Original Text(~250 words)
CHAPTER V. The Jackal Those were drinking days, and most men drank hard. So very great is the improvement Time has brought about in such habits, that a moderate statement of the quantity of wine and punch which one man would swallow in the course of a night, without any detriment to his reputation as a perfect gentleman, would seem, in these days, a ridiculous exaggeration. The learned profession of the law was certainly not behind any other learned profession in its Bacchanalian propensities; neither was Mr. Stryver, already fast shouldering his way to a large and lucrative practice, behind his compeers in this particular, any more than in the drier parts of the legal race. A favourite at the Old Bailey, and eke at the Sessions, Mr. Stryver had begun cautiously to hew away the lower staves of the ladder on which he mounted. Sessions and Old Bailey had now to summon their favourite, specially, to their longing arms; and shouldering itself towards the visage of the Lord Chief Justice in the Court of King’s Bench, the florid countenance of Mr. Stryver might be daily seen, bursting out of the bed of wigs, like a great sunflower pushing its way at the sun from among a rank garden-full of flaring companions. It had once been noted at the Bar, that while Mr. Stryver was a glib man, and an unscrupulous, and a ready, and a bold, he had not that faculty of extracting the essence from a heap of...
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Summary
This chapter reveals the true dynamic between lawyer Stryver and Sydney Carton through their late-night work sessions. While Stryver appears to be the successful one - climbing the legal ladder, gaining reputation and wealth - we discover he depends entirely on Carton's brilliant legal mind to do the actual intellectual work. Their relationship is captured in Dickens' metaphor: Stryver is the lion who gets the credit, while Carton is the jackal who does the hunting. Every night, Carton arrives drunk at Stryver's chambers and, with wet towels wrapped around his head to stay alert, works through legal cases while Stryver lounges and takes notes. The chapter exposes how Carton has been doing others' work since school, never applying his considerable talents to his own advancement. Stryver lectures Carton about lacking energy and purpose, but it's clear he's built his entire career on exploiting his friend's abilities. The chapter ends with Carton walking home through the grey London dawn, having a moment of clarity about what his life could have been - seeing a vision of honor, ambition, and achievement - before returning to his squalid room to sleep off another wasted night. This relationship illustrates how talent without self-advocacy gets consumed by those willing to take credit for others' work.
That's what happens. To understand what the author is really doing—and to discuss this chapter with confidence—keep reading.
Terms to Know
Bacchanalian propensities
A fancy way of saying heavy drinking habits. Named after Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, it refers to excessive partying and drinking that was socially acceptable among professional men in the 1800s.
Modern Usage:
We still see this in corporate drinking culture, law firm happy hours, and industries where heavy drinking is normalized as part of networking.
Old Bailey
London's central criminal court where the most serious cases were tried. Being a favorite there meant you were a successful criminal lawyer with a reputation for winning difficult cases.
Modern Usage:
Like being known as the go-to lawyer at the county courthouse or having a reputation as the best defense attorney in the city.
The Jackal
Dickens' metaphor for Sydney Carton's role - jackals hunt and kill prey, then lions come in and take the credit for the meal. Carton does all the intellectual work while Stryver gets the glory.
Modern Usage:
This is the dynamic where one person does all the research and thinking while their boss or partner presents it and gets promoted.
Shouldering his way
Aggressively pushing forward in his career, using his elbows to get ahead. It suggests Stryver is ambitious and not too concerned about who he steps on to climb the ladder.
Modern Usage:
Like someone who takes credit for team projects or throws colleagues under the bus to get ahead at work.
Extracting the essence
The ability to find the core legal argument in a complex case - the skill that actually wins trials. Stryver lacks this crucial talent despite his reputation.
Modern Usage:
The difference between someone who can identify the real problem versus someone who just talks a good game in meetings.
Glib
Smooth-talking and persuasive but in a superficial way. Someone who sounds impressive but lacks real substance or depth in their arguments.
Modern Usage:
Like politicians or salespeople who are great at talking but don't actually know what they're talking about.
Characters in This Chapter
Mr. Stryver
Exploitative colleague
A successful lawyer who has built his entire career on Sydney Carton's brilliant legal mind while taking all the credit. He lectures Carton about lacking ambition while completely depending on him for intellectual work.
Modern Equivalent:
The boss who presents your ideas as their own
Sydney Carton
Unrecognized genius
The brilliant but self-destructive lawyer who does all of Stryver's thinking for him. Despite his exceptional talents, he wastes his potential through drinking and self-loathing, never advocating for himself.
Modern Equivalent:
The talented employee who does everyone else's work but never gets promoted
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when someone is systematically taking credit for your work while keeping you dependent on scraps of recognition.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone consistently presents your ideas as their own—start documenting your contributions and speaking up in meetings to establish ownership of your work.
You have the foundation. Now let's look closer.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Those were drinking days, and most men drank hard."
Context: Opening description of the professional culture of the time
Dickens immediately establishes that heavy drinking was normalized and expected among professional men. This sets up the environment where Carton's alcoholism doesn't stand out as unusual, masking his deeper problems.
In Today's Words:
Back then, everyone in professional jobs was expected to drink heavily - it was just part of the culture.
"Like a great sunflower pushing its way at the sun from among a rank garden-full of flaring companions."
Context: Describing how Stryver stands out among other lawyers in court
This metaphor reveals Stryver's aggressive ambition and his need to dominate every situation. The image suggests both his success and his obnoxious, attention-seeking nature.
In Today's Words:
He was like that guy who always has to be the center of attention, pushing himself forward no matter what.
"You were always driving and riving and shouldering and passing, to that restless degree that I had no chance for my life but in rust and repose."
Context: Carton explaining to Stryver how their dynamic was established in school
This reveals how their toxic relationship began - Stryver was so aggressively ambitious that Carton gave up trying to compete and settled for being used. It shows how early patterns of exploitation can become lifelong dynamics.
In Today's Words:
You were always so pushy and competitive that I just gave up trying and let you walk all over me.
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Invisible Labor
When talented people with low self-worth allow others to systematically harvest their abilities while taking all the recognition and advancement.
Thematic Threads
Exploitation
In This Chapter
Stryver builds his entire legal career on Carton's brilliant mind while offering only alcohol and hollow friendship in return
Development
Introduced here - shows how class advancement often depends on using others
In Your Life:
You might recognize this in workplace relationships where you do the work but others get the promotions
Self-Worth
In This Chapter
Carton's self-hatred makes him give away his considerable talents for nothing, believing he deserves no better
Development
Builds on his earlier self-description as a 'disappointed drudge'
In Your Life:
You might undervalue your own contributions and accept being overlooked or underpaid
Identity
In This Chapter
Carton sees himself as the jackal to Stryver's lion, accepting a subordinate role despite superior abilities
Development
Deepens the theme of how people define themselves within social hierarchies
In Your Life:
You might define yourself by others' success rather than recognizing your own worth and potential
Wasted Potential
In This Chapter
Carton has a moment of clarity seeing what his life could have been—honor, ambition, achievement—before returning to his squalid existence
Development
Expands on earlier hints about characters trapped by circumstances and choices
In Your Life:
You might have moments of seeing what you could accomplish if you stopped accepting less than you deserve
Dependency
In This Chapter
Both men are trapped in their roles—Stryver needs Carton's brain, Carton needs Stryver's recognition, creating a toxic cycle
Development
Introduced here - shows how unhealthy relationships become mutually destructive
In Your Life:
You might find yourself in relationships where you're needed but not valued, making it hard to break free
Modern Adaptation
When the Promotion Goes Sideways
Following Sydney's story...
Sydney works nights at a mid-tier law firm, doing the real legal research while senior associate Marcus takes all the credit. Every evening, Sydney shows up drunk to Marcus's office and, with coffee and aspirin, works through complex case briefs that Marcus presents as his own the next morning. Marcus gets the client meetings, the partnership track, the respect—while Sydney gets paid hourly with no benefits. Their law school friendship has curdled into exploitation, but Sydney can't break free. He needs the work, and Marcus needs his brain. Tonight, walking home at dawn after another all-nighter, Sydney catches his reflection in a store window and sees what he could have been: his own practice, his own clients, his own reputation. Instead, he climbs the stairs to his studio apartment, knowing he'll be back tomorrow night, doing someone else's thinking for someone else's future. The worst part isn't the exploitation—it's that he's complicit in his own invisibility.
The Road
The road Carton walked in 1859, Sydney walks today. The pattern is identical: brilliant mind, self-destructive habits, talent harvested by someone who positions themselves to take credit while offering just enough friendship to maintain the arrangement.
The Map
This chapter provides a navigation tool for recognizing when your skills are being systematically harvested by someone who needs your talent but doesn't respect you as a person. Sydney can use it to document his contributions and demand proper credit.
Amplification
Before reading this, Sydney might have accepted that being needed was enough, that friendship justified exploitation. Now he can NAME the lion-and-jackal dynamic, PREDICT how it will destroy his career prospects, NAVIGATE toward relationships that value his contributions fairly.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What does Stryver actually contribute to their legal work, and what does Carton contribute? Who gets the credit and rewards?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Carton continue this arrangement night after night, even though he's doing all the intellectual work for someone else's success?
analysis • medium - 3
Where have you seen this 'lion and jackal' pattern in your workplace, family, or social circles - someone taking credit for another person's work or ideas?
application • medium - 4
If you were Carton's friend, what specific advice would you give him to change this dynamic without losing his livelihood?
application • deep - 5
What does this relationship reveal about how talent and self-worth interact? Why do some people give their abilities away while others claim credit they haven't earned?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Document Your Contributions
Think of a situation where you do significant work but someone else gets most of the recognition. Create a simple log of your actual contributions over one week - what you did, when, and what impact it had. Then identify three specific ways you could make your work more visible.
Consider:
- •Look for patterns where your work becomes invisible or gets absorbed into someone else's success
- •Consider both formal work situations and informal ones like family or volunteer roles
- •Think about small, practical steps rather than dramatic confrontations
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you felt like your contributions weren't recognized. What kept you from speaking up? Looking back, what would you do differently now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 12: The Calm Before the Storm
The coming pages reveal trauma survivors often keep painful reminders close while avoiding talking about them, and teach us some people become fiercely protective of those they love, even when it seems excessive. These discoveries help us navigate similar situations in our own lives.