"Buried"

While reading a book of over 400 pages, it is easy to glaze over the meaning of a single, seemingly insignificant passage. However, In A Tale of Two Cities, it is unlikely that anything is insignificant, as Charles Dickens uses language as a tool to bring forth importance from every word.

An example of his incredible writing lies in chapter 4, "The Preparation." This section, when I first read it, seemed simply like a great description of the room in which we are first introduced to Lucie Manette. Mr. Jarvis Lorry enters through the doorway, and both he and the reader are faced with a dark, gloomy picture that leaves us feeling a bit hopeless.

The passage reads:

"It was a large, dark room, furnished in a funeral manner with black horsehair, and loaded with heavy dark tables. These had been oiled and oiled, until the two tall candles on the middle of the room were gloomily reflected on every leaf; as if they were buried, in deep graves of black mahogany, and no light to speak of could be expected from them until the were dug out" (22-23).

Dickens's language serves a dual purpose here. Its obvious and arguably primary job is simply a description of Lucie's room, of that which Dickens paints a beautiful picture of. His words create an image that evokes both a picture and a feeling for the reader, allowing us to feel as if we are in the room as well, surrounded by the same gloomy atmosphere that Lorry is when he walks through the door.

However, delving deeper into the passage, I took notice of a possible meaning that I believe Dickens is trying to communicate with us. Specifically, his use of the word "buried" caught my attention. Prior to this passage, Dickens wrote about a person being "buried," before being "recalled to life." While we, at this point, do not know if that was meant literally or figuratively, I am sure that his use of the word here--describing the candles--is directly related to the role being "buried" plays in the entire book.

As we continue to read, we soon find out that the person Lorry must "dig out" is Lucie's father, Dr. Manette. He, like the candles, has been buried beyond recognition and is need of rescue. The passage also speaks about the responsibility of the candles; of the light that is to be expected of them after they are dug out. I am curious what was to expected of Dr. Manette once he is dug out; what is his "light?"

And, more importantly, why is it expected? What exactly does Lorry need from Dr. Manette, and what role will it play later in the book?

I will continue to look for an answer to this question--whether it be spoken obviously by a character, written on a sign, or hidden in the simple description of a bedroom--as I continue to read. I must read closely and carefully, as Dickens's methods of foreshadowing so simply and cleverly make reading his work like a treasure hunt for information.The manner in which he can convey so much meaning into a seemingly insignificant passage is remarkable.