"She was the golden thread that connected him to a Past beyond his misery, and to a Present beyond his misery; and the sound of her voice, the light of her face, the touch of her hand, had a strong beneficial influence with him almost always. (p. 83)"
This quote was found in chapter three of book the second. While it did not directly mention Dr. Manette's stint in prison, the content of the passage is a clear portrayal of his imprisonment is still a haunting memory that impedes his ability to heal with the passing of time. One should note that references to time periods (IE: Past and Present) are capitalized, indicating their importance. What this conveys--especially when combined with notion that his past and present are connected to misery--is that Dr. Manette's past, present, and (eventually) future are going to be stagnated so deeply by his imprisonment that he may be unable to heal. Though, this could be considered extremely depressing, Dickens leaves us with hope when he lets us know that he can recover (although minimally) from his misery by a connection to his past.
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4 comments:
Why healed by a connection to the past? Does the quote give the past precedence over the future?
On a less literary note, could someone from period 8 please check under "settings" to make sure your period 9 group members are granted administrative privileges?
Hey folks ... it's been four days ... time to start "talking"!
I think that with the emphasis on past and present as you guys pointed out could also imply that Lucie is the connector between his past and present. The book talked about how she would walk with him at night and calm him down so she is letting him remember the past, but also be able to reflect and still be able to move onto the future and what new things it holds. Also, in this way I think that Lucie can be compared to the shoe making tools, as that is another transition from the prison life, to freedom, and home life.
I agree with Morgan that Lucie is a connector between Dr. Manette's past and present, but she still lacks the ability for him to overcome his past completely. Regarding the passage that Morgan pointed out (on page 102), it does point out that she does help comfort him when his past haunts him, but it also states that "he never says a word of the true reason of his restlessness, to her." This hows how there still needs to be more "connectors" for Dr. Manette as he is uncomfortable speaking about his time in prison even with his beloved daughter (even if Dickens hints to us that she is well aware of what is going on in his head). Also, Lucie's comfort may appear to have temporary effects on Dr. Manette (she can calm him down during these nights), but these nights walking up and down in the room keep reoccurring, showing how Lucie may not be enough to heal Dr. Manette.
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