Barsad/Solomon and Cly in Two Cities
Edward Langlais (langlais@NS.AMSCHOOL.EDU.SV)
Mon, 26 Jan 1998 14:51:50 +0000
Dear Mr. Dickens,
I am currently rereading "A Tale of Two Cities" in preparation for
teaching the novel to my senior class next month. I am confused
about a particular plot development in the novel and cannot seem to
find any answers to this question in the literary criticism available
to me.
In the chapter "A Hand at Cards" Sydney Carton confronts Barsad in an
attempt to blackmail him into helping with the rescue of Darnay. In
this chapter it is revealed that Robert Cly did not in fact die as
was reported in a previous chapter. Why does this persuade Barsad
to help Carton. My original thought was that Cly and Barsad
were in fact the same person; however, upon reflection this cannot be
the case as the two were mentioned as distinctly different people in
the trial of Darnay at the begtinning of Book II.
Could you please sort this problem out for me?
Thank you,
Ted Langlais
Escuela Americana, El Salvador