Darnay is the handsome, caring, and loyal husband of Lucie. A man who gives up his title and fortune to work as a teacher and then is caught up in the violence of the revolution and condemned to death. Carton is a drunken, churlish lawyer who wastes his life and talents until his final crowning moment of selfless sacrifice. Which character do you like more? Which is more admirable? Which is the most believable?
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Carton vs. Darnay
Darnay is the handsome, caring, and loyal husband of Lucie. A man who gives up his title and fortune to work as a teacher and then is caught up in the violence of the revolution and condemned to death. Carton is a drunken, churlish lawyer who wastes his life and talents until his final crowning moment of selfless sacrifice. Which character do you like more? Which is more admirable? Which is the most believable?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
52 comments:
uve got completely the wrong idea here darnay is loving in a conventional english sense while carton is loving in a sentimental way
-trevz
Carton is a kind of cool guy, he is more realistic than darnay. carton is more human in having his flaws. Darnay is quite admirable in giving up his title and almost life. but carton also give his life which is also really admirable.
-V
a conventional love is not better then a sentimental love because, when u love someone sentimentally you do stuff for them and not just be happy that their in your life.
beachbum
Carton turns out to definitely be the most caring character in the end, of course. He would probably be my favorite male character in the book, too. then again, what do I have to choose? Carton, who ends up giving his life for his love, darnay who gets what he wants, whose life is saved and who was arguably pretty spoiled when he was young. A graverobber, an old guy and a wine keeper... out of the main male character I definitely choose carton.
-quakken
I like both because carton is a good guy he just has bad habits. darnay is a loyal smart guy who loves his family. People might say that darnay is more admirable because of his looks and his money that he has or had, and some may look beyond carton's outward appearance and look at the inside and see an intelligent, caring guy. and for who is more believable... i would say people may say darnay is also because of his appearance , and who wants to believe a drunk?
-giggles745
I agree Carton loved Lucie a lot but she rejected him and all Carton ever heard from others was that he was a lazy drunk so he probably just assumed he should be what everybody says he is...Darnay is a good guy too, but most of what we hear about him is good, and most of what we hear about Carton is bad. He's a good guy he's just used to hearing criticism about himself.
~stephanie
i think that Darnay is a better person then carton event hough carton has more honer then Darnay. But carton is still an alcoholic.
-cydonia
I like Darnay better because he actually got his life together and in order and was a happy person. Carton is a good person but he's always sad and drunk. I think Darnay is more admirable because he got the girl but I think Carton is most believable cause he gave up his life for Lucie's happiness.
-2lex
trevz:
darnay is french
In the book, Darnay's the one who has lived his life working for others. e.g. teaching, helping the man in the letter, etc.. However, in the movie, Carton is definitely less flat and he almost seems to be the one more caring. e.g. the seamstress, Lucie, etc..
-The Beast
I understand about the title in front of your name. Just because Darnay is a marquis doesn't necessarily make him a 'better person' or whatever.
Personally I find Carton interesting because we know he loves lucie but he also is respectful that she's married and in love with Darnay. The thing that is really amazing to me though, is that although he wastes his life drinking, he stays true to his word and when he told lucie he'd do anything for her or someone she loved, he came through and died for them. That's what tied the whole thing together for me.
-mccrizzle92
I agree that Carton is way more loving.He will do anything for any one he loves. Darnay seems more self absorbed. When he gave up his title, but it wasn't for the people it was because he was ashamed of his family. He didn't even try to help them.
-Mona Lisa
I really believe that Carton was the more admirable character in the book. He made more of a sacrifice for the people that he loves, all Darnay did was marry the girl of his dreams and almost die, what's admirable about that?
-thatsgoofy
just because your a drunk does not mean your a bad person...
-beachbum
dear Cydonia
just because carton is a drunk doesn't mean that darnay is better than him. and anyways carton's problem kind of has slacked since the begining.
-V
To anonymous:
Did you read the book? If you did, you must have missed the lion and jackal chapter all about how hard Carton works without getting any credit.
-The Beast
darnay and carton are both in love with lucie, i just dont think she really gave each of them an equal chance to prove themselves to her.
carton may be a "drunk" but he loves her too. shouldnt he get a second chance? or a chance at all?
i think so.
*pumpkin*
ya guyz drunk and bad are totally different u cant say that carton is bad just cuz hes a drunk and darnay is not a good guy just cuz he doesnt drink
-trevz
I personally like Carton better because he is willing to do anything for Lucie and he does. He does the craziest thing possible! He dies for her and thats a true love. *Sunshine*
i agree with sunshine, carton made the ultimate sacrifice!
what a sweet guy. :]
*pumpkin*
carton is about as equal or as bad as darnay because of darnays fake identity and because carton is a drunk lawyer that doesn't use his abilities.
spoiledprincess
I completely disagree that Carton would do anything for his job! I do think that Carton is a Drunk, and that he would do anything to be with a women! i am however very bias towards drunks.
i believe that Darney is the loving husband, and father. that he was willing to die for his family.
A friend of his drugged him, and sent him back to his family, of which he Probably would not have let someone else face La Guillotine for him.
-SmileLikeYouMeanIt
I also agree with all the people that say that Carton is not bad just because he drinks. Ya, even if you drink you can always have the chance to change and Carton wasn't even that drunk most of the time. Around Lucie he was never drunk... at least I think... lol *Sunshine*
carton uses his abilities people just don't see them and thats why hes always drunk...
--beachbum
in response to spoiledprincess,
i do not think that Darnay is bad, at all! just because he changed his name, so that he can start a new life, does not make him a bad person.
-SmileLikeYouMeanIt
Darnay is a lady's man ;)
-V
The argument is not whether people are bad when they are drunk, the argument is Carton vs. Darnay.
-thatsgoofy
he's not necessarily a bad person just if you compare the two instead of condemning carton for being a drunk look at darnay to.
spoiled princess
well i think in a fight darnay would win cause he wouldn't be drunk a while carton on the other hand being drunk would have no idea what he was doing.
-V
carton is drunk. but so caring.
we all have our nasty little habits, his is just a bit more severe..
it isnt something he shouldnt get love for.
all you need is love.
but when you have none, what is left?
im not saying darnay is a bad guy, like hes a loving guy too.
*pumpkin*
carton would kick his but.. darney is a little girl.. he does not know what hes doing and he just acts like someone else, someone cooler.
--beachbum
like me yeah i said it
-V
again though! Darany, similarly to his wife, is almost flawless!
he got away from to 'Crap' so to say... and now is living his life, and making amends for his father and uncle!
-SmileLikeYouMeanIt
i disagree with 'smile like you mean it' completely. carton is a wonderful person in my eyes because he shows a true gentleman character. just because he chose to be a drunk does not mean he is a bad person! in fact, i think that carton is better than darney. darney may show hes a loving man but in truth i don't believe he is. carton just gave his life for lucie because he loves her and to me that is incredibly heroic and wonderful of any human to do.
-snapple
i agree with snapple a lepord never changes its spots.
spoiled princess
Although Carton is a drunk, you have to admit he is the 'best' drunk ever.
He doesn't get angry
He doesn't stumble around in public
He doesn't to stupid things when he's drunk
He avoids relationships because he recognizes that not capable of fully providing
And most important of all he never drives after he drinks. :-D
If everyone responsibly handled alcohol like Carton drunks wouldn't have nearly as bad of a name.
~MonsignorGuillotine
everyone is sitting here talking about how drinking doesn't make a person good or bad.
we all got that part.
i don't think alcohol has anything to do with who is a better person or not, obviously.
Carton and Darnay may look alike, but I think Carton has a lot more to him than Dickens told us.
-mccrizzle92
i dont really like darnay. i think carton is a better person. yes he may be a drunk but he is a sweeter person than darnay.
~lucie
I agree with thatsgoofy, carton is the most admirable because of all the things he did for others. And that carton did make the ultimate sacrifice for those he loves. I like carton better because he is an all around better guy.
-giggles745
what did Carton have to sacrifice besides his life which seemed kindof worthless.
-V
-V
Thats a bit harsh,..Carton's life was worthless, no one's life is worthless. Would you take the place of your fried and die for them? I mean for reals, would you?
-thatsgoofy
I agree with thatsgoofy's comment about Carton being more admirable. Like i said before Carton died for his one true love to be happy and he knew she would never really be happy without Darnay. The only thing Darnay did was be a good husband, which is good too, but not so much admirable.
-2lex
If his life was worthless then why would he sacrifice himself for his friend and if thats the case then he died in vain and his life wasn't really worthless he spent it trying to do every thing he could for Lucie and Darnay
JrEagles09
mccrizzle92:
i think this has everything to do with the alcohol thing.
do you really think lucie wouldve rejected carton if he wasnt a drunk?
he is quite a catch.
*pumpkin*
beachbum-
first of all, Darnay is not a little girl! he is actually a man! that has a kid! just to get that fact out there! lol :)
he doesn't act like someone else. he is changing his life for the better!
-SmileLikeYouMeanIt
What giggles745 said. And Carton deserves great respect because he made the ultimate sacrifice Darnay. Though, I think that he is the most static character of the two of them, he doesn't deserve the credit for stopping drinking. If someone took up smoking and quit would you congratulate them?
-Mr. Owl
pumpkin:
toward the end it didn't seem as if carton was drinking as much. so if he hadn't given his life for lucie and darnay, and darnay would've really died, i believe that lucy would have been with him.
-mccrizzle92
thatsgoofy the only use for carton was to take darnay's place and i would proudly die for a friend of mine. i think you should ask your self the same question. but i definatley wouldn't die for you.
-V
I agree with giggles745 and stephanie because everyone thinks that just because Carton drinks it makes him a bad guy and it doesn't, it just means he's a little lost.
-2lex
V,
Lets think here. You're a teenager that goes to school all day, doesn't pay taxes, doesn't work, doesn't do a lot of charity work, etc. So what makes your life any more worthy of living then Carton's, a professional working man who minds his own business? No life is ever worthless.
~MonsignorGuillotine
Of course, I like Carton more only because Dickens elaborates on him more and gives him more feeling, Darnay is almost as flat of a character as Lucie. I'm also going to take the most obvious and unoriginal side saying the Carton is more admirable than Darnay because although he's a lazy drunk, not once does he laugh at or make fun of anyone else, because he's accepted that he's the worst of men, and therefore not deserving of the right to critizise. However, I don't think either of the characters is very beleivable only because (and this may seem unwillingly sinister)people are unbelievably hard to change, especially people with habits like drinking, and although Carton may feel so much for Lucie, in the end, his lazy character would rule. He may want to change and even long for it, but earlier in the book, when he's talking to Lucie, she asks him why he doesn't change his lifestyle and he says something to the affect of it's not worth it. Darnay, on the other hand I don't believe could have made the decision to leave his wealth and title without an extremely good motivation. A more believable charater in his position would be Darcy (P&P). Because of the goodness of Darnay's mother, he would have grown up with good principles, but also growing up with wealth and a title, those principles would mean nothing except to those among his own class. He would think like a noble because he was raised like one.
Carton was not only using self sacrifice in the end!
he also showd it by the fact thet he didnt tell lucie he loved her because he knew that he wasnt good for her. that is self sacrifice from the beginning
Post a Comment