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Who is Madame Defarge?

Tricia Christensen
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Updated: May 23, 2024
Views: 63,161
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Madame Defarge or Thérèse Defarge is the relentless villain in Charles Dickens’ 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities. Her villainy is not without reason, and in a way, she metaphorically represents the revolutionary spirit that swept through France during the 18th century French Revolution, which first demanded equal rights for all citizens, and then in mob fashion stripped those very rights from many innocents. Dickens creates a powerful, memorable, and chilling character in his depiction of her, much motivated by his concern that England was, in his time, on the brink of a revolution if greater social justice was not pursued for all its inhabitants.

Dickens loved to reveal mysteries as his books progressed, and the reason behind Madame Defarge’s dispassionate demand for violence, and particularly for the deaths of the main female character, Lucy Manette Darnay, her husband Charles, and their child is not explained until nearly the end of the novel. Since the book is so well known, it will hopefully not be considered a spoiler to explain this reason. Long before Madam Defarge married her husband, her sister and brother were victims to terrible abuse and cruelty by the Evremonde brothers, one of whom was Charles Darnay’s father. As a result, she is determined to see the Evremonde line, down to the Darnays’ young daughter, killed.

As the novel progresses, Defarge moves from a relatively passive position — we first see her knitting in the wine shop she owns with her husband — to a much more active place. It is this devious needlework that often gives people the chills when they first meet her character. The reader later finds that Madame is knitting the names of all those who will be guillotined or charged with crimes in the coming Revolution.

The experiences of Thérèse as a young girl warp and twist her reason. She is childless, a figure without compassion, but with considerable energy in the exacting of her revenge. She is the mob, in essence, since she does not consider or stop to think that her own actions may be unjust. Despite Charles Darnay’s rejection of his family inheritance and in spite of him denouncing the acts of the Evremondes and leaving England, he is guilty by relationship and association. Lucy, a complete innocent, and daughter of the much respect Dr. Manette, is equally at fault for having married an Evremonde. Hints at the end of the novel suggest that Madame Defarge will accuse Dr. Manette, the only one who assisted Thérèse’s sister and brother and paid for it by years in prison, of conspiracy.

In the end, the villain is defeated by the thing she lacks most: the love of others. Miss Pross, Lucy’s companion and servant, physically defends herself, and in this battle, Defarge’s own gun is discharged, killing her instantly. This moment in the novel underscores one of Dickens main points, that love, compassion, and true justice can best vengeance.

It is not that Dickens remains unsympathetic to the real evils done to characters like Madame Defarge and her family. In fact, he contends through her character that these evils can exact an extraordinarily high price by stripping people of their humanity, making them far less likely to seek justice for all in any manner except a violent one. In the end, Dickens’ character has become as evil as her oppressors, and it is this mob mentality that provides a strong argument for providing all citizens of England with equal rights and decent living circumstances. Thérèse Defarge is not just the symbol of the mob and revolution, but also a distinct warning from Dickens.

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Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a Language & Humanities contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.
Discussion Comments
By anon949844 — On May 07, 2014

Despite all the evil that Madame Defarge wishes on innocent people, such as Lucie, I can't help liking her character. She went through some horrible and tragic things. She handles this emotional damage with violence, and can you blame her?

By anon157198 — On Mar 01, 2011

Yeah because placing a rose in your head as someone walks in isn't conspicuous at all or anything.

By bear78 — On Feb 15, 2011

@anamur-- Yes! It's a code between her and the customers in the wine shop. She places the rose to her hair to signal that there is a spy in the shop. She wants to make sure that the spies do not hear anything about the revolution. When customers see her placing the rose, they will stop talking about the revolution and sometimes just leave the store. Isn't it a great idea!

By serenesurface — On Feb 13, 2011

I'm reading the book right now. But I have a question, why does Madame Defarge wear a rose in her hair? Does it symbolize something?

By burcinc — On Feb 12, 2011

The tale of two cities is one of my favorite novels of Charles Dickens. The book was not the easiest to read, as most of his works, but it makes you slow down and think about his words, which is why I liked this book so much.

Granted, Madama Defarge isn't the good guy but I always felt that she had an intriguing character. Madame Defarge's knitting quotes were always witty I thought. I think if she hadn't been a character who was so blinded by vengeance, we would have admired her as a person.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a Language & Humanities contributor,...
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