1. Fate as Unrelenting Vengeance:
* Knitting: Madame Defarge's seemingly innocuous knitting is a symbol of her relentless pursuit of revenge. Each stitch represents the life she's planning to claim. The act of knitting, a domestic craft, makes her vengeance seem both inevitable and chillingly casual.
* The Register: The list of names she keeps meticulously updated embodies the inescapable nature of fate. Those on the list are doomed, no matter their actions or pleas.
* The Wine Shop: Her use of the wine shop as a gathering place for revolutionaries demonstrates the way fate can mobilize and empower people, even in the face of oppression.
2. Fate as a Cycle of Violence:
* The French Revolution: Madame Defarge is a product of the injustices and violence of the pre-revolutionary era. She becomes a symbol of the cyclical nature of violence, where one revolution begets another.
* The Vengeance Motif: Her thirst for revenge is fueled by the deaths of her family and the suffering inflicted on her by the aristocracy. Dickens uses this to show how unchecked revenge fuels more violence, creating a destructive cycle.
* The Story of the Wine Shop: Her husband's accidental death at the hands of the Marquis represents the cycle of violence that leads to the revolution. This act, in turn, leads to the death of the Marquis, setting the stage for further bloodshed.
3. Fate as a Force That Can Be Challenged:
* Lucie's Influence: While Madame Defarge represents the unrelenting forces of fate, Lucie Manette, in contrast, embodies hope and compassion. Her influence on Carton shows that even in the face of seemingly unavoidable fate, love and sacrifice can make a difference.
* Carton's Sacrifice: Carton's decision to die in Lucie's husband's place is a defiance of fate. He breaks the cycle of violence and offers an alternative to the brutal retribution represented by Madame Defarge.
* The Power of Choice: Dickens suggests that even when faced with seemingly predetermined circumstances, individuals still have the power to make choices that challenge the course of fate.
In Conclusion:
Madame Defarge is not just a symbol of fate but also of its potential for change. She highlights the destructive power of revenge and the cyclical nature of violence, but Dickens also uses her to demonstrate the possibility of breaking free from the dictates of fate through compassion, love, and self-sacrifice. This allows the reader to reflect on the complex nature of destiny and the potential for human agency to shape it.