Water and Fate

"...sat there watching the running of the water and the rolling of the Fancy Ball- when the one woman who had stood conspicuous, knitting, still knitted on with the steadfastness of Fate. The water of the fountain ran, the swift river ran, the day ran into evening, so much life in the city ran into death according to rule, time and tide waited for no man, the rats were sleeping close together in their dark holes again, the Fancy Ball was lighted up at supper, all things ran their course" (117).

I thought this passage had a really interesting metaphor that it was presenting about water, that water and its forever state of flowing represents inevitability and fate. Dickens is saying that there are certain facts in life, certain things that are just going to happen and human just don't have any control over it. By his prior referencing of the "steadfastness of Fate," Dickens describes this kind of cycle of inevitable events in life; rivers running, day turning to night, people coming to their deaths.