Imagine a pitch-black forest, where everyone is scattered trying to find a way out. Few people hold on to their spark of light and get away with it easily, while most start blindfolded and find brightness in other ways. Similarly, in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, the protagonist, Sidney Carton, begins with no sense of direction or purpose, but ultimately finds aspiration and meaning in his life. The author uses light to highlight Carton's journey through his redemption of the call to life. To show Carton's transition from hopeless to hopeful, Dickens begins the novel by describing how Light tries to boost Carton's self-esteem. As depicted in the novel, after returning home from spending the night with Stryver, Carton awoke: “the sun rose; he came to the sight no sadder than that of the man of good abilities and good emotions, incapable of his own help and happiness, sensitive to the light that shone upon him, and resigned to be devoured by it" (Dickens 2: 5). In this quote, Dickens describes Carton as the most unfortunate person in the sigh...