A Tale of Two Cities: The Knitting Done
The recap, key beats, and evidence for The Knitting Done, without reopening the whole book.
Section recap · 2 min read
What happens in The Knitting Done.
Madame Defarge moves to complete her revenge. She goes to find Lucie and her daughter, intending to denounce them and have them arrested before they can escape Paris. Miss Pross, who has stayed behind to help the family flee, confronts Madame Defarge at the Manette lodgings. The two women struggle physically. A gun goes off and Madame Defarge is killed. Miss Pross survives but is permanently deafened by the shot. The knitting, the list, the long plan of vengeance, ends here.
The beats worth remembering.
Madame Defarge Arrives Too Late
Madame Defarge comes to the lodgings expecting to find Lucie and denounce her, but the family has already gone. She finds only Miss Pross, who refuses to move or reveal anything.
The Physical Struggle
Miss Pross and Madame Defarge fight directly, without words. Miss Pross holds on out of love for Lucie. Madame Defarge fights out of hatred and ideology. The contrast between their motivations is the point of the scene.
Madame Defarge's Death
During the struggle, Madame Defarge's own pistol fires and kills her. Her death is accidental in one sense, but Dickens frames it as the logical end of a life built entirely around vengeance. The knitting is done.
The moments you can actually use later.
Miss Pross Holds the Door
Miss Pross physically blocks Madame Defarge from leaving to pursue the Manette family. Her refusal to move, despite the danger, shows that ordinary love can be as powerful a force as revolutionary fury.
Madame Defarge Killed by Her Own Gun
The pistol Madame Defarge carries for her mission fires during the struggle and kills her. The irony is hard to miss: the instrument of her vengeance becomes the instrument of her death.
What to carry forward.
Love Defeats Hatred Here
Miss Pross wins not because she is stronger or smarter, but because she is fighting for someone she loves. Madame Defarge is fighting to destroy. That difference in motivation is what Dickens wants the reader to take away.
Vengeance Destroys the Avenger
Madame Defarge is killed by her own weapon. She spent the entire novel building a list of people to destroy, and she dies before she can finish the job. Students writing about the costs of revenge should use this scene directly.
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How this guide is built
This guide is built from the original text to help you get oriented fast. It is designed for recall, paper planning, and getting unstuck, but it is still a paraphrased guide, not a substitute for the reading itself. Double-check anything important before you turn in formal work.