A Tale of Two Cities - Book 2, Chapter 21: "Echoing Footsteps"

Summary

• Lucie hears the echo of footsteps and feels surrounded by love.
• Years Pass:
  • Lucie has two children: a baby girl, Little Lucie, and a baby boy who sadly doesn't live long.
  • Sydney Carton spends time with the family and becomes very fond of Little Lucie.
• Troubling Events in Paris:
  • Year: 1789, Little Lucie is six.
  • Mr. Lorry mentions Tellson's Bank is busy because Paris customers are sending property to England.
  • Charles Darnay is alarmed by this.
• Storming of the Bastille:
  • Led by the Defarges and a mob of revolutionaries.
  • Attack Overview:
    • Cannon fire, muskets, and burning straw.
    • Prison surrenders after four hours.
    • Prisoners are released.
    • Monsieur Defarge finds initials "A.M." (Alexandre Manette) and "a poor physician" in a cell.
    • They burn the remaining possessions in the cell.
  • Prison Governor:
    • Captured and taken to the Hotel de Ville.
    • Governor is stabbed to death; Madame Defarge saws off his head.
  • Mob carries off seven prisoners, seven heads on pikes, prison keys, and belongings of dead prisoners.

Themes and Symbols

• Echoing Footsteps:
  • Symbolize both the loving presence of Lucie's family and the approaching turmoil of the revolution.
  • Connects the family life to the broader unrest in France.
  • The storming of the Bastille symbolizes the start of the French Revolution and the pent-up anger against the monarchy.

Characters

• Lucie Manette:
  • Surrounded by love but faces the shadows of her husband’s heritage.
• Sydney Carton:
  • Deepens his bond with the Darnay family and Little Lucie.
• Charles Darnay:
  • Troubled by the situation in Paris and his aristocratic background.
• Monsieur and Madame Defarge:
  • Leaders in the storming of the Bastille.
  • Madame Defarge is especially bloodthirsty.