Ever since Dr. Manette was released from prison, we have
seen him remember his prison days. Some were worse than others, but throughout
the book, he has had relapses of what happened in prison. Went on for over ten
years, but in Chapter 4 of the 3rd Book, we see a new Dr. Manette.
He always seemed weak because of his prison memories, never able to over come
them. But in this chapter, we see a new Dr. Manette. He is strong and powerful,
and seems to not be held back by his time in prison.
“For the first time
the Doctor felt, now, that his
suffering was strength and power. For the first time, he felt that in that
sharp fire, he had slowly forged the iron which could break the prison door of
his daughter’s husband, and deliver him” (page 281).
Manette has never fully recovered from his 18 years in
prison until now. But why did he completely overcome his time in prison now? We
have seen throughout the book that his prison relapses have been sparked by
being reminded of them. In this chapter, he is trying to free Charles Darnay
from prison, La Bastille, which is the prison that he was kept in for 18 years.
So why does he recover now. Earlier in the book, if he went to La Bastille, he
would most likely start another prison relapse. So why is it that this is what cures
him, and makes him feel so strong again?
If we look at the quote on page 281, I feel the second
sentence is the answer to my question. “For
the first time, he felt that in that sharp fire, he had slowly forged the iron
which could break the prison door of his daughter’s husband, and deliver him”
(page 281). One of the main reasons why being back at La Bastille cures Dr.
Manette from fearing his prison days is because he feels the need to get Darnay
out of La Bastille, and he knows he can help. Have you ever done something,
like a sport, where you feel you are the best? You get this sense of
entitlement, and are very proud. You think you are the best and strongest
because of this. I feel that is why Manette is once again full of strength and
power. He is “a pro”. He spent 18 years in La Bastille, and he knows what it
takes to survive. He feels that because he has gone through what Darnay is
encountering, and he knows that he can help Darnay become free. Because Manette
spent 18 years in La Bastille, he knows that he can help Darnay. And because of
this, he is once again full of strength and power. He knows what to do, and has
overcome his fear of his time in La Bastille, because he feels like he knows
what to do, and can save Darnay, which gives him the power and the strength
that he had lost for so long.
Hey Matt,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you were saying. I think that Manette feels so at home when he is around the Bastille, that he feels as if he is entitled to be the bigger man and stand up for people. Darnay is in trouble at this point because he is of aristocracy and with Manettes connections and past memories he is determined to get Darnay out of this situation. Now, as we have read farther, I think that another reason why Manette wants to get Darnay out of this situation is because he knows that he unintentionally is going to put Darnay back on trial and wants to stop this from happening.
I completely agree with Matt on both his question and his response. It is kind of strange that Dr. Manette would find strength in the place that always seemed to make him so weak. Dr. Manette relapsed whenever he thought about the part of Lucie's life he missed, his wife, prison, anything, so I also had this question, but as we get more into book three, we start to find some answers. Not only does he believe that being in prison has helped him with the French citizens, like Matt said, but he also feels that he is obligated to do this for Lucie. He feels that she has helped him so much and this is a way that he can say thanks to her.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Matt. I think that Manette has become such a strong character in the book. I feel that it is because Miss Pross and Lorry destroyed his shoemaking materials. At first I thought this was a bad choice, but after reading the first half of book 3, I realized that they had destroyed the one thing that linked him to the Bastille. The destruction of these materials was a symbol for Manette finally living his life again and being free.
ReplyDeleteMatt-
ReplyDeleteI think that you are correct when it comes to the fact that Dr. Manette's regained confidence stems from the fact that he feels like he knows what need to occur in order to get Darnay out of prison. But, I do not think that Dr. Manette fully recovered from his past troubles. He dazes in and out of this state of unconsciousness on a frequent basis, especially in earlier chapters of the book. His confidence is basically feeding off of Darnay's trial because he feels like he has a purpose now. Although he seems to be fully recovered now, I'm not sure that that is the case. How sure can we be that Dr. Manette will not relapse again?
Shelby, as we read further, I also wonder if Manette will relapse again. When i wrote this post, I thought that Manette was fully recovered because of the confidence that he had, but know that we know Darnay is sentenced to death within twenty-four hours, I could see another relapse from Dr. Manette. Seeing someone be killed for a crime could easily spark a prison memory and start a relapse. I think we can not be sure if he is cured forever, but at the time I wrote my post, he seems to be stronger than ever, but do not know what could happen in the future that would be serious enough to start a relapse.
ReplyDeleteMatt:
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I like your question and your explanation of how you tried to answer your question. I think you also have some interesting comments near the end of your post where you explain how you tried to make sense of Dr. M.'s transformation.