Tale of Two Cities Character Sketch: Dr. Alexander Manette

Alexander Manette proves to be a very dynamic character in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. When we first meet him in book one, he has just been "recalled to life" after being imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years. He is disoriented and in shock at first, unable to function. Had he been able to speak, one would imagine he would answer questions like the ressurected man in Cruncher's daydream, who, when he was asked "Buried how long?" and "I hope you care to live?" always replied, "Almost 18 years" and "I can't say," respectively (24). Manette goes through changes, and goes on to become an important player in the story, despite suffering some setbacks.

Manette's 18 years in the Bastille didn't do much for his physical condition; he aged a great deal while imprisoned. He's described as a white-haired man with a short, "raggedly cut" beard, and a thin, "hollow" face. He wears yellowed, ragged clothing, which reveals his "withered and worn" body. Incarceration didn't do wonders for his mental condition either; when we first meet him, he is perpetually bent over a cobbler's bench, making and mending shoes with a madman's intensity. After five years of recovery in the company of his daughter, however, Dickens tells us it is "difficult to recognize" him as the man we met in the beginning. His recovery has led him to be "intellectual of face" and "upright of bearing" (86). He's even resumed his work as a doctor, receiving patients in his home and earning a living for himself, his daughter Lucie, and Lucie's nurse, Miss Pross (101). He still has dark moments, from which only his daughter Lucie can bring him out. He depends on her for stability, but has mostly returned to his old self. He wants the best for his daughter, even valuing her happiness more than his own mental condition - he tells her "my future is far brighter… through your marriage, than it… ever was without it" (188), even though he knows her marriage could completely disrupt his stability.

Manette has an internal conflict going on throughout the story - he is haunted by his stay in prison, and keeps a shoemaking bench by his side, but refuses to discuss its purpose. He only directly mentions shoemaking when he is first "recalled to life," explaining that he learned the skill by teaching himself in the Bastille, noting "I have made shoes ever since". The bench is his connection to the dark 18 years, and he reverts to a troubled cobbler when overly stressed. When Charles Darnay confesses his love of Lucie to Dr. Manette, he is shaken, and almost immediately resumes his shoemaking. It takes days to bring him back to normal, and he still has tense moments after returning to his normal self. His worst lapse happens when Lucie marries Darnay, after which he goes into a trance-like state. It takes nine days under the care of Jarvis Lorry and Miss Pross for him to snap out of it, and he cautiously discusses his condition with Lorry, seemingly conquering it. Pretending he is talking about a "particularly dear friend" of Lorry's, Manette gives an explanation and diagnosis, revealing that "the relapse was… not quite unforeseen." Following Lorry's suggestion, he disposes of the workbench, and is finally able to move on.

His sanity mostly intact, Manette is then able to make his most important contribution to the story in the third book. When his son-in-law is imprisoned for the first time, he lobbies on his behalf, trying to get him a fair trial, so he won't be buried and forgotten about like he was. He uses the respect he earned during his stay in the Bastille to rally support, eventually getting Darnay acquitted - and therefore saving his life. He is unable to help in such a manner the second time Darnay is arrested, but he wants to guarantee his daughter's and granddaughter's happiness, telling them where they can stand so Darnay will see him from his window. Manette is strong and confident when he's helping his daughter and her husband, nearly opposite what he was in the beginning of the story. His progress is almost lost, however, at the story's climax, when it's revealed he is the reason Darnay is imprisoned. The events leading to Manette's arrest, which he wrote about while in prison, also connect Darnay to the former Marquis Evremond. Due to his relation to the murderous tyrant, the court sentences Darnay to death. The shock sends him into a frenzy, he asks where his cobbler's bench is, blaming himself for the outcome of the trial.

Dr. Manette ends up being a very interesting character, who shows many sides to the reader - the broken prisoner, the respectable doctor, the basket case suffering from flashbacks, and the vigorous defender. It's his actions before and during the story that provide for the major events of the story. We're never sure why he was brought to trial after 18 years, but his resurrection is the catalyst for the rest of the action. His relapses make him an unrealistic character, but we're never sure of exactly what torture he suffered to cause them.