Symbolism of Knitting and it’s Demise in “A Tale Of Two Cities”
Knitting has been used with symbolic reference to Madam Dafarge and the French Revolution
spirit, in “a tale of two cities”, representing condemnation to death and wide scale bloodshed.
Knitting has mythological reference to its maker’s personality, and its demise is set off by
Madame Defarge’s own pride and insatiable thirst for revenge. She is presented as not only the
controller of fates but also, as Miss Pross put it, the “wife of Lucifer”.
In Mythology, knitting has symbolic significance to the three sisters called Fates, who solely and
individually controlled the thread of human life. Madam Defarge seems to have taken up the role
of Fates, with her knitting; she condemns individuals to death by knitting out their name. This
condemnation to death by Madame Defarge is a way for her to control the fates of men, as she
effectively has everyone on the list executed during the revolution. Her list consisted of a lot of
men who had done the Defarges or their friend’s wrong before the revolution, but abiding their
time, the Defarges were ready when the time came to exact revenge. Her vengeful thirst sits at
nothing as she ventures hot waters to achieve her aims, like setting out to kill both Lucie and her
young daughter, their innocence deemed irrelevant in her head. The narrator exemplifies
Madame Defarge’s personality by calling her a “ruthless woman” with a “strong and fearless
character, of shrewd sense and readiness, of great determination…” Condemning her victims to
death had been easy for her once the revolutions started, she believes the task to be as easy as
knitting, as she remarked to herself while marching towards Lucie’s house, considering her
reserved seat and knitting awaiting her later. This creates the impression that Madame Defarge
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Knitting has been used with symbolic reference to Madam Dafarge and the French Revolution
spirit, in “a tale of two cities”, representing condemnation to death and wide scale bloodshed.
Knitting has mythological reference to its maker’s personality, and its demise is set off by
Madame Defarge’s own pride and insatiable thirst for revenge. She is presented as not only the
controller of fates but also, as Miss Pross put it, the “wife of Lucifer”.
In Mythology, knitting has symbolic significance to the three sisters called Fates, who solely and
individually controlled the thread of human life. Madam Defarge seems to have taken up the role
of Fates, with her knitting; she condemns individuals to death by knitting out their name. This
condemnation to death by Madame Defarge is a way for her to control the fates of men, as she
effectively has everyone on the list executed during the revolution. Her list consisted of a lot of
men who had done the Defarges or their friend’s wrong before the revolution, but abiding their
time, the Defarges were ready when the time came to exact revenge. Her vengeful thirst sits at
nothing as she ventures hot waters to achieve her aims, like setting out to kill both Lucie and her
young daughter, their innocence deemed irrelevant in her head. The narrator exemplifies
Madame Defarge’s personality by calling her a “ruthless woman” with a “strong and fearless
character, of shrewd sense and readiness, of great determination…” Condemning her victims to
death had been easy for her once the revolutions started, she believes the task to be as easy as
knitting, as she remarked to herself while marching towards Lucie’s house, considering her
reserved seat and knitting awaiting her later. This creates the impression that Madame Defarge
1
