Tale of Two Cities/Les Miserable Comparison

By: Brock Sooley

Background of A Tale of Two Cities

Background of A Tale of Two Cities image
In the late 1700's a Tale of Two Cities takes place. In a Tale of Two Cities there were multiple main characters including the Defarges, Dr. Manette, Lucie Manette, Sydney Carton, and Charles Darnay. Many actions made mostly by Madame Defarge and Charles Darnay lead to many actions which then leads to a revolution where we learn things never learned before and an ultimate sacrifice of Sydney Carton for Charles Darnay and Lucie so they can live their best life. Madame Defarge ends up dying; Charles, Lucie, and Dr. Manette leave for London.

Background of Les Miserable

In Les Miserable we follow the story of a man who gets released from prison named Jean Valjean. Other characters include in relation to Jean Valjean; Marius: revolutionary leader who starts the new revolution. Cosette: Valjean's adopted daughter after her mother Fantine died. Javert: an officer who peruses Valjean throughout the movie. Eponine: Arguably Marius's best friends and secret admirer. During the second act death starts to happen during this second revolution with many people dying including Valjean at the end of the movie for a final revise of "Do You Hear The People Sing?" 
Background of Les Miserable image

The Characters

Charles Darnay/Marius

Falls in love with the main character (Lucie/Cosette.)

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Lucie Manette/Cosette

The Golden Thread

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Sydney Carton

The Jackal

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Madame Defarge/Javert

The Knitter

These two people are the same because they both can't handle that people change and will not stop until they end their problem.

Dr. Manette/Jean Valjean

The Shoemaker

Both of these characters went to jail and were released. They both were a big part of their revolutions.

The Song and Lyrics

The Song and Lyrics image
The Song: One Day More
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qkf0fLU2Ao
The Lyrics:

[VALJEAN]
One day more
Another day, another destiny
This never-ending road to Calvary
These men who seem to know my crime
Will surely come a second time
One day more

[MARIUS]
I did not live until today
How can I live when we are parted?

[VALJEAN]
One day more

[MARIUS & COSETTE]
Tomorrow you'll be worlds away
And yet with you, my world has started

[EPONINE]
One more day all on my own

[MARIUS & COSETTE]
Will we ever meet again?

[EPONINE]
One more day with him not caring

[MARIUS & COSETTE]
I was born to be with you

[EPONINE]
What a life I might have known

[MARIUS & COSETTE]
And I swear I will be true

[EPONINE]
But he never saw me there

[ENJOLRAS]
One more day before the storm

[MARIUS]
Do I follow where she goes?

[ENJOLRAS]
At the barricades of freedom

[MARIUS]
Shall I join my brothers there?

[ENJOLRAS]
When our ranks begin to form

[MARIUS]
Do I stay; and do I dare?

[ENJOLRAS]
Will you take your place with me?

[ALL]
The time is now, the day is here

[VALJEAN]
One day more

[JAVERT]
One day more to revolution
We will nip it in the bud
We'll be ready for these schoolboys
They will wet themselves with blood

[VALJEAN]
One day more

[M. & MME. THENARDIER]
Watch 'em run amuck
Catch 'em as they fall
Never know your luck
When there's a free for all
Here's a little 'dip'
There a little 'touch'
Most of them are goners
So they won't miss much

[Students (2 Groups)]
[1:] One day to a new beginning

[2:] Raise the flag of freedom high

[1:] Every man will be a king

[2:] Every man will be a king

[1:] There's a new world for the winning

[2:] There's a new world to be won

[ALL]
Do you hear the people sing?

[MARIUS]
My place is here, I fight with you

[VALJEAN]
One day more

[MARIUS & COSETTE]
I did not live until today

[EPONINE]
One more day all on my own

[MARIUS & COSETTE]
How can I live when we are parted?

[JAVERT (overlapping)]
We will join these people's heroes
We will follow where they go
We will learn their little secrets
We will know the things they know

[VALJEAN]
One day more

[MARIUS & COSETTE]
Tomorrow you'll be worlds away

[EPONINE]
What a life I might have known

[MARIUS & COSETTE]
And yet with you my world has started

[JAVERT (overlapping)]
One more day to revolution
We will nip it in the bud
We'll be ready for these schoolboys

[THENARDIERS (overlapping)]
Watch 'em run amok
Catch 'em as they fall
Never know your luck
When there's a free-for-all

[VALJEAN]
Tomorrow we'll be far away
Tomorrow is the judgement day

[ALL]
Tomorrow we'll discover
What our God in Heaven has in store
One more dawn
One more day
One day more

The Themes

There are three main themes represented in the song "One Day More" and the novel A Tale of Two Cities. The two themes include: courage and loneliness.
The Themes image

Theme of Courage

Sydney Carton makes one of the greatest acts of courage in a novel ever. However, in One Day More Marius is contemplating going into the probable revolution with his pal Enjolras. Eventually he makes up his decision to go and leave Cosette and go fight. Marius sings, "My place is here, I fight with you!" (Hooper. Les Miserables). Even though Marius knows the complications he still chooses to fight for his country which takes real courage. Sydney Carton made a very courageous act too; Sydney swapped places with his friend Charles Darnay so he can live a happily life with his wife Lucie and daughter. Sydney Carton is walking to his death with fifty-one other people set to die that day. Sydney and a lady are talking and she ends up asking, "'Are you dying for him?" Carton responds, "And his wife and child. Hush! Yes" (Dickens, pg. 360). Even though Marius did not die his sacrifice was still as meaningful as Carton's.
Theme of Courage image

Theme of Loneliness

Loneliness is the second theme represented in the song One Day More and the novel A Tale of Two Cities. In Les Miserable Marius likes Cosette and Cosette likes Marius. However, Marius' friend Eponine is essentially in love with Marius. In A Tale of Two Cities Charles marries Lucie, but Sydney loves Lucie. During the song Eponine sings, "One more day all on my own" (Hooper. Les Miserables). Sydney Carton becomes lonely when he does not have his love Lucie, but his bud Darnay does. He talks to Lucie and Carton says, "I know very well that you can have no tenderness for me; I ask for none" (Dickens, pg. 152). Even after the song and the quote they eventually make sacrifices for their person they love with death.
Theme of Loneliness image

The Symbols/Motifs

In the song and novel there is one major motif. These motifs are the idea of storm and blood.
The Symbols/Motifs image

Symbol of Blood

Symbol of Blood image
The symbol of blood in A Tale of Two Cities is very well known throughout the book, but in One Day More they also have the motif. In One Day More Javert says, "They will wet themselves with blood" (Hooper. Les Miserables). Blood symbolizes the death, also in A Tale of Two Cities they use blood to show that the revolution is coming and people will die. A person writes, "Scrawled upon a wall with his finger dipped in muddy wine lees-- BLOOD" (Dickens 30).

Citation Page

Citation Page image
Les Miserables. Dir. Tom Hooper. Perfs Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Ann Hathaway. Universal. 2012. DVD.
Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. New York: Bantam, 2003. Print.
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