sur, the word ‘Gangarida’ may have originated from ‘Gangarid,’ then ‘Gangaradhi,’ and from there, the word ‘Radha’ may have emerged. Renowned historian Niharranjan Ray, in his book “Bangalir Itihas: Adiparba” (বাঙালির ইতিহাস: আদি পর্ব), wrote, “There is no doubt that the Gangaridai are the inhabitants of the Gangetic province because Greek and Latin writers agree on this matter.” Hemchandra Rai Chaudhary, by conducting a comparative and comprehensive discussion of the relevant opinions of authors such as Diodorus, Curtis, Plutarch, Solinus, Pliny, Ptolemy, Strabo, etc., has shown that Gangaridai was located on the eastern bank of the Ganges-Bhagirathi River and extended from there.”

According to Pliny, “The last part of the Ganges River flows through the Gangaridai kingdom. The inhabitants of the southern part of the Ganges had a black and tanned complexion, but they were not as black as the Ethiopians.” From this description, it can be inferred that they were a mixed race of Negrito, Proto-Australoid, and Dravidian ethnic groups.