Dickens leaves no doubt that the crowd scene in front of the wine-shop is a glimpse of things to come. The wine soaking into the street and smearing people's faces and hands represents the blood that the people will shed during the violence of the Revolution. To reinforce that imagery, Dickens goes so far as to have one of the men in the crowd dip his finger in the muddy wine and write "Blood"on a wall. As Dickens predicts future violence, he also hints at how hunger, want, and anger will transform decent, caring human beings into unthinking, bloodthirsty animals. He describes some of the wine drinkers as having "a tigerish smear about the mouth,"and the residents of Saint Antoine have a "hunted air"and harbor a "wild-beast thought of the possibility of turning at bay."The image of the tiger will appear again later in the book, as will the vision of an oppressed people losing their humanity in their anger and quest for revenge.
This chapter also introduces Monsieur and Madame Defarge, characters that Dickens uses to embody the ideas and emotions of the Revolution. Monsieur Defarge is a man of authority, as shown when he reprimands Gaspard for writing "Blood"on the wall and in his conversation with the three Jacques. Although Dickens describes Monsieur Defarge as "good-humored-looking,"and Monsieur Defarge demonstrates kindness and loyalty to Doctor Manette, when considering the injustice of the Doctor's imprisonment, Monsieur Defarge becomes "a secret, angry, dangerous man."
In the subdued atmosphere of the wine-shop, Monsieur Defarge's air of authority and resolution are exceeded only by that of his wife. Although she doesn't say much, Madame Defarge communicates secretively with her husband through coughs and facial expressions. She also seems more hardened than her husband does. While the plight of Doctor Manette enrages Monsieur Defarge, Therese Defarge remains unresponsive. When Mr. Lorry and Lucie go with Monsieur Defarge to see the Doctor, "Madame Defarge knitted with nimble fingers and steady eyebrows, and saw nothing."Her eerie calm and concentrated focus indicate a steadfastness and determination that may in the end prove more dangerous than the anger growing in the hearts of her husband and the populace of Saint Antoine.
