The French Revolution was a period of social and political disorder that began on July 14, 1789 when revolutionaries attacked the Bastille. The Revolution was caused by the social injustice that rich aristocrats inflicted on poor peasants. A Tale of Two Cities was written by Charles Dickens in 1859 and was primarily based in London and Paris until the French Revolution. In the story, Dickens makes numerous references throughout the book to the struggles of the French Revolution. It uses words with different meanings and symbols to represent the themes and ideas of the Revolution. Throughout A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens uses symbols like the windmill, fountain, and shadow to represent the theme of inhumanity. Firstly, the symbol of the mill represents the difficult life and struggles that the people had to face during the Revolution. . For example, Dickens says: “The mill that brought them down was the mill that ground young men to old age; the children had ancient faces and deep voices: and on them, and on...the furrow of age” (Dickens 22). This means that the people who worked in the factories were tired and exhausted, the young people looked old, and the children did not look like children. Not only is this a unique way of describing the peasants in the mill, but also: "Samples of a people who had undergone terrible grinding and regrinding in the mill, and certainly not in the fabulous mill that ground the young old men , shuddered at the sight. every corner, entering and leaving through every door, looked out of every window... which the wind shook” (22). This means that the peasant has undergone a horrible transformation and that hunger is visible on everyone's face. The representation of the poor in the factory showed how the least ...... middle of paper ......evolution. When he uses symbols like the windmill, fountain, and shadow to represent the theme of inhumanity, the story becomes more realistic. In other words, Dickens helps us better understand what was happening at the start of the French Revolution. In other words, it is easier to see the different points of view of people in this era. To clarify, it is helpful to see that each group in society played an important role in the changes that occurred during this time. When the theme of inhumanity is used to really show the mindset and logic of the people behind all the madness that was happening, Dickens portrayed the theme perfectly with the use of the fountain, the windmill and the 'shadow. Overall, the quotes presented by Dickens helped in understanding the tragedy and struggles of the people during the Revolution. Works Cited Book A Tale of Two Cities