Prisoners

Going along with the idea that the revolution acts as an agent of resurrection for the whole town I remembered this quote about releasing the prisoners. “Of all these cries, and ten thousand incoherencies, ‘The Prisoners!’ was the cry most taken up by the sea that rushed in, as if there were an eternity of people, as well as of time and space” (225).
Although this quote is about the recalling of prisoners, I think it means so much to the people because it is about recalling themselves as well, by releasing the power that the aristocrats have over the prisoners and the whole town. The people are freed from all of the problems that the aristocrats bring to the people, and so they are essentially there own agents of resurrection. The freeing of the prisoners can then be seen as a symbolic act of freeing of themselves, which leads to their joy and happiness.

Darnay's second coming

Like Dr. Manette, Darnay has had terrible experiences in France, but even so, "...through the painful anxiety to reviving old associations of France in his mind, he did not discuss with himself." (p 252-53) As long as we've known him France has been dead to him, he hates his family, and is trying to make a new life in england, but now as another's life rests in the balance he must resurrect his old ties to France and the Marquis he forsook.

By doing this he risks some of the same things Dr. Manette does whenever prisons are mentioned. But like Dr. Manette he has to eventually come to terms with that part of his life and come to peace with it, or else his own well being and the well being of others could be risked.

Resurrection-man

I found that the scene where Young Jerry tells Jerry that he wants to be a resurrection-man great to read because it looked at Jerry in a bit of a different light. Although it is an obvious reference to our motif, it is a great character development passage. 

Earlier in the chapter, The Honest Tradesman, Jerry slapped his son and I thought, wow he's hitting his son! What an awful guy! However, at the same time I felt that it fit Jerry's personality to do such a thing. It also made me think that Jerry probably did not love his son very much. I thought that because it's possible for him to despise his wife, it would make sense for him not to like his son either. But, I was wrong. 

Jerry is happy to hear that his son wants to be a resurrection-man when he grows up. This is heartwarming to him and he remarks that Young Jerry may be a blessing and a recompense to him for the awful wife he claims to have (ha!). I then realized that I had underestimated Jerry. It had seemed to me that he was incapable of loving somebody and was only concerned about himself. It turns out that he is just as capable of expressing feelings of love towards his family as the average person. The scene showed a lighter side of Jerry. The loving side. His joy in hearing his son expressing his wish to become just like his dad shows how much he loves his son. It also shows how proud he is of him. After all, he's turning out to be a fine chap, just like his old man. It is a perfect scene of father-son bonding. We are treated to more insight into Jerry's personality as we find out that he is more caring than we thought. He loves his son and is proud to hear that he wants to be just like his father, which shows just how tender he really is.

Also, I found Rebecca's comment interesting which led to another conclusion of mine. She said that the whole Revolution itself is an agent of resurrection. The peasants will begin their lives anew. I think that although my blog topic doesn't have to do with the Revolution, the same observation can be made. Originally, it seemed like Jerry was often mean to his son. He used him as an assistant and slapped him on the head for barely any reason at all. I believe that their whole relationship is an agent of resurrection because they also have the opportunity to begin anew. They have developed a stronger relationship now that Jerry has learned that his son wants to have the same shady career. 

The Revolution

"Yet, human fellowship infused some nourishment into the flinty viands, and struck some sparks of cheerfulness out of them. Fathers and mothers who had had their full share in the worst of the day, played gently with their meagre children; and lovers, with such a world around them and before them, loved and hoped" (Page 235).

Emily, you said that the women are overjoyed when Foulon is found because justice can then be served. That is very true. The people have waited for the time when they could stand up for themselves and revolt against the cruel aristocracy. In the quote above, it is stated that the people were coming together. They were finding a sense of "nourishment" in the unity even though they may not have had plentiful amounts of food or great living conditions. Before, the people were under the rule of the careless leaders. Now they are being somewhat freed. They can now hope for a better future for themselves and their people. The Revolution is serving as an agent of ressurection. The people's hope is restored and they can all take in the long lost sense of cheer that the Revolution is bringing them.

A Sea Still Rises

"...The women were a sight to chill the boldest. From such household occupations as their bare poverty yielded, from their children, from their aged and their sick crouching on the bare ground famished and naked, they ran out with streaming hair, urging one another, and themselves, to madness with the wildest cries and actions" (232).

This passage shows the opinions and wants that the women of the town always had, but that were muted in society up until now. All this time, they had the devastatingly difficult role as housewives to see their babies die, and to see the many people of their town become greatly weakened by hunger. They also saw Foulon (an example of the aristocrats) cruelly, and inappropriately suggest them to eat grass if they were hungry. (as if he had any idea what they were going through!) This excerpt is showing these housewives after they hear of Foulons existence. They are overjoyed, because now justice can be served. Even more then the men, it is their chance to become more than housewives; they can be the commanders of justice, and they can finally stuff grass into the wealthy snobs' faces, and not be killed in return. It is their chance to do what is right!

This passage reminded me of a passage in Monsieur the Marquis in town:
"So cowed was their condition, and so long and so hard their experience of what such a man could do to them, within the law and beyond it, that not a voice, or a hand, or even an eye, was raised. Among the men, not one. But the woman who stood knitting looked up steadily, and looked the Marquis in the face. It was not for his dignity to notice it; his contemptuous eyes passed over her, and over all the other rats..." (117).

This passage shows the foreshadow that Madame Defarge made of the women's fearlessness, and true defeat over the aristocrats. In this passage, you see Marquis as an intimidating aristocrat with all the power over the poorer "rats". Because of this, no man will speak up, or even look at the man. But, in this case, a women looks him straight in the eye. He might not know it yet, but the woman knows that soon she will have the power to serve justice, and kill and torture the aristocrats who, for so many years, practiced so much injustice to her, and the other poor people of the town.

The Dr. Manette Uber Regression Thoughts

In chapter 17, we find that the Doctor has finally come to terms with his imprisonment and can freely speak about it. He has been completely restored to life. Almost in a sick sence of humor, he looses his progress less than a day later when he learns about Charles D'Aulnais true identity. I suspect that the Doctor may be more involved with matters in France that he has currently led us to believe since his former servant Defarge was also surprised when he learned this information. Something must have happened between the Manettes and the D'Aulnais before that the Doctor becomes completely regressed again. Did he do something to the D'Aulnais that led to his imprisonment? Afterall, we have seen how unforgiving the French nobility is from the previous chapters. (Excluding Charles of course).

Sorry it is kind of confusing to read, its hard to explain what i'm thinking about this situation. :-/

Knitting

In Monsieur Defarge’s wine shop the patrons taste with every sip but, “No vivacious bacchanalian flame leapt out of the pressed grape of Monsieur Defarge; but, a smouldering fire that burnt in the dark, lay hidden in the dregs of it” (p 171). For now it lies in wait; only smoldering, hidden away in the dregs, until it bursts forth, a phoenix reborn in the cleansing fire. The phoenix is a mythical creature that bursts into flames when the time has come for it to die, but in the ashes created from his death, he is reborn again. The smoldering ashes in this wine is not only the smoldering ashes of the phoenix, but also the smoldering ashes of the revolutionaries. When it is time for them to die, they will be reborn from the ashes once more, except this time they will be younger and stronger than ever before. This smoldering fire is the fire of the revolution, driven forth from the grapes of the “vendor of wine”. This will be no ordinary wine though, but the blood of the aristocracy that abused the peasant phoenixes so.