Light Vs. Dark

          In chapter six of A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens uses light and dark to set the tone of hopefulness for Lucie and Dr. Manette's relationship. He writes, "I want, to let in a little more light here. You can bear a little more?" (Dickens 30) In this quote, Dickens is referring to Lucie as the light. Defarge is talking to Lucie's father, Dr. Manette, and asking if he can let his daughter in. Dr. Manette didn't even know he had a child, but her presence would give I'm the much needed hope and light to help him out of his darkness. Dickens then displays darkness by saying, "Darkness had fallen on him in its place" (Dickens 32). Being imprisoned for years, with nobody to talk to, and nothing to do really put Dr. Manette in a dark place. He became depressed and unpredictable, which made them worried about Lucie going near him because they didn't know what he would do or how he would react. Dickens says, "Then, as the darkness closed in, the daughter laid her head down on the hard ground close to the father's side, and watched him. The darkness deepened and deepened, as they both lay quiet, until a light gleamed through the chinks of the wall" (Dickens 36). This quote really showed Lucie's effect on her father. Although he is in a tough state right now, Lucie is willing to fix him up. Within the first few minutes of being with her father, Lucie has already brought light into her father's life, and has the hope and will to pull him out of the darkness he is trapped in. Overall in chapter six, light is overcoming and driving out the dark. Dickens writes about how Lucie is the light in her father's dark depressing life, and  that she is the one who will save him.