Humor in Dickens Tale of Two Cities :: essays research papers

A Tale of ii Cities much in literature, humor is added in scenes to make them more(prenominal) interesting and more appealing to readers. Often times underneath the pleasing covers lay a much more serious principle. Charles Dickens does exactly this in A Tale of Two Cities, by making slight comedy of issues such(prenominal) as democracy, the lower class, and spousal abuse. In A Tale of Two Cities, the actions of Jerry Cruncher, while essentially very humorless, may seem peculiarly amusive to some people. The events that occur in chapter one of book two, concerning Mrs. Cruncher, is an appropriate deterrent example of this idea. In this scene, Jerry Cruncher yells at his wife because he thinks she was praying against him. To start with, because of this accusations obvious ridiculousness, it strikes readers as comical. One may even argue that he didnt in reality believe this, but maybe he was just bored and pictures gaiety in harassing his wife. To say such silly thing s out of boredom alike may hit someone as amusing. What generally makes this scene humorous is that Cruncher is so unjustified in yelling at his wife for such an absurd thing, and furthermore, he lacks any real evidence that she was doing what he accuses her of doing. plot of land this scene may seem like a comical one, with a silly husband, it is really calling attention to verbal abuse to wives. It is glaring that Cruncher has no respect whatsoever for his wife. At the time of this book, this was a public situation so either people did not notice the unassumingness because of the humor that is masking it, or it was an every day happenning for them. When Cruncher wakes up to find Mrs Cruncher praying (in reality praying for him), he reacts by throwing a muddy shoe at her. This notion may also seem like a rum one to readers. Because the idea of somebody getting hit in the principal by a muddy shoe can be humorous, if apply in an appropriate situation, such as a TV t ry out or a movie, it may also seem funny in this scene. The realness of the situation can be easily overlooked. When Dickens adds these unexplainable events, it may strike some as funny because his actions are so unjustified and random.