"'It is of the utmost importance to me (you know, Citzen, even better than I, of how much importance), that I should be able to communicate to Mr. Lorry of Tellson's Bank, an English gentleman who is now in Paris, the simple fact, without comment, that I have been thrown in the prison of La Force. Will you cause that do be done for me?' 'I will do,' Defarge doggedly rejoined, 'nothing for you. My duty is to my country and the People. I am the sworn servant of both, against you. I will do nothing for you'" (263).

In the chapter "In Secret" the reader begins to see that Monsieur Defarge has two different sides to him. Earlier in the story, we saw that he valued connections with others, as he expressed dicontent that Darnay's name was knitted into the list of people Madame Defarge was making. However, since the revolution has started, the reader realizes that his other side is one that is very dedicated to the cause, even if it means hurting people (namely, Darnay) in a way that can affect people he cares about (Lucie and Dr. Manette). He seems to have adapted his wife's mentality of being more concerned with the revolution than those hurt by it. His harshness shows the reader his double sided-ness, but that his loyalties lie with the peasants behind the revolution.

In Secret

“The escort were two mounted patriots… present danger arose from one of the patriots being chronically drunk…” (256-257)

This double of the drunken patriot and the sober patriot represents the revolutionaries as a whole. It shows us that since the revolutionaries have taken over Paris, although half of them are sober, the other half is completely trashed. It adds to the revolutionaries’ character, giving them a sense of inability and rashness. When someone is drunk, they cannot think properly, their actions are full of carelessness and stupidity, and they have an inability to govern themselves. This half of the revolutionaries that is drunk has all of these traits, except they don’t just have to govern themselves; they have to govern all of the other revolutionaries plus the lately fallen aristocrats. That much power in the hands of drunken people can go seriously wrong. Since they cannot think properly, it is extremely hard for them to govern fairly as well as properly, which would be helpful to Charles Darnay. The sober patriot, however, thinks clearly and when all the revolutionaries try to attack Charles Darnay, he saves Charles and closes a gate between them and the revolutionaries while the drunken patriot just sat and watched: “the postmaster interposed himself between this man and the rider’s bridle (at which he was evidently making), and soothingly said, ‘Let him be; let him be! He will be judged at Paris’ (257). If the sober patriot had been drunk, he would have either done nothing or joined in with the crowd, but since he was sober, although he doesn’t like Charles, he realized that Charles needed a fair trial in Paris and saved him from the mob instead of letting him die. If the majority of the revolutionaries were sober, they’d have the same thought process as the sober patriot, and they might realize that all the aristocrats deserve fair trials, unlike their current treatment of being thrown in prison for even helping an aristocrat. In this chapter, the recklessness of the revolutionaries and the unfairness of their actions is developed and portrayed in a negative light by Dickens.

The Married Couple

“When the newly-married pair came home, the first person who appeared, to offer his congratulations, was Sydney Carton. They had not been at home many hours, when he presented himself. He was not improved in habits, or in looks, or in manner; but, there was a certain rugged air of fidelity about him, which was new to the observation of Charles Darnay.” (214)

Dickens describes Carton to be as similar in resemblance and manner as before, but now, he seems to have loyalty and respect for the married “pair”. In this passage, I think Dickens is almost hinting to the fact that Darnay and Carton could be the pair because Carton is becoming a much more mature person. Not only did they always share physical characteristics, but they are now beginning to share emotional and mental traits. Carton has slowed down his drinking and is beginning to change from the crazy drunk he used to be. Lucie has respect and sympathy for Carton, and one must imagine that Darnay is somewhat happy he has cleaned up his act. This new, emerging version of Carton is beginning to seem more like a twin to Darnay than an opposite.

Double Motifs Including Double Trouble?! Oh Snap.

"So strangely clouded were these refinements by the prison manners and gloom, so spectral did they become in the inappropriate squalor and misery through which they were seen, that Charles Darnay seemed to stand in a company of the dead. Ghots all! ... All waiting their dismissal from the desolate shore, all turning on him eyes that were changed by the death they had died in coming here" (265). 

Despite the correction of Charles Darnay who "requested the speaker to take notice that he was a free traveler and French citizen," he is now stripped of his name and referred to like everyone else, "the prisoner." This is much alike Doctor Manette because when he was "the prisoner," he too was stripped of his name and was referred to as "One Hundred and Five North Tower." Not only does the jail keeper repeatedly refer to Darnay as "prisoner" but so does Dickens by means of narration. The prisoner motif comes in through this by showing that when you are in prison, you are like an object rather than a human being, nothing more. The doubles motif is not only present because of the similarity between Doctor Manette's naming experiences in prison and Charles Darnay's, but also their physical experience. The people that Darnay encounters look like ghosts with empty eyes, which is exactly what Doctor Manette looked like when we first saw him widdling away at a pair of shoes in Defarge's home. Later, when Darnay arrives in his solitary confinement cell, he sees that "there were in the cell, a chair, a table, and a straw mattress" which is what we found out Doctor Manette had in his cell when Defarge sacks it. Almost immediately after being left alone, Darnay unintentionally conforms to fit the "prisoner" personality, "Now am I left, as if I were dead." 

One Night - I'm also sorry that this is late

“The marriage day was shining brightly, and they were ready outside the closed door of the Doctor’s room”

The two separate places that Lucie and her father are in represent that although they’re staying in the same house, there will be something that separates them into two different places after Lucie marries Charles Darnay. This may be good for Lucie because she has grown an unhealthy attachment to her father. It should also be good for Dr. Manette because he hasn’t been able to survive without Lucie constantly with him, which is an extremely unhealthy attachment. Dr. Manette reverts back to his old habits when he is separated from Lucie which, as bad it may sound, was actually good for him because he managed to find his own way out of the darkness, without the help of Lucie. This door that has been created between them, like the door that separated the room Dr. Manette was in and the place Lucie was, has been helpful for both of them, and since it is a door, and not a wall, it allows for them to still see each other, without having an unhealthy attachment to each other. These two separate places are the double I found in these chapters, and it creates a healthy barrier between the doctor and his daughter.

Leaving a Double Behind (sorry this is so late)

“I find it difficult to imagine any such violent sounding of that string again...” (210).

The double himself, Dr. Manette, tells Mr. Lorry (a double in his own right) that he thinks he will never have a relapse again. Just before this, he had been in a shoemaking frenzy for nine days, brought on by recalling “intense associations of a most distressing nature” (209), which is his time in prison. What he is saying now is that the “circumstances likely to renew it” (210) will not happen again, and therefore these crazy lapses will not happen again. Dr. Manette previously had a double personality: one as Lucie’s loving father and the other as the imprisoned Doctor of Beauvais. Now he is permanently discarding his old persona, because the circumstances that bring on those recollections will never arise again. It’s unclear what exactly these are, but it seems rather certain he will not go back; he allowed Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross to destroy his shoemaking tools (his link to his old life as a prisoner). He tells them to do it in Lucie’s name; clearly she is the reason he is abandoning his double. He probably wants to be the best father he can be for her

Darnay's Mental Breakdown

“‘The ghosts that vanished when the wicket closed. There was one among them, the appearance of a lady dressed in black, who was leaning in the embrasure of a window, and she had a light shining upon her golden hair, and she looked like****Let us ride on again, for God’s sake, through the illuminated villages with the people all awake! ****He made shoes, he made shoes, he made shoes. ****Five paces by four and a half.’” (267)

 

            This passage is an excerpt from Charles Darnay’s prison experience. Darnay’s thoughts in this passage are focused on Doctor Manette – “He made shoes etc.” – and Lucie. Because he sees Lucie (golden hair) is dressed in black clothes, he briefly visits his funeral and it is quite obvious that he thinks that he is going to die – not to mention the “in secret” scene. But, in this scene we see Darnay as a prisoner, and a double of Doctor Manette’s prison years – two different motifs. I think that Dickens has Darnay go crazy for a little bit not only to foreshadow his death, but also to show that no matter how composed someone is, when their life is on the line, everyone is a little bonkers. Up until this little mental breakdown, we only see Darnay as being a very passionate man with a somewhat negative family connotation that floats around him. But, now we see Darnay with his life on the line and he has lost his composure and his mind has taken over his free thought. I think that this is Dickens’ form of Charles showing Doctor Manette empathy because at this moment Darnay is going through exactly what Doctor Manette did for twenty some years. Furthermore, earlier in the chapter Darnay clearly regrets his decision to return to France because his life is in danger. Darnay now understands that his family is more important than his reputation in France, but it seems to me like he is going to die because he made the mistake of reversing the two.     

Unconscious Double

“‘I have pictured my daughter, to myself, as perfectly forgetful of me – rather, altogether ignorant of me, and unconscious of me.” (196)

            “With hope ever darkening, and with a heart always growing heavier and heavier, Mr Lorry passed through his anxious time. the secret was well kept, and Lucie was unconscious and happy; but, he could not fail to observe that the shoemaker, whose hand had been a little out at first, was growing dreadfully skilful, and that he had never been so intent on his work, and that his hands had never been so nimble and expert, as in the dusk of the ninth evening.” (205)

            The first passage, taken from “One Night”, is Doctor Manette’s thought of what his daughter would be – unconscious of his existence. The second passage, taken from “Nine Days”, tells that Lucie is unconscious to her father’s current state. These passage are clearly double and when you read the second one make you sad because originally Lucie was not unconscious of her father’s existence even though it may have seemed like she was considering he was in jail and she had never met him, but now she is out on her honeymoon without a care (unconscious to the commotion of her house) and her father is in more hell than he was before, as shown by his deft shoemaking hands.

The Ultimate Double: Two Cities

“[Little Lucie] chattered in the tongues of the Two Cities that were blended in her life,” (219).

 

This description of Lucie Manette’s daughter playing, is literally saying that she speaks in both French and English, the two languages that are part of her life (living in England and having her parents of French descendants). There is another interesting aspect of this quote; it is the first time a fragment of the title has been referenced. By using the capitalized form of ‘Two Cities’, Dickens immediately draws the reader’s attention to the relevance it holds in the title of the novel.  It also reveals that he is speaking not of just two cities in France and England, but the two cities that have become the theme of contrast in the novel. By showing that Lucie’s daughter is involved with both cities, it sets up a parallel for the next few chapters when the Revolution breaks out. The mayhem in France is repeatedly juxtaposed with the life of the Manettes and Darnays in England like on page 222 when the footsteps are ‘forcing their way into anyone’s life…footsteps as far off as the little circle in London’. Or when Mr. Lorry talks of the effect the crisis in France is having of French customers of Tellsons Bank (221). This double figure serves as a connection between all the events in the book so far as the characters lives and stories seem to come full circle, thus explaining why it is an appropriate title. 

The Fellow Of Delicacy

"It was Stryver's grand peculiarity that he always seemd too big for any place, or space. He was much too big for Tellson's that old clerks in distant corners looked up with looks of remonstrance, as though he squeezed them against the wall......The discreet Mr. Lorry said in a sample tone of the voice he would recommend under the circumstances. 'How do you do Mr. Stryver? How do you do, sir?' and shook hands." (Page 148)


In this passage, Dickens describes how Stryver always seems to be too large for any place he goes. Obviously, he is not referring to his weight or stature, but perhaps his ego or overall personality. So far in the book, we have seen Stryver's ego get the best of him in many situations. He considers himself doing a service to Lucie by asking her to marry him (being the successful, upward-moving man that he is.) Dickens contrasts Stryver's egotistic entrance to the bank with the very "discreet" response by Mr. Lorry. It is quite apparent that these two men are portrayed as opposites in this passage, and Dickens once again uses Stryver in one of his "Double Trouble" motifs.

Double Double Doctor Doctor..Double Doctor!

"'Miss Pross, with a terrified face, was in his ear. 'O me, O me! All is lost!' cried she, wringing her hands. 'What is to be told to Ladybird? He doesn't know me, and is making shoes!' Mr. Lorry said what he could to calm her, and went himself into the Doctor's room. The bench was turned towards the light, as it had been when he had seen the shoemaker at his work before, and his head was bent down, and he was very busy...Doctor Manette took what was given to him to eat and drink, and worked on, that first day, until it was too dark to see" (202).

Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross enter panic mode when they see Doctor Manette making shoes because that is what he did to pass his time as a prisoner. When they ask him questions and talk about his life and his daughter, even themselves, he does not understand what they are talking about or who they are. Something about his conversation with Charles Darnay prior to the wedding ceremony, made Doctor Manette enter his previous blank state of mind - he went into relapse after doing so well with Lucie by his side. The double factor of this situation lies in the Doctor(s) identity. It's almost as if he has a double identity - Doctor Manette, Lucie's father, and The Doctor of Beauvais, the prisoner. On pages 196 and 197 when Doctor Manette is reflecting on his time in prison, Dickens calls him the Doctor of Beauvais; but otherwise, he is referred to as Doctor Manette. It's like the doctor suffers from multiple identity disorder, because we know it's not just a mood change since he is not aware of these two identities. On pages 207 and 208 it seems as though the doctor is back to his Doctor Manette self, but he is very confused. At breakfast he looks at his hands many times, and does not remember how they got to be so weathered - he does not remember how he vigorously worked on making a pair of shoes. "Glancing at his hands, which were discoloured by his late work, the Doctor looked troubled" (196). And then, the worried Mr. Lorry brings up a situation involving the "case of a particularly dear friend of" his. Mr. Lorry proceeds to tell Doctor Manette his own biography and the doctor is completely oblivious that this is what he has been for the past nine days and nine nights. The Doctor then diagnoses what he doesn't know is himself and says, "it is probable that there had long been a dread lurking in his mind, that those associations would be recalled - say, under certain circumstances - say, on a particular occasion." The entire thing is dramatic irony because we all know that Doctor Manette is the one Mr. Lorry speaks worriedly of, but he does not. Whatever Charles Darnay confessed to his now father-in-law, brought out the "second identity" in Doctor Manette because of the memory that was triggered. It must have been and extremely painful memory, indeed.

The Two Faces of Jacques

The term "Jacques" is used to label someone involved in the plotting of the French revolution. It provides anonymity and the sense of being one of many. However, it serves to identify them and separate them as being a member of the revolution as much as it serves to make them "invisible".



Just as the name of Jacques is duplicate, so too are the revolutionaries who bear it. Who are these men? Farmers, crofters, blacksmiths, tanners, and more; common men all. No one of high birth or great merit, no men of true distinction. They are the peasantry; the lowliest of the French citizenry, scorned and debased by the nobility. But these men are also Jacques, the driving force behind one of the most momentous events in French history. Take Monsieur Defarge as an example. His occupation is wine shop manager, a job as ordinary the next. And yet he is also a Jacques; one of the minds behind the planning of the coming revolution. The double meanings of Jacques and the double lives of the men who use the name are major pieces of Knitting and Still Knitting, as well as the book as a whole.

The Three Jacques

“Out of the wine-shop into the street, out of the street into a court-yard, out of the court-yard up a steep staircase, out of the staircase into a garret – formerly the garret where a white-haired man sat on a low bench, stooping forward and very busy, making shoes.

            No white-haired man was there now; but, the three men were there who had gone out of the wine-shop singly. And between them and the white-haired man afar off, was the one small link, that they had once looked in at him through the chinks in the wall.” (173)

This passage doubles a short scene that we saw back in the first wine shop chapter when Defarge is bringing Mr. Lorry and Lucie up to the room of Doctor Manette. In that scene, Defarge quickly ushers the three Jacques out of the narrow hallway before he and his guests enter. In class we had come to the conclusion that Doctor Manette was on somewhat a display for the three Jacques as an example of possible repercussions of their forthcoming actions. In the above passage we have the same three Jacques, in the same room, going about the same business as they had six (?) years earlier. This time however, in the scene thereafter, they learn of the fate of their friend and Jacques, Gaspard. Again, this story does not faze the gentlemen and they continue to make plans of attack. In addition to the obvious double, we are given some foreshadowing of, once again, the French Revolution.

Still Knitting...Darnay's Name!

"'But it is very strange - now, at least is it now very strange' said Defarge, rather pleading with his wife to induce her to admit it, 'that after all our sympathy for Monsieur her father and herself, her husband's name should be proscribed under your hand at this moment, by the side of that infernal dog's who has just left us?'

'Stranger things than that, will happen when it does come,'answered madame. ' I have them both here, of a certainty; and they are both here for their merits, that is enough'" (193).

Two chapters prior to this, Mr.Carton promised Lucie that if she or her loved one was ever in trouble, he would give his life to get them out of it. And now presents that trouble. Charles Darnay, Lucie's love and most-likely future husband, has been knitted into Madame Defarge's registry. Not only Darnay's name, but also Lucie's, because, Madame Defarge says, she will have the same name as him once they are wed. And that is where the double comes out - in the name Defarge, and how once they are married they will be Charles Darnay and Lucie Darnay. Although Charles does not approve of what some of the members of his family do, the hate that is assosiated to whatever his familial name is, followed him when the spy, John Barsad, informed the Defarges that Darnay is the nephew of the Marquis.

Carton Darnay Double...Again!

"For you and for any dear to you, I would do anything. If my career were of that better kind that there was any opportunity or capacity of sacrifice in it, I would embrace any sacrifice for you and for those dear to you. Try to hold me in your mind, at some quiet times, as ardent and sincere in this one thing. The time will come, the time will not be long in coming, when new ties will be formed about you - ties that will bind you yet more tenderly and strongly to the home you so adorn - the dearest ties that will ever grace and gladden you. O Miss Manette, when the little picture of a happy father's face looks up in yours, when you see your own bright beauty springing up anew at your feet, think now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you!"(159).

Here, Mr.Carton is making Lucie possibly the largest promise one could make another. He is promising that if she ever is in trouble, or if someone she loves is ever in trouble, he will give his life to make sure they are no longer in that trouble. Specifically, he is hinting on about Charles Darnay. Carton knows that Darnay and Lucie are after each other's hearts and he foreshadows Darnay being in trouble by bringing up his and Lucie's future baby. This is where the double presents itself, again in the physical similarity between Carton and Darnay. Carton tells Lucie that when she is looking into the face of her and Darnay's child, she will think of Carton because a part of Darnay will be in the baby, making it appear that a part of Carton resides there as well. As much as Carton stresses to Lucie that he will give up his life for her, he stresses more that he will give up his life for someone she loves. And the only people he indirectly talks about are Darnay and their child. Perhaps he is foreshadowing some trouble coming after the love of Lucie's life?

Inprisoned Doubles in "A Fellow of No Delicacy"

“ ‘If it had been possible, Miss Manette, that you could have returned the love of the man you see before you—self-flung away, wasted, drunken, poor creature of misuse as you know him to be… I know very well that you have no tenderness for me; I ask for none; I am even thankful that it cannot be.’

‘Without it, can I not save you, Mr. Carton? Can I not recall you—forgive me again!—to a better course?’” (156).

Here Mr. Carton is shown telling Lucie of the life that could have been his, and how he now a mere drunk; a ‘poor creature of misuse’. He tells her that he understands that she cannot love him, and wonders why he should even ask such a thing. Lucie responds by asking what she can do to help Carton restore his life.

This quote show Sydney Carton juxtaposed as a double of Dr. Manette. They both appear imprisoned. Dr. Manette was imprisoned literally, but also mentally, unable to escape the mind frame he was forced into while being held prisoner. Here we see Carton also imprisoned by his drunken and unmotivated habits, almost as if the Carton of delicacy that we see for the first time in this chapter is imprisoned in the Carton of no delicacy that is often portrayed. They both are able to change and break free of their imprisonment (as Dr. Manette has done to some extent), but are clearly having trouble doing so by themselves. Lucie is first sent to restore Dr. Manette to ‘life, love, duty, rest, comfort’ and here she is seen asking Sydney how she can save him as well. Dickens does a good job of pointing out this parallel by bringing back the phrase recall in the sentence ‘Can I not recall you to a better course?’ , which is much like how Lucie recalled Dr. Manette to life.

"A Companion Picture" and "A Fellow of Delicacy"

In these chapters, Stryver tells two men of his plans to ask Lucie to marry him. Each man in the pair gives a different type of reaction, giving insight into their personalities. When Carton is told the news, he begins to drink rapidly, and when asked if he was astonished replies "Why should I be astonished?" and if he approved, "Why should I not approve?" (145). On the other hand, after Mr. Lorry is informed of Stryver's decision, he gives his opinion to the man, telling him that it may not be such a good idea, saying, "it might be painful for you to find yourself mistaken" (152). Through these passages we can see that Carton is less likely to voice his opinion, although we know for sure that he has a very strong one since he started to drink so fervently, and because he was one of Miss Manette's suitors earlier in the book. Since he does not show this view by speaking, we can then assume he likes to keep his emotions to himself. By not interfering, he also shows he doesn't want to get involved in the situation. Mr. Lorry is the opposite, using his words instead of actions. He starts to show his true character of being opinionated and wanting to speak his mind that exists behind the facade he puts on for Tellson's. We see that there is much more to him than just a man of business working at a bank. This straightforwardness eventually leads to Stryver deciding not to propose, so Mr. Lorry's methods are much more effective, which is not a surprise.

The Fellow Of Delicacy - Double Zeugma

"As to the strength of his case, he had no doubt about it, but clearly saw his way to the verdict. Argued with jury on substantial worldly grounds - the only grounds ever woth taking into account - it was a plain case, and had not a weak spot in it. He called himself for the plaintiff, there was no getting over his evidence, the counsel for the defendant threw up his brief, and the jury did not even turn to consider" (147).

Literally this passage describes a court scene, in which Mr. Stryver is the persecutor; however figuratively this shows that even though Stryver's work life and personal life are two different things, they are only one to him, making them both seem less important than most might think they should be. If perhaps he did mary Lucie, would he mix her in to the same category he puts his work and the criminals he works with? If Stryver is comparing the courtship of his "love" to an arguable case in court, there is a problem. Hence the motif of double shows itself in the writing style of zeugma - courtship and court room.

The Fellow Of Delicacy

“Mr. Lorry’s veins, methodical as their courses could usually be, were in no better state now it was his turn” (151).

Mr. Lorry himself is an example of Double Trouble. On the one hand, he is a methodical, unfeeling business man, as described in past chapters. Previously, Mr. Lorry had clung to this business personality, but this scene reveals a whole new side of him seen only briefly before now. What Mr. Lorry usually would have done in this situation would be to agree with Stryver’s factual analysis of the proposal, disregarding emotions (like when he asked Lucie to tell him what nine times ninepence was, to console himself during her emotional soliloquy). However, now he acting very fatherly and wants Stryver to think more about Lucie. Though he tells Stryver that “as a man of business, I know nothing of it,” (152), he still goes on to tell him how he held Lucie in his arms and has “great affection” for both Lucie and Dr. Manette. This affection and emotional recollection of old times is quite a change from the old, unfeeling businessman we saw before. Mr. Lorry definitely has two sides to him.

The Gorgon's Head - Fountains

“The fountain in the village flowed unseen and unheard, and the fountain at the chateau dropped unseen and unheard – both melting away, like the minutes that were falling from the spring of Time – through three dark hours. Then, the grey water of both began to be ghostly in the light…” (132)

This quote illustrates the happenings of the past chapter as well as this chapter. “The fountain in the village” is the fountain where the kid that got ran over by the Marquis’ carriage was put after the tragic incident and the “fountain at the chateau” was described earlier in the chapter as one of the many parts of the chateau that was made stone by the gorgon’s head. The thing about these two fountains is that they’re both fountains and we’re not given a massively differing description about how the look – they’re both “unseen and unheard”. The thing that sets them apart is the movement of the water of the two fountains. The village fountain flows and the chateau fountain drops – which are two very different motions. It is possible that these fountains foreshadow the movement of the futures of the two differing social classes; the village fountain flows, just like the peasants will once they’ve taken over the higher class - there’ll be no stopping them once they’ve gotten going -, and the chateau’s fountain drops, just like every single higher-class person will once the peasants mobilize. It’s a very gruesome foreshadowing for a very beautifully painted picture. Altogether, this quote literally shows the difference between the two fountains, and figuratively shows the difference in the two classes and their futures.

The Gorgon's Head

"But, when his nephew, leaning an elbow on the table, covered his eyes thoughtfully and dejectedly with his hand, the fine mask looked at him sideways, with a strong concentration of keenness, closeness, and dislike, then was comportable with it's wearer's assumption of indifference" (128).

Literally, this passage means that when Charles Darnay was deeply thinking in the presence of his uncle, the Monsieur was looking at him with more intent and emotion then he normally would look at anyone since he generally does not care one way or another, he's indifferent. What is being figuratively stressed in this massage; is Monsieur's double personality. He put on a mask, changed himself for a moment, so that his nephew would believe that he cared about what Charles had to say on the subject of how their family is hated; however, masks can be taken off and put back on whenever the wearer chooses. When Monsieur's mask is off, and he is his true personality, he does not care about anyone but himself, and when it's on, he can take on any persona he wishes to and feign whatever he likes to his nephew. 

First Entry

Right before Jerry tells Mr. Lorry the results of the trial, Dickens notes that Carton and Darnay are "so alike in feature, so unlike in manner" (81). This is significant because Carton's resemblance to Darnay is what causes Darnay to be named innocent. Physically, the two are very similar. However, their "manners" are quite different. While Darnay is mature and eloquent, Carton is more eccentric and seems lazy (but later we discover he works hard). Darnay is the kind of man Carton could have been, and Carton acknowledges this when he says "He shows you what you have fallen away from and what you might have been!" (89). Carton says that no one cares about him. Carton's jealousy of Darnay is apparent.