What exactly makes a hero? Is it someone who is brave, loyal, and determined? Or is it something entirely different? Charles Dickens explores the idea of heroism in his powerful, challenging and beloved novel, "A Tale of Two Cities," by presenting his readers with two very different characters; Charles Darnay, a handsome noble, and Sydney Carton, an unhappy and somewhat tortured, struggling alcoholic. While both characters possess the qualities of a hero, one man surpasses the other when it comes to exhibiting true heroism. So who does Dickens bring to the forefront of bravery and virtue; Darnay or Carton? .
During the beginning of "Tale of Two Cities," I was astonished by the character, Charles Darnay. To me, he epitomized the "perfect man"," an individual who possessed many of the qualities and traits that most people don't have. Some of these qualities made him the archetype of what a hero is deemed to be in society. One example of his heroic deeds is when Darnay renounced his aristocracy and sacrificed the wealth that went along with it in favor of helping those in need. "This property and France are lost to me," said the nephew, sadly; 'I renounce them'" "(Dickens, 130). This shows that Charles is a thoughtful and responsible nobleman who does not only care for money and authority. The well-being of the people is more important to him, and he does not want to be associated with a family who causes harm many people. But was renouncing his title really the best thing to do? Charles could've maintained his aristocratic name and to at least attempt to help solve the government's problems, despite all the trouble it caused him.
Sydney Carton, a brilliant man who manages to make one of the most (and I really mean it) idiotic men into the greatest lawyers of the time, sadly, cannot muster even the slightest amount of interest in his own life. Now, at a first glance Carton is not really hero material, with his life not being as luxurious as Darnay's, but there is a lot more to him than just that.
