Tale of Two Cities Term Paper

Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens [...] how "Vengeance is self-perpetuating" applies to the novel. Vengeance is important in this novel because it illustrates how seeking vengeance can only lead to hurt and pain, and can only continue the cycle of vengeance and hatred, it never ends, and there is never enough payback to end the vengeance.

Vengeance is a central theme in "A Tale of Two Cities," and Dickens illustrates it throughout the book. As Madame Defarge quietly knits, she is vengefully listing all the people who should die when the new republic is created. Her vengeance and hatred of the oppressors of the working class knows no bounds, and it ultimately consumes her and leads to her death. She acknowledges she wants vengeance for all the wrongs done to her and her family, and shows that it has been eating at her for a long time "Vengeance and retribution require a long time; it is the rule'" (Dickens 174). This vengeance against others who harmed her family turns her into the same kind of…