Three of the main themes throughout A Tale of Two Cities that are also in "One Day More" include resurrection, sacrifice, and loneliness, all of which are important to both stories' plots.
Resurrection
There is a whole book of A Tale of Two Cities named after this theme ("The Golden Thread"), and it shows in "One Day More" as well.
Resurrection is found in "One Day More" when Marius is fawning over Cosette, who he had just seen. He sings, "I did not live until today/How can I live when we are parted?" There is a clear idea that Cosette has rescued Marius and brought him to life, much like the situation between Lucie and Sydney Carton. He tells her "...wish you to know with what sudden mastery you have kindled me, heap of ashes, into fire" (Dickens, pg. 153). Later in the book he becomes the epitome of selflessness, sacrificing himself for those he loves, and much of that selflessness was found after Lucie resurrected him into a new, more respectable man.
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The Ultimate Act of Selflessness
This Sacrifice that Sydney makes is like the one in "One Day More", when Marius sings, "My place is here, I fight with you!", because he knows that he may die in the fight, but it is for the better of the others that he help them. In this, he is sacrificing his wellbeing for that of the others. For Sydney, it is a literal sacrifice, as seen from the quote,
"'Are you dying for him?' she whispered.
'And his wife and child. Hush! Yes.'"
(Dickens, pg. 360)
Both sacrifices are for a loved one, and both are equally sincere.
"'Are you dying for him?' she whispered.
'And his wife and child. Hush! Yes.'"
(Dickens, pg. 360)
Both sacrifices are for a loved one, and both are equally sincere.
Loneliness & Rejection
One final theme comparison from the song and story is loneliness, something that is ever-present in both. In A Tale of Two Cities, Sydney is our main contender for the lonely third wheel. He adores Lucie, but she loves another man, and so he is left to be sad and forgotten. This is nearly parallel to how Éponine feels in "One Day More", as she has just watched the man she loves fall for another girl, Cosette. Éponine ends up singing the words, "One more day all on my own/One more day with him not caring/What a life I might have known/But he never saw me there!/One more day all on my own!/What a life I might have known!" These are scattered all throughout the song, and glimpses of her emotional agony are seen throughout her lyrics.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Sydney ends up confessing his despair, telling Lucie, "I know very well that you can have no tenderness for me; I ask for none[.]" (Dickens, pg. 152). He handles it differently than Éponine, but he does acknowledge that he cannot be with Lucie. Throughout the book, he stays alone, and is a watching aura over the others, making sure that they are okay. This is much like Éponine does later in the movie, ensuring that Marius survives the battle that comes after "One Day More".
Overall, they both accept their fate (if somewhat reluctantly) and dedicate their life to ensuring that the person who rejected them is content and safe, because they still love them deep in their hearts.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Sydney ends up confessing his despair, telling Lucie, "I know very well that you can have no tenderness for me; I ask for none[.]" (Dickens, pg. 152). He handles it differently than Éponine, but he does acknowledge that he cannot be with Lucie. Throughout the book, he stays alone, and is a watching aura over the others, making sure that they are okay. This is much like Éponine does later in the movie, ensuring that Marius survives the battle that comes after "One Day More".
Overall, they both accept their fate (if somewhat reluctantly) and dedicate their life to ensuring that the person who rejected them is content and safe, because they still love them deep in their hearts.
Éponine's song before "One Day More" titled "On My Own" has a great description of how she (and probably Sydney) feels when it finally sets in that her love is hopeless.