Who is Alexandre Manette
Alexandre Manette is a doctor by profession in Charles Dicken's most famous novel, A Tale of Two Cities. He is Lucie's father and a skilled physician. He is imprisoned in La Bastille for eighteen years before the French Revolution took place. The role of Dr. Manette in A Tale of Two Cities is significant and important for securing the lives of the central characters of this novel. Yes, we are talking about Lucie and Charles Darnay. But the Doctor was not all sane as his life as a "prisoner number 105, North Tower" drove him mad and he was preoccupied in making shoes. But when he is rescued by his daughter, he regains his lost intelligence which he utilizes to serve his purpose as a mentor for Lucie and Charles when the French Revolution is in its full swing.
Manette as a Mentor
The core role of Dr. Manette in the novel is to be an old but a wise guide to safeguard two lovers and the theme of love. Dr. Manette shows his character-archetype as a mentor when Lucie seems sceptical about her marriage with Charles as her marriage might affect her father's mental healing. But Dr. Manette is confident that their marriage shall help in his mental healing,
My future is far brighter, Lucie, seen through your marriage, than it could have been—nay, than it ever was—without it.
The second instance proves a piece of powerful evidence for Dr. Manette as a mentor. When he fails to rescue Charles Darnay, he asks his daughter to "draw his hands through his white hair, and wring them with a shriek of anguish.". Although such concern should have been shown by Lucie as Darnay directly related to her but Dr. Manette took the load of concern from his student Lucie, just like a mentor.
A true mentor treats the problems of his students as his own. Dr. Manette is no exception. He almost collapses when he fails to save his student's asset, Charles. Although Dr. Manette is mostly shown as a calm personality who can even withstand seeing the wild butchery under La Guillotine but he almost gives in his conscience when he fails in safeguarding Charles, thus treating the problems of his daughter (his student) his own. But lastly, he collapses and demands for his work-bench, thus breaking his arch-type as a mentor,
Let me get to work. Give me my work.
Is the Character of Dr. Manette Static or Dynamic?
The character of Dr. Manette does not remain the same. It develops from its initial static phase to its later dynamic excellence. Before declaring whether Doctor Manette is a dynamic character or a static one, we have to discover the static and dynamic traits of the character of Mr. Manette. His static trait is shown to us when he is confiscated in a dark cell and he has lost his identity of a doctor. But when Lucie rescues his father from the dark shadows of the Bastille, his dynamic personality kicks in. The sound mentality he regains and his undiscovered influence among the Jacqueses that he utilizes to save his Son-in-Law in the first place. That influence infuses a new soul of confidence in Doctor that enables him to be a solicitor of Charles,
My dear friend, I have a charmed life in this city. I have been a Bastille prisoner. There is no patriot in Paris—in Paris? In France— who, knowing me to have been a prisoner in the Bastille, would touch me, except to overwhelm me with embraces, or carry me in triumph.
So, it is difficult to determine the scope of Dr. Manette's character as a pure static or a dynamic one. However, we can confidently state that his character progresses from static to dynamic with some slight relapses.
Conclusion
The role of Dr. Manette in A Tale of Two Cities is mainly governed by the internal and external conflicts that he meets in securing his loved ones from the pangs of social plight. However, he checks the required qualities of a mentor to guide his students to successfully escape from the hard hours of life.
Sources and Suggested Readings
- https://prezi.com/p/tar6ztraofbe/character-analysis-dr-manette/
- https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/tale-of-two-cities/doctor-manette
- https://schoolworkhelper.net/dr-alexandre-manette-character-analysis/
- https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/a-tale-of-two-cities/character/doctor-manette/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_Manette?oldformat=true
thanx sir great work
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