An Analysis of Symbolism in A Tale of Two Cities 
Abstract
A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens, the famous English novelist, is an example of applying symbolism. In this novel, many colors, sounds and actions of the characters become images endowed with symbolic meanings. On one hand, the frequent emergence of some images makes the plot more compact and coherent. On the other, their symbolic connotation has delivered the thoughts of the author and deepened the theme of the work. Moreover, images of the same category are not used independently, without connection with each other; rather, they are endowed with opposite symbolic meanings so as to better express the complex theme better. In this paper, the symbolic connotation of main images of colors (red and golden), sounds( two kinds of footsteps) and people’s actions (knitting and making shoes) and how they are used to deepen the theme or (and) embellish the plot of the novel are analyzed. The contrast of the different symbolic meanings of images from the same category is emphasized. From the analysis we can draw the conclusion that this novel, with its ingenious application of symbolism, is the unity of the author’s thoughts and his technique.

Keywords: A Tale of Two Cities, symbolism, theme, plot, contrast
Contents
Introduction.1
   1.   A brief introduction to A Tale of Two Cities1
   2.   Symbolism and its application in A Tale of Two Cities.1
Chapter One   Symbolism of colors and their effect 3
   2.1  The image of the “red” color and its implication of “blood” and “violence” 3
   2.2  The image of the “golden” color and its implication of “benevolence”and“salvation”4
Chapter Two   Symbolism of two kinds of “footsteps” and their effect 6
Chapter Three   Symbolism of actions and their effect 8
   3.1   The image of “knitting” and its implication of “revenge”8
   3.2   The image of “making shoes” and its implication of “forgiveness”9
Conclusion.11
Bibliography12