Still Knitting

“"It is a long time,” repeated his wife; “and when is it not a long time? Vengeance and retribution require a long time; it is the rule...How long,” demanded madame, composedly, “does it take to make and store the lightning? Tell me...It does not take a long time,” said madame, “for an earthquake to swallow a town. Eh well! Tell me how long it takes to prepare the earthquake?...But when it is ready, it takes place, and grinds to pieces everything before it. In the meantime, it is always preparing, though it is not seen or heard. That is your consolation. Keep it...We shall have helped it,” returned madame, with her extended hand in strong action. “Nothing that we do, is done in vain. I believe, with all my soul, that we shall see the triumph. But even if not, even if I knew certainly not, show me the neck of an aristocrat and tyrant, and still I would—”"

-Madame Defarge (Tale of Two Cities p.185-186)

"“You have a husband, madame?"

“I have.”

“Children?”

“No children.”"(p.188)

(First and foremost, I apologize for my confusing citation) That being said, in these two excerpts (especially the second) I am reminded that the Defarges are a barren couple with no (real) children to speak of. Because of this, they are in a way, parenting their figurative child which is the French Revolution. They gave birth to the design of the movement, they raised it by spreading word among the Jaques's, essentially they have done all for the Revolution as parents would for their children.

Madame Defarge is portrayed as the classical devoted, caring, and nurturing mother (the only difference being that her child is the intangible concept of revolution). As seen in my first citation, she is ready and willing to give her all to see her child excel regardless of time and energy spent on the task (kind of reminds me of my mom...).

Another tidbit I found interesting is the hit-list Madame Defarge is knitting. For a actual mother with a living child, knitting is one way she provides for her youngster. By knitting the "registered ones" onto her work, she is in a way "feeding" her baby by providing it with the nourishment (the lives of the nobles and all that are affiliated with them) that it will need to grow and flourish, which has a double meaning since while the Child thrives, the world around it crumbles.

What I find very ironic of this metaphorical mother-"child" relationship however is that, in most situations, the parent strives to give every last ounce of his/her vitality to see the child lead a prosperous life (Ideally, parents give life to their children, both by giving birth and also by raising them). Though Madame Defarge is wholly committed to giving life to her "child", the life of her infant revolution will bring about much death, chaos, and adversity in France.