Chapters 13 and 14: Resurrection

Summary

Carton is consumed by his feelings for Lucie and although his position is hopeless he decides to confide in Lucie. She tries to encourage him to redeem his life, but Carton states that it is too late and that he will only descend lower. However, he wants her to know how deeply he loves her and that he will do all in his power to protect her and anyone she loves.

Jerry Cruncher is in his usual position outside Tellson’s Bank when a funeral passes by. It belongs to Roger Cly, one of the spies who testified against Darnay.  The crowd is yelling ‘spies’ and they overwhelm the hearse and the one mourner flees the scene. The mob decide this is an excuse to have a party and they proceed down the street to the cemetery bearing the coffin ensuring that Roger Cly is given an unceremonious burial. The mob is not content with mocking the dead, but proceed to ransack some businesses until the police break the scene up.  Later that night Cruncher leaves his house and his son, Young Jerry, decides to follow him.  He discovers that his father is a body snatcher and will sell Cly’s body to physicians for dissection. Young Jerry asks his father what he is doing and he responds by saying that he is ‘Resurrection Man’.

Interpretation

Again we have examples of resurrection in these two chapters, but these are failed, for despite Lucie’s efforts she cannot resurrect Carton from his downward decay, and Cruncher merely resurrects dead bodies for money for their dissection.