Subject: Re: TLM and Tale of Two Cities
From: Paul Miller (phm@midsouth.rr.com)
Date: Wed Oct 04 2000 - 13:36:47 GMT
A few words on how Salinger played on A Tale of Two Cities in the story the
Chief tells the kids The Laughing man.
TTC: action takes place between Paris and London
TLM: action takes place between Paris and China
TTC: Bandits and thieves abound in this novel
TLM: Bandits kidnap TLM
TTC: the two Defarges in Paris are the evil enemies
TLM: The two Dufarges in Paris are the evil enemies
TTC: Manette is imprisoned for 18 years and this effects his mind
TLM: TLM's head is imprisoned in a vise and this mis-shapes his head
TTC: Madame Defarge is killed by her own pistol as she is trying to shoot
someone
TLM: The Dufarges die after bullets they fired into TLM are re-gurgitated
out
TTC: Resurrection is a constant theme of this novel, "recalled to life"
TLM: TLM after taking four bullits, two in the heart, resurrects
TTC: Carton saves Darnay by dying in his place at the guillotine
TLM: TLM trades places with the captured Black Wing
TTC: Carton before he dies physically he dies in spirit because he has no
hope of his love Lucie
TLM: Before TLM dies physically he dies in spirit because of the death of
his beloved Black Wing
TTC: Carton's head is cut off at the end of this novel
TLM: TLM pulls of his mask as he dies
At the beginning of chapter three Dickens writes: " A wonderful fact to
reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound
secret and mystery to every other." This may have led to the masking of
TLM.
List members may see more examples of play on this novel and I may be off
base on some of this. I don't doubt however that Salinger did have "A Tale
of Two Cities" in mind when he wrote The Laughing Man.
Paul Miller
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