NOTE: A local theater near my house put on a play of A Tale of Two Cities and had a contest surrounding it. You had to write an essay under 500 words from the point of view of one character at a specific moment during the course of the play. I, of course, did my love Sydney Carton, having fallen in love with him from the start, at the moment in the jail cell before his untimely death. I hope I win!
I sit in a dark, damp prison cell with the knowledge that by morning's time, my demise will come to pass. Unlike most men, it is by choice that I am here. It was a simple matter really, to pretend to be drunk and bribe a drunkard, to deceive Darnay and then fool the guard into thinking I am him. Everyone has always said the resemblance between Darnay and I is striking, after all. I cannot believe that others think we are so similar, since I cannot think of a man who less resembles me; he is kind, considerate, and successful, whereas I am conniving, cold, and have never done a thing for anyone but myself. At least Lucie must notice the differences between us, because if she had considered us to be the same man in two bodies, she would have fallen in love with me as well as Darnay.
But even though she does not care for me the way I worship her, it is not because Lucie knows my past. She does not know what a complete disappointment I have made of my life. Afraid to fail, I never tried. In becoming the breathtaking man he is today, Darnay took risks. Darnay endured hardships for the sake of his cause, for the sake of those he loves. My life has been incredibly easy from the start. If I had never been born, I do not think there is a single person who would have been worse off, except for the owner of my favorite bar, who would not be so rich as he is today. I never improved anything by my presence. All I did was take, while all I wanted was to give. Finally, in destroying my own life, I have found a way to do something worthwhile. For the first time, I have something to live for—isn't it ironic that I am about to die? I can make up for all the little wrongs I have committed that piled upon each other until they created a mountain of shame. All that will be forgotten in an instant when I take Darnay's place at the guillotine.
I will never regret the decisions that led me to this place in this hour. While redeeming myself in the eyes of the world, I am also saving the person that Lucie loves most, and thus making her happier than anything else could do for her. If I could do it over again, I would mirror Darnay's actions instead of his appearance. I would be the kind of person Lucie respects and thinks well of, a generous man who has saved many in his lifetime. But at this point in time, going back is not an option. Instead I choose to look forward, not at the terror that tomorrow will bring, but at the deed I am about to carry out. Not at the loss of my old life on earth, but at the birth of a new one.