Charles Dickens- A tale of Two Cities Violence and Revenge Free Essay Example, 1500 words

xv). The underlying foundation of his work is the commentary that exists about the social issues that are addressed within his work. Wonderful creations of characters are the tools with which he makes his commentary. It is often not about how his characters feel, but in how they manage the circumstances in which they have been thrown. One of the most potent myths of the life of Dickens is that he spent time in a debtors prison with his family at a young age. This myth happens to be supported in history, but is often just as fantastically crafted in story as is the tale of Oliver Twist and Great Expectations, both of which describe a boy at the mercy of adults who have no concern for the child’s needs. After his family became impoverished from the over spending of his father, they moved from a well appointed home into squalor, at which time Dickens went to work in a shoe polish factory where he sealed the jars and glued on the label, a job at which he worked for twelve hours per day (Dailey, 2004, p. We will write a custom essay sample on Charles Dickens- A tale of Two Cities: Violence and Revenge or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now 29). This was not unusual during this time period, but Dickens had moved from a middle class lifestyle to a lower class lifestyle and this shift in class and the resentment that he built from his shift in fortune is evident in the stories that he crafted. Debtor’s prison was not abolished until 1869, a year before Charles Dickens died, but his own feelings on the subject comes through in the support of the rise of the lower classes was evident in the way in which relief was sought and often provided for those who suffered under the yoke of poverty. Debtor’s prison was a miserable incarceration in which the male of the family was held in prison until money could be raised to pay the debt that was owed. The rest of the family moved into the prison with the male figure, although they were free to come and go as needed. When Charles Dickens’ father was in prison, Charles continued to work, having sold all of their possessions to try and relieve the family of their debt, but not able to acquire enough money. Dickens had already sold off all his books, a collection that he regretted losing which impacted his love of literature (Dailey, 2004, p. 28). The novel was written to be serialized, a form of book publishing that was not new to Dickens. However, in the style of writing accomplished for the novel, Dickens created something new in the writing of A Tale of Two Cities. The way in which the story was crafted was a different style for Dickens in which he wanted to create a historical novel.