Who Madame Defarge is
Madame Defarge lives in Saint Antoine, a poor Paris district where hunger and anger shape daily life. Her husband, Ernest Defarge, runs a wine shop where revolutionaries exchange complaints and rumors.
She often sits knitting and says little, but her watchful eyes miss nothing around her. Her knitting contains a coded register of the people's enemies, turning an ordinary task into a record of threats.
What Madame Defarge wants
Madame Defarge wants vengeance on the nobility, whose cruelty helps fuel the anger surrounding her. When the Marquis treats a grieving father with contempt, she watches silently and continues knitting.
Her patience is not forgiveness, and her quiet manner conceals a deep, personal hatred. Through her, Dickens shows how suffering can feed a desire to make others suffer.
How Madame Defarge changes
As the Revolution breaks out, Madame Defarge moves from watchful silence into open action beside her husband. She joins the attack on the Bastille and leads a band of women through the streets.
Her growing power brings the danger of vengeance into sharper focus as her knitted register gains more names. The lists reach beyond the guilty, showing how a demand for justice can become indiscriminate hatred.
Questions
Who is Madame Defarge?
Madame Defarge is Ernest Defarge's wife and a revolutionary figure in the Paris district of Saint Antoine.
Why does Madame Defarge knit?
She uses knitting to keep a secret, coded list of enemies of the people.
What does Madame Defarge want?
She seeks revenge against the nobility. Her actions reveal the danger of anger turning into further cruelty.