How do you justify the action of the revolutionaries as well as common people in comparison to each other in A Tale of Two Cities?

The revolutionaries and common people come from the same background—the peasant class. This was almost 95% of the French population, yet the government was controlled by the nobility and the clergy. While the peasants had very little money, they were the ones who paid the most in taxes. The nobility was seen as caretakers of the people. The wealth they had was to be used to comfort those less fortunate. The inequality of wealth was seen by many as the way God intended society to be. The revolutionaries lost their belief in God and divine justice. Thus, this inequality was approached differently by each group.

The peasants usually were a faithful group, dedicated to the Church and accepting of their lot in life. This did not prevent them, however, from seeking aid, as the peasant woman asked the marquis for permission to put a marker on her husband’s grave. While she did not like his refusal, neither did she think to overthrow his privileges.

The revolutionaries, on the other hand, sought revenge through violence and death. While the peasants believed that perhaps the nobility had a good heart, the revolutionaries saw them as completely evil and thought they must be destroyed.

In justifying the actions of each, one must look at their idea of what a just society would look like. The peasants, through inaction, prayed that God would aid them. To do anything for themselves would be to interfere with God’s will. The revolutionaries renounced religion and its morality. It was in their own hands that justice must prevail. By doing so, they were hoping for a better society of “liberty, equality, and fraternity” for everyone, though in fact this was quickly forgotten in the rising chaos.