who was stryver a lawyer for

by Prof. Alvah Stroman I 9 min read

How did Stryver graduate from law school?

C.J. Stryver would not have been a successful lawyer without Sydney Carton by his side. Carton does all of Stryver's legal thinking work for him. Dickens describes how Stryver puts the meat of his...

Who is J Stryver?

C. J. Stryver A boorish lawyer who employs Sydney Carton. Stryver is Darnay's defense attorney in England and aspires briefly to marry Lucie. Continued on next page...

Who is Barsad Stryver and why is he important?

Sydney Carton was a succesfull lawyer, who did not like to be in the spotlight. So C.J. Stryver would not have been a successful lawyer without the help of Sydney Carton. C.J. Stryver first …

How does Stryver conclude the case against Barsad and Cly?

Mr. Stryver A lawyer who defends Charles Darnay. Stryver, as his name implies, only cares about climbing the professional ladder. John Barsad (a.k.a Solomon Pross) Barsad was born …

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Is Stryver a lawyer?

Stryver is a character in Charles Dickens's 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities and in the television and film adaptations of the story. He is a barrister in London, with the character Sydney Carton working under him.

Is Stryver Darnay's lawyer?

Stryver is Darnay's defense attorney in England and aspires briefly to marry Lucie.

Who is the lawyer in A Tale of Two Cities?

Sydney Carton proves the most dynamic character in A Tale of Two Cities. He first appears as a lazy, alcoholic attorney who cannot muster even the smallest amount of interest in his own life.

Why did Stryver marry Lucie?

The same night that Darnay makes his declaration to Doctor Alexandre Manette, Stryver tells Carton that he has decided to marry Lucie. Stryver feels that he is doing Lucie a favor by making her his wife; she is not rich, but she is "a charming creature"who will make a nice home for him.

Who is Marquis Evremonde?

The Marquis or Monseigneur St. Evrémonde appears (in life) for only three chapters in Book the Second, symbolizing the pitiless, arrogant, French aristocracy. About 60 years old, with a face like a mask, he is Charles Darnay's uncle and twin brother of Charles Darnay's father (now deceased).

Who was John Barsad a spy for?

Roger ClyOverview. Barsad is a turncoat, English con-man, and spy and partner of Roger Cly. In the pay of the Marquis St. Evremonde, he initially frames the Marquis' nephew, Charles Darnay by planting evidence on him on a voyage across the English Channel to England.

What does Carton Stryver do?

What does Carton actually do for Stryver? Although Carton does most of the work as Stryver's assistant and partner in the business of law, Stryver receives most of the credit for Carton's work. Carton does the research and the work while Stryver is praised for Carton's hard work.

What is Carton's job?

What is Carton's job? Carton's job is being Mr. Stryver's assistant.

Who does Sydney Carton work for?

Sydney Carton, fictional character, one of the protagonists of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities (1859), set in France and England before and during the French Revolution. Carton first appears as a cynical drunkard who serves as a legal aide to a London barrister.

How is Stryver persuaded not to pursue Lucie?

Lorry tell Stryver? He advised him to stop and not continue with his plan to propose to Lucie. You just studied 10 terms!

What does Stryver confess to carton?

Stryver's future plan is that he confesses to Carton is that he plans to marry Lucie. Stryker advises Carton to marry someone who can take care of him.

What is Dr. Manette's promise to Charles?

Manette stops him short, making him promise to reveal his name only if he proves successful in his courtship.

Who was the girl who saved Charles Darnay?

During the Revolution, he tries to save his son-in-law, Charles Darnay, from the guillotine. Lucie Manette, later Darnay A beautiful young woman recognized for her kindness and compassion. After being reunited with her father, she cares for him and remains devoted to him, even after her marriage to Charles Darnay.

Who was Charles Darnay?

Charles Darnay A French aristocrat. Darnay renounces his family name of St. Evrémonde and moves to England, where he works as a tutor and eventually marries Lucie Manette. He is put on trial during the Revolution for the crimes of his family.

Who is Alexandre Manette?

Doctor Alexandre Manette A doctor from Beauvais, France, who was secretly imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years and suffers some mental trauma from the experience. After being released, he is nursed back to health by his daughter, Lucie, in England. During the Revolution, he tries to save his son-in-law, Charles Darnay, from the guillotine.

Who was Ernest Defarge?

Ernest Defarge The owner of a wine-shop in a Paris suburb. Defarge is a leader of the Jacquerie (a roving band of peasants) during the French Revolution.

Who is Jarvis Lorry?

Mr. Jarvis Lorry. An older gentleman who works for Tellson's bank, Lorry is a model of loyalty and discretion. Lorry hides his emotions under the cover of "business," but he works hard to save the Manettes and to encourage Charles to become Lucie 's husband.

Who is Jerry Cruncher?

Jerry Cruncher. By day, an odd-job man for Mr. Lorry. By night, a "resurrection man"—robbing graves to sell body parts to sketchy doctors. He complains about his wife's praying because it makes him feel guilty about… read analysis of Jerry Cruncher.

Who is John Barsad?

He is an amoral opportunist. In England, he accuses Charles Darnay of treason.

Who is Monsieur Defarge?

Monsieur Defarge. The former servant of Dr. Manette, Defarge uses his Paris wine shop as a place to organize French revolutionaries. Like his wife, Madame Defarge, Defarge is fiercely committed to overthrowing tyranny and avenging… read analysis of Monsieur Defarge. Get the entire A Tale of Two Cities LitChart as a printable PDF.

Who is Charles Darnay?

Charles Darnay (a.k.a. Charles Evrémonde) Renouncing the terrible sins of his family, the Evrémondes, Charles abandons his position in the French aristocracy to make his own way in England. Charles believes in the revolutionary ideal of liberty, but is not… read analysis of Charles Darnay (a.k.a. Charles Evrémonde)

Who is Alexandre Manette?

Dr. Alexandre Manette. An accomplished French physician who gets imprisoned in the Bastille, and loses his mind. In his madness, Manette embodies the terrible psychological trauma of persecution from tyranny. Manette is eventually "resurrected"—saved from his madness—by the… read analysis of Dr. Alexandre Manette.

Who is Jarvis Lorry?

Jarvis Lorry. An elderly businessman who works for Tellson’s Bank, Mr. Lorry is a very business-oriented bachelor with a strong moral sense and a good, honest heart. He proves trustworthy and loyal, and Doctor Manette and Lucie come to value him as a personal friend. Read an in-depth analysis of Jarvis Lorry.

Who is Jerry Cruncher?

Jerry Cruncher. An odd-job man for Tellson’s Bank, Cruncher is gruff, short-tempered, superstitious, and uneducated. He supplements his income by working as a “Resurrection-Man,” one who digs up dead bodies and sells them to scientists.

Who is John Barsad?

Like Roger Cly, John Barsad is a British spy who swears that patriotism is his only motive. Barsad falsely claims to be a virtuous man of upstanding reputation.

Who is Charles Darnay's uncle?

Marquis Evrémonde. Charles Darnay’s uncle, the Marquis Evrémonde is a French aristocrat who embodies an inhumanly cruel caste system. He shows absolutely no regard for human life and wishes that the peasants of the world would be exterminated.

Who is Monsieur Defarge?

Monsieur Defarge. A wine shop owner and revolutionary in the poor Saint Antoine section of Paris, Monsieur Defarge formerly worked as a servant for Doctor Manette. Defarge proves an intelligent and committed revolutionary, a natural leader.

Why does Darnay choose to live in England?

A French aristocrat by birth, Darnay chooses to live in England because he cannot bear to be associated with the cruel injustices of the French social system. Darnay displays great virtue in his rejection of the snobbish and cruel values of his uncle, the Marquis Evrémonde. He exhibits an admirable honesty in his decision to reveal to Doctor Manette his true identity as a member of the infamous Evrémonde family. So, too, does he prove his courage in his decision to return to Paris at great personal risk to save the imprisoned Gabelle.

Who is the man charged with keeping up the Evrémonde estate after the Marquis’ death?

The man charged with keeping up the Evrémonde estate after the Marquis’ death, Gabelle is imprisoned by the revolutionaries. News of his internment prompts Darnay to travel to France to save him.

Who is Darnay's counsel?

Darnay's counsel, Mr. Stryver, attempts to discredit the prosecution's two main witnesses — John Barsad and Roger Cly — but the turning point in the trial comes when Stryver's associate, Sydney Carton, alerts him to the remarkable physical resemblance between Carton and Darnay.

Is Darnay innocent?

After an hour and a half, the jury returns with a verdict — Darnay is innocent. Analysis.

Who was the prisoner's lawyer?

Now he listened as Mr. Stryver, the prisoner’s lawyer, tried to convince the jury of the prisoner’s innocence. He told them that the “patriot,” Barsad, was actually a hired spy and a traitor. He said that he was being paid to help convict the man and sentence him to death, and that Barsad was one of the worst scoundrels since Judas, who he even looked like. He said that the prisoner’s supposedly virtuous servant, Cly, was actually a friend and partner of Barsad ’s and as bad a man as he was. He said that Barsad and Cly had chosen the prisoner as their victim because he often traveled between France and England on family business. This business was so delicate that he could not discuss it, even at the risk of death, for the sake of protecting his loved ones. He explained that the evidence the young woman had so reluctantly given added up to nothing but small talk between two strangers. His comment about George Washington was so outrageous that it could only have been a sick joke. He said the attorney general was trying to capitalize on public’s hatred and fear, and it would be a shame for the government to rule on this basis. Still, he said, the evidence didn’t prove anything. It was the type of false evidence that was often seen in cases where people were accused of committing crimes against the state. At that point the judge interrupted and said that he could not stand to hear such offensive comments.

Where did the attorney general backtrack?

From there he backtracked about twelve miles or more to a military post and dockyard, where he gathered information.

Who was Barsad's friend?

He said that the prisoner’s supposedly virtuous servant, Cly, was actually a friend and partner of Barsad’s and as bad a man as he was.

Did the prisoner's counsel cross-examine the witness?

The prisoner’s counsel was cross-examining this witness with no result , except that he had never seen the prisoner on any other occasion, when the wigged gentleman who had all this time been looking at the ceiling of the court, wrote a word or two on a little piece of paper, screwed it up, and tossed it to him.

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Overview

C.J. Stryver is a character in Charles Dickens's 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities and in the television and film adaptations of the story. He is a barrister in London, with the character Sydney Carton working under him.

Development

Real life inspiration for the character was likely the 19th century British barrister, Edwin James.

Depiction in the novel

He first appears in the novel as counsel for the defense of Charles Darnay. He then reappears in Sydney Carton's introductory chapter as his friend, drinking companion, and partner in law; however, while he cuts a very impressive figure in court, it is apparent that Carton seems to have all the true legal knowledge and ability. While he and Sydney Carton were students at the same university of law, it appears that Stryver may have graduated due to Carton's doing all his schola…

Depiction on stage

Wayne Schroder played "C. J. Stryver" in "the Broadway-aimed musical by Jill Santoriello."

Reception and analysis

Stryver has been described as " a caricature of the conquering bourgeoise", and a "minor character with a comic function".

External links

• "Stryver (Character) from A Tale of Two Cities (1935)," The Internet Movie Database.