A robotic voice reads a poem chosen at random (something it does every day for the mother of the family): today, the poem is Sara Teasdale’s ‘ There Will Come Soft Rains’, a poem about ‘wartime’ which describes what the world would be like if ‘mankind perished utterly’: in summary, nature would not care and the world would carry on. In the afternoon, the automated devices in the house continue to prepare things for its owners, but there are still no humans in sight: the cards laid out for a game remain untouched and are cleared away.

The debris is then deposited in an incinerator which the narrator likens to ‘evil Baal’, a ‘false god’ from the Bible. The dog traipses mud into the house, and the robotic mice promptly clean up after him. It is shivering, emaciated, and covered in sores: although it’s not stated, it’s implied that this is a result of the nuclear attack which killed the dog’s owners. The Defarges cannot separate themselves from the desire for retribution and, therefore, know none of the overwhelming happiness and hope that the Doctor feels.Īpocryphal of doubtful authorship or authenticity not genuine.At noon, the family dog returns and the automated front door recognises the sound of its whine and opens to let it inside. The Doctor notes that 'there was a time in my imprisonment, when my desire for vengeance was unbearable,'but through Lucie's care he has overcome that need for revenge. However, the only future the Defarges look forward to is one of vengeance and retribution. Lucie's happiness is a triumph for the Doctor because he has successfully kept his sorrows and hardships from tainting her future. For the Manettes, the future is bright and hopeful, filled with the promise of love and children. Both pairs take a quiet moment out of their busy lives to assess where their lives are going. No matter what he imagined, though, he could never have imagined the degree of happiness that Lucie brought into his life.ĭickens juxtaposes the idyllic scene of Lucie and her father with the previous scene between the Defarges in the wine-shop.

He relates to her that when he was in prison he would think of the child he had never known and wonder what its fate was. Doctor Alexandre Manette responds by telling her that marriage is a natural step for her to take and that he is grateful that his imprisonment has not shadowed her life as it has his.

Lucie tells her father how happy she is and assures him that her love for Darnay will not interfere with their relationship. The night before Lucie's wedding, she and her father sit outside and discuss her upcoming marriage.

A tale of two cities sparknotes