Sweetest Last

“The setting sun, and music at its close, as the last taste of sweets, is sweetest last.” As the sunset ends the day, so the last bar ends the score, and there is nothing else. The ending of something is where everything comes to a close. In literature, the story may end abruptly or in a way that pleases the reader. The ending of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens brings a satisfactory sense of closure to the novel.
True closure of a story resolves conflicts. It does not just drop something suddenly and never finish. The characters are given an ending. This is done in many ways, ranging from a “happily ever after” ending to a tragic Romeo and Juliet in which most if not all of the main characters die. An ending like this ties events together, and small clues throughout the novel begin to make sense and have meaning. The reader can then see why an event happened the way it did and what its purpose was.
A Tale of Two Cities does not simply end; it closes. It does resolve conflicts. One major idea belonging to Madame Defarge is that the entire line of Evrémonde must be extinguished. So great is her determination that old letters from a friend of Charles Darnay a successor in the line were dredged up from the past. Darnay is arrested twice and apparently beheaded, therefore satisfying Madame Defarge’s craving for the blood of Evrémonde. At this time, the French Revolution is taking place. At the end of the novel it shows that the Revolution did indeed end. As far as characters go, it shows their passing from the earth and even what happens to their children. Sydney Carton is executed by the Guillotine in an unforeseen, selfless act of love and friendship that saves the life of Charles Darnay, the husband of Lucie Manette. Lucie is the only woman Carton loves, and earlier he says to her, “For you, and for any dear to you, I would do anything. . .think now and again that there is a man who would give his life to keep a life you love beside you.” This quote is given meaning later on, when Carton changes places with Darnay in prison. It is in this moment that Carton overcomes his self-image of worthlessness. He is redeemed in this one act. The sacrifice of his own life for “a life you love.” The reader sees this downtrodden man turned into a savior, thereby proving that Carton’s life does have a purpose, and that the jackal is not the rude reject he appears to be. Charles Darnay, the Manettes, Mr. Lorry, Miss Pross, and Jerry Cruncher all leave France and return to England, providing the only happy ending in the book. Madame Defarge, a bloodthirsty and terrifying woman, as well as a leader of the Revolution, is stopped in her quest for the Evrémondes when she is shot with her own gun. This woman’s very life revolves around her knitting, into which she weaves the name of those she deems condemned, thus darkening her reputation in the reader’s mind. Madame’s death therein allows a slight uplift at the thought that this monster exists no longer. A Tale of Two Cities gives a ‘what happens next’ account of the remaining characters and tells what became of them. Also, the novel ends with a memorable and quotable line, just as it began.
Closure is bringing something to a conclusion. In literature, this is sometimes accomplished by ending much the same way as its beginning. One such novel begins and ends with the exact same sentence - “As I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind - Paul Newman and a ride home.” Ending in this way gives the reader a feeling of having gone “there and back again.” It brings the story around full circle, tying up loose ends and associating one event with another. Sometimes this is not true in life. Events can happen without giving closure. A Tale of Two Cities states that “Death is Nature’s remedy for all things.” But suppose a person dies leaving a perpetuating argument and things unsaid. A conflict is left unresolved. In a closure, conflict is finished, and the ending leaves the reader with a satisfied feeling about the story. The ending may not be happy or what was expected, but it successfully finishes the novel. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens ends with a memorable and pleasing sense of closure.