Book II - Chapter XIX. An Opinion Practice Quiz — A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Book II - Chapter XIX. An Opinion
How many days does Dr. Manette's relapse last?
Nine days and nights. Mr. Lorry has kept watch the entire time and wakes on the tenth morning to find Manette recovered.
What is Dr. Manette doing when Mr. Lorry finds him recovered?
He is sitting at the window reading, in his usual morning dress, with the shoemaker's bench and tools put aside.
Why does Mr. Lorry momentarily doubt the relapse happened?
Because the Doctor appears completely normal in his accustomed clothing and manner, with no visible sign of the nine-day episode.
What strategy do Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross adopt on the morning of recovery?
They agree to behave as if nothing unusual has occurred and meet the Doctor at the regular breakfast hour.
What confusion does Dr. Manette show at breakfast?
He seems to believe Lucie's wedding took place only the day before. A reference to the day of the week makes him uneasy as he tries to count the elapsed time.
How does Mr. Lorry raise the subject of the relapse with Dr. Manette?
He presents it as the case of "a particularly dear friend" who has suffered a mental relapse, asking Manette's medical opinion while both understand they are discussing the Doctor himself.
What caused Dr. Manette's relapse, according to his own diagnosis?
A strong revival of the "train of thought and remembrance" that was the original cause of his illness—intense associations he had long dreaded would be recalled under certain circumstances.
Does Dr. Manette remember anything from his nine-day relapse?
No. When asked, he answers desolately: "Not at all."
What is Manette's prognosis for the future?
He expresses great hope. Having yielded under pressure and recovered, he believes the worst is over and that only the same specific associations could renew the disorder—and those circumstances are now exhausted.
Why does Dr. Manette say his "friend" needs to stay busy?
The character of his mind is to be "always in singular need of occupation." Healthy work serves as a counterweight to the unhealthy direction his mind might otherwise take.
What metaphor does Mr. Lorry use for the shoemaking?
He calls it "Blacksmith's work" and refers to the bench as "a little forge," using the euphemism to make the sensitive topic easier to discuss.
What argument does Mr. Lorry make for removing the shoemaker's bench?
He argues that keeping the bench may perpetuate the fear of needing it—that "the retention of the thing" may "involve the retention of the idea."
Why does Dr. Manette resist giving up the bench?
The bench is "such an old companion," and the thought of needing it and not finding it fills him with terror "like that which one may fancy strikes to the heart of a lost child."
Under what condition does Manette finally agree to the bench's removal?
He asks that it be removed while he is absent: "Let it be removed when he is not there; let him miss his old companion after an absence."
What happens on the fourteenth day after the relapse?
Dr. Manette, now fully restored, leaves to rejoin Lucie and her husband.
How do Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross destroy the bench?
Lorry hacks it to pieces with a chopper, saw, chisel, and hammer while Miss Pross holds a candle. They burn the wood in the kitchen fire and bury the tools, shoes, and leather in the garden.
How does Dickens describe Miss Pross during the destruction of the bench?
She holds the candle "as if she were assisting at a murder—for which, indeed, in her grimness, she was no unsuitable figure."
What tone does Dickens use to describe the destruction scene?
Darkly comic irony. Lorry and Miss Pross feel "almost like accomplices in a horrible crime" despite performing an act of kindness.
What does the shoemaker's bench symbolize?
Dr. Manette's trauma and psychological bond to his imprisonment in the Bastille. It is both a survival mechanism and a chain to the past.
Who is the "one other who may be trusted" that Mr. Lorry mentions?
Miss Pross, Lucie's devoted companion, who helped Lorry watch over Dr. Manette during the relapse.
Why has the relapse been kept from Lucie?
Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross want to protect her from distress, and Lorry hopes it "will always be kept from her."
What does Manette mean by "the ingenuity of the hands, for the ingenuity of the mental torture"?
Shoemaking replaced the anguish of thought with the focus of physical craft—manual labor substituted for psychological pain during his imprisonment.