A Tale Of Two Cities Chapter 7 Summary
Okay, let's talk about A Tale of Two Cities, Chapter 7. "Monseigneur in Town." Fancy, right? Spoiler alert: it’s mostly about how ridiculously rich and out-of-touch the French aristocracy were. I know, shocking!
So, Monseigneur, who is basically the epitome of French nobility, is having chocolate. Chocolate! Think about that while everyone else is starving. You know, just a casual detail Dickens throws in there.
The Chocolate Incident (and My Unpopular Opinion)
A coach barrels through the streets. A kid gets run over. Horrible, right? Everyone is devastated. Okay, almost everyone.
Must Read
Monseigneur’s only concern? His horses! Seriously? I’m going to say it: maybe this whole "revolution" thing wasn't entirely unwarranted. Just a thought.
The kid's father, Gaspard, is understandably upset. He throws a coin into the carriage. Is he trying to bribe the rich people for their action? Or is it a sign of dissatisfaction? I am not sure.
The Aftermath: A Glimpse of the Oppressed
Monsieur Defarge steps in. He comforts Gaspard. Defarge, ever the revolutionary, is probably thinking, "Another one bites the dust... into our revolution!"
Then there's Madame Defarge. Knitting, always knitting. What is she knitting? It can be seen as the names of people on her list to be killed during the revolution. She's like the OG social media troll, except with yarn.
We also meet Charles Darnay. He is probably minding his business and tries to help the poor child. He’s the nephew of the Marquis St. Evrémonde. I wonder, does he know what's coming?
My unpopular opinion: Darnay, despite his background, isn't that bad. Is he guilty of his uncle's sins? Seems a bit unfair, doesn't it?
The Marquis: Evil Incarnate (or Just a Jerk?)
Enter the Marquis St. Evrémonde. This guy is pure, unadulterated, concentrated awfulness. He doesn’t even pretend to care about the dead kid.
He throws some money to Gaspard, as if a few coins can make up for a life. The audacity! You just want to reach into the book and slap him, right?
He’s all about maintaining the status quo. You know, because being a horrible human being is so much easier than, like, being decent. He’s basically every villain in every historical drama, rolled into one smug package.
He drives away with Darnay. Darnay seems to have different opinions from his uncle. He can see that the peasants are in a horrible state.
Unpopular Opinion Time (Again!)
Okay, so maybe the Marquis is a bit of a caricature. But isn’t that the point? Dickens is showing us how truly detached from reality the aristocracy had become.
They’re so focused on their own comfort and privilege that they can’t even see the suffering around them. It's like they're living in a totally different world. One filled with chocolate, apparently.
The chapter ends with a ominous feeling. You know something bad is going to happen. Tension builds.
So, yeah, Chapter 7. Rich people being awful. Poor people suffering. Revolution brewing. Nothing new under the sun, really. Unless you're the kid under the carriage wheels. Then, it's very new. And extremely unpleasant.
But hey, at least we got to talk about chocolate, right? Silver linings, people!
