Question

How do the historical realities of this period affect this excerpt from the novel?

Answer 1

Answer:

Dickens foreshadows the coming bloody conflict by describing wine, which resembles blood, flowing in the streets.

Explanation:

In this excerpt, Dickens describes the spilling of wine down a street of Saint Antoine, Paris. This occurred in the years before the Revolution. Dickens tells us that as the wine was flowing, people gathered to drink it. They were desperate to get some, and did not care how they obtained it. The atmosphere he describes is not violent, but one of joy and light-heartedness. He tells us that the people ended up stained, and that these red stains were soon going to be on the people and the streets again. These future stains are blood, and in this way, Dickens foreshadows the coming bloody conflict.

Answer 2

Not 100% certain, but I think it would be:
Dickens foreshadows the coming bloody conflict by describing wine, which resembles blood, flowing in the streets.