Silas Marner

Silas Marner

              By George Eliot

Book Summary

In the village of Raveloe lives a weaver named Silas Marner. He is viewed with distrust (Awek¦vm) by the local people because he comes from a distant(`~ieZ©x) part of the country. In addition, he lives completely alone, and he has been known to have strange fits(†hvM¨). For fifteen years he has lived like this.

Fifteen years earlier, Silas was a respected member of a church at Lantern Yard in a city to the north. His fits were regarded there as a mark of special closeness to the Holy Spirit. He had a close friend named William Dane, and he was engaged to marry a serving(†mev cwiPh©v) girl named Sarah. But one day the elder deacon(me‡P‡q wbægv‡bi cv`ix) fell ill and had to be tended (†`Lv‡kvbv Kiv) day and night by members of the congregation (Rbmfv), as he was a childless widower (weaev). During Silas' watch, a bag of money disappears from a drawer by the deacon's bed. Silas' knife (Qywi) is found in the drawer, but Silas swears he is innocent and asks that his room be searched. The empty bag is found there by William Dane. Then Silas remembers that he last used the knife to cut a strap(cwU w`‡q evauv) for William, but he says nothing to the others.

In order to find out the truth, the church members resort(Aej¤^b Kiv) to prayer and drawing of lots, and the lots declare (cÖKvk Kiv) Silas guilty. Silas, betrayed by his friend and now by his God, declares that there is no just God. He is sure that Sarah will desert(Avµgb) him too, and he takes refuge(Avkªq¯’vb) in his work. He soon receives word from Sarah that their engagement is ended, and a month later she marries William Dane. Soon afterward Silas leaves Lantern Yard.

He settles in Raveloe, where he feels hidden even from God. His work is at first his only solace(¯^vš—bv †`q), but soon he begins to receive gold for his cloth; the gold gives him a kind of companionship(m½x). He works harder and harder to earn more of it and stores it in a bag beneath his floor. His contacts with humanity wither (ïwK‡q hvIqv). Once he gives help to a woman who is ill by treating (wPwKrmv Kiv) her with herbs as his mother taught him, but this action gives him a reputation(hkt L¨vwZ) as a maker of charms(hv`ygš¿). People come for miles to ask his help, and he cannot give any. As a result, he is believed to cause other misfortunes and be in league (msNe×) with the devil. After that, Silas is more alone than ever.

The greatest man of Raveloe is Squire (MÖv‡gi cÖavb Rwg`vi) Cass. His wife is dead, and his sons are left to their own devices (bKkv). Some trouble results from this: the eldest son, Godfrey, has made a hasty marriage with a woman of poor reputation, and the second son, Dunstan, is blackmailing Godfrey to keep their father from knowing. Godfrey has given Dunstan some rent money from one of his father's tenants (fvov‡U); now the Squire (MÖv‡gi cÖavb Rwg`vi) wants the money, so Godfrey gives Dunstan his horse to sell to raise the cash.

On the way to the hunt where he hopes to sell the horse, Dunstan passes the weaver's cottage. This sight gives him the idea of borrowing the money from Marner, but he rather likes the idea of vexing his brother, so he continues to the hunt and makes the sale. However, instead (e`‡j) of turning over the horse at once, he rides in the chase (Zvwo‡q wb‡q hvIqv) and kills the animal on a stake(LuywU).

Dunstan begins to walk home. It becomes dark and foggy before he can reach there, and in the darkness he comes to Marner's cottage. Dunstan goes there to borrow a lantern (jyÚb) and to try to get some money out of the weaver. He finds no one there. Searching around the floor, he soon finds where the money is hidden. He replaces the bricks that had covered it and carries the money away.

Silas has poor eyesight, and on his return he finds nothing wrong until he goes to take out his money to count it. When he cannot find it, he feels that once again he has been robbed by an unseen power. However, he clings to the hope that there was a human thief, and he goes off to the village inn to find the constable (cvnvivIqvjv).

At the inn, the conversation has been of ghosts, and when Silas bursts (‡f‡½ Ly‡j †djv) in he himself is momentarily (¶Y¯’vqx) taken for a ghost. But Silas is so worked up that it is apparent (AvcvZcÖwZqgvb) he is no ghost, and when he tells of the robbery, there is immediately sympathy for him. His helplessness removes any feeling that he is connected with the devil. Some of the men set out after the constable (cvnvivIqvjv).

The news of the robbery spreads quickly, and there is soon general agreement that the thief must have been an itinerant peddler who had been in the neighborhood: no other stranger has been noticed, and no local person could be suspected. Dunstan's disappearance is not thought strange because that has happened before. Godfrey is not surprised either, for he soon learns that Dunstan has killed his horse. Now he decides to tell his father of his marriage. He leads up to this by telling of his horse and of the rent money that he had given Dunstan; but he gets no farther, for his father explodes with anger, which leaves Godfrey in a worse position than ever.

Silas is now treated with some consideration by his neighbors. Dolly Winthrop, especially, visits Silas and tries to coax him into attending church, at least on Christmas. However, Silas finds no connection between local religious customs and those he knows of, and Christmas finds him at home as usual.

Christmas and New Year's are the time of special festivals in Raveloe. The most important celebration is the New Year's dance at Squire Cass' home. There, Godfrey is unable to keep himself away from Nancy Lammeter, the girl he has always intended to marry. Although he knows it is wrong, and that the news of his marriage must come out soon, he determines to enjoy himself with Nancy while he can. Nancy, for her part, wants to marry Godfrey, but his strangeness has made her cool toward him, and when he asks her forgiveness, she says only that she will be glad to see anyone reform.

Meanwhile Godfrey's wife, Molly, has become determined to revenge herself for his treatment of her, and she sets out with their child to confront him at the dance. She loses her way in the snow, and at last she fortifies herself with opium, to which she has become addicted. The opium only makes her more drowsy, and Molly sinks down in the snow. Her child slips from her arms. It is attracted to a light that comes from the open door of Marner's cottage, where the weaver stands, unaware of the child's presence. He has been looking out to see if his money might return and has been stricken by one of his fits. When he awakes, he sees gold by his hearth and thinks his money has come back, then he discovers that the gold is the hair of a child. At last he overcomes his wonder enough to realize that the child has come in out of the snow, and there outside he discovers Molly's body.

Silas takes the child and hurries to Squire Cass' house to get the doctor. His entrance causes Godfrey both fear and hope because he recognizes the child as his own, and he hopes that he may be free at last. He goes with Doctor Kimble and finds that the woman Marner found is indeed his wife and that she is dead.

The woman is buried that week, a stranger to everyone but Godfrey. Silas feels that the child has been sent to him, and he is determined to keep it. This determination causes even warmer feeling for him in Raveloe, and he is given much well-meant advice. Dolly Winthrop gives him real aid with the child and offers some old clothes that belonged to her son Aaron. Godfrey is glad enough to have the child cared for. He gives money for its support but never claims it as his own.

Silas names the child Hepzibah — Eppie for short — after his mother and little sister. He finds that, unlike his gold, Eppie makes him constantly aware of the world and of other men. He gives her his wholehearted love, and everywhere he finds kindness from the other villagers.

Sixteen years pass. Nancy and Godfrey are married, and Eppie has grown into a beautiful young woman. Silas is liked and respected in Raveloe. His life with Eppie has been close and happy, and Mr. and Mrs. Cass have done much for them. Dolly Winthrop has become Eppie's godmother, and she is a close friend of Silas. The two of them have discussed his old problem at Lantern Yard and considered the great differences in religion between the two places. Now Dolly's son Aaron wishes to marry Eppie, and Eppie has agreed — if Silas can live with them. She has been told of her mother, but she knows nothing of any other father, and she cannot bear to be parted from Silas.

Godfrey and Nancy, however, are childless. Their one child died in infancy. Their childlessness is a great trouble to Godfrey, who has always wanted children. At one time he wished to adopt Eppie, but Nancy refused, feeling that it would be going against Providence to adopt a child when none was given naturally. Nancy has tried to make up to Godrey in other ways, and their marriage has been happy but for this one thing. Godfrey was afraid to tell her that Eppie was his own child.

On this particular Sunday, Nancy is thinking over these old problems when Godfrey becomes very much upset. The Stone Pits near Marner's cottage are being drained, and Dunstan's body has been found there with Silas' gold. Godfrey is forced to tell Nancy that his brother was a thief. At the same time, his newfound honesty convinces him that all truths come out sooner or later, and he admits that Eppie is his own child. Instead of being disgusted with him, Nancy is sorry that she refused to adopt Eppie sooner. The two of them go that night to Marner's cottage to claim Eppie.

Eppie, however, does not wish to be claimed. Both she and Silas feel that no claim of blood can outweigh their years of life together. She does not want to leave Silas nor to be rescued from her low station and the prospect of marriage to a workingman. At last Godfrey goes home bitterly disappointed. He feels that he is being punished now for his earlier weakness, but he is determined to try to do his duty at last and to do all he can for Eppie even though she has refused him.

Now that he has his gold, Silas feels able to return to Lantern Yard to try to settle the matter of the old theft. He goes there with Eppie, but they find everything changed. The chapel is gone, a factory set in its place. Only the prison is left to remind Silas that this was where he once lived. He returns home no more wise than when he set out; but he agrees with Dolly that there is reason to have faith in spite of the darkness of the past.

Eppie and Aaron are married on a fine sunny day, with the wedding at Mr. Cass' expense. The young couple come to live with Silas at his cottage, where the villagers join in agreement that Silas has been blessed through his kindness to an orphaned child.

Character List

Silas Marner A weaver; a pale, bent man with protruding eyes and poor eyesight. He is an outcast from his original home and church and at Raveloe lives a lonely, miserly existence until his gold is stolen and a child comes to replace it.

Eppie The daughter of Godfrey Cass by a secret marriage. She is found by Silas in his cottage after her mother dies in the snow outside. He raises her as his own daughter.

Godfrey Cass Eppie's father. He regrets his secret marriage and wishes to marry Nancy Lammeter, but he lacks the moral courage to try to find any solution to his problems. He prefers to wait on chance.

Nancy Lammeter Daughter of a wealthy landowner. She combines beauty with strength of character and high principles. She wishes to marry Godfrey but will not do so until she feels that he has reformed.

Dunstan Cass Godfrey's brother. Dunstan is vain, arrogant, and deceitful and appears to have no redeeming qualities. He robs Silas and disappears with the money until his body is found in the quarry.

Squire Cass The most important citizen of Raveloe, father of Godfrey and Dunstan. He is alternately indulgent and overly strict.

Priscilla Lammeter Nancy's sister, a plain-looking woman but not sensitive about it. She is direct and mannish in her actions and is able to laugh freely at herself.

Mr. Lammeter Father of Nancy and Priscilla.

Molly Farren Godfrey's wife, once pretty but degraded by her addiction to opium.

William Dane Silas' closest friend at Lantern Yard. He betrays Silas and marries the woman to whom Silas was engaged.

Dolly Winthrop Wife of the wheelwright. She gives Silas aid and advice with Eppie and becomes Eppie's godmother.

Aaron Dolly's son, who later marries Eppie.

Mr. Macey A tailor; he is one of the most engaging inhabitants of Raveloe and a leader of opinion among the lower classes.

Mr. Snell Landlord of the Rainbow; a peacemaker in all arguments.

Bob Lundy The butcher. A good-natured, reticent man.

Mr. Dowlas A farrier, or veterinarian; a strong believer in his own opinions, which usually differ from those of his neighbors. He thinks of himself as a strict rationalist.

Mr. Tookey Macey's assistant, the butt of much sarcasm from the other men.

Ben Winthrop A wheelwright, Dolly's husband, a humorous man who enjoys the company and the drink at the Rainbow.

Jem Rodney A poacher. At first, Silas suspects him of stealing his gold because Jem had once sat too long by Silas' fire.

Solomon Macey A locally famous fiddler, brother of the tailor.

Mr. Osgood The uncle of Nancy and Priscilla, his sister having married Mr. Lammeter.

Mrs. Osgood She and Nancy are very close despite being related only by marriage.

Mr. Crackenthorp Rector of the church at Raveloe. He sets an example in eating, drinking, and dancing, as well as in religious observances.

Mrs. Crackenthorp "A small blinking woman who fidgeted incessantly."

Dr. Kimble An apothecary, called "doctor" by tradition, although he has no diploma. He is Godfrey's uncle and godfather.

Mrs. Kimble Wife of the doctor and sister of Squire Cass. "Her diameter was in direct proportion" to her dignity, which is very great.

The Misses Gunn Guests at the New Year's dance. They come from higher society and are dressed in the height of fashion.

Miss Ladbrook A less fashionable guest at the dance.

Mr. Paston Silas' old minister at Lantern Yard.

Sarah The woman to whom Silas was engaged at Lantern Yard.

Bob Cass One of Godfrey's two other brothers, in addition to Dunstan.

Jane Nancy's serving maid after her marriage to Godfrey.

Bryce The acquaintance to whom Dunstan sells Godfrey's horse, Wildfire, at the hunt at Batherly.

Character  Analysis Silas

 

Marner

Silas is in no way a heroic character. He is not notably intelligent or courageous or unselfish. He is a product of Eliot's desire to arouse sympathy for ordinary imperfect humanity going about its day-to-day business.

Silas changes greatly during the course of the book, yet part of him always remains "the same Silas Marner who had once loved his fellow with tender love and trusted in an unseen goodness." That original love and trust seemed crushed by the evils which befall him, but they return with even greater strength, and it seems natural that they should do so. The changes in Silas' character are never arbitrary. They have roots; they develop naturally from his past. The betrayal by William Dane costs Silas his faith in men, and the betrayal of the drawing of the lots takes his faith in a just God. The second robbery sets in place of the just God a vision of a "cruel power." Yet because he does believe in a power, Silas is able to believe that Eppie is sent for his salvation, and through Eppie's influence he finds new faith in the goodness of other men.

The unchanging part of Silas' character is that which requires some prop on which he can lean, something to support his courage to face life. When he loses his religion, he turns to his work, and then to his gold. When his gold is gone, he finds a better support in a child, which leads ultimately to his faith in his fellow men and in his own strength.

Silas is always honest, both with himself and with others. He is unable to question the rightness of church doctrine, and he will not easily believe that William would betray him. Later he cannot force himself to imagine anything suspicious about the strange peddler even when he wishes to believe that the man might have been the thief. But while he retains some good qualities, he loses his sympathy for men, and then all his affections are in danger of withering away. He becomes almost dead to the world. But when he appears in the final pages as a man with new faith, he has not been merely restored to his original position. He has gained maturity and inner strength. He has the courage to give up his daughter, his treasure, for her good. His faith is not based on unquestioned doctrine; rather, it survives in spite of doubts. His is no overwhelming triumph, but a believable, human one.

Nancy Lammeter

Nancy, like Silas, changes during the course of the story. However, her change is not the apparent result of the force of events. Rather, it is the realization of something that was inherent in her, a simple process of maturing. It is none the less believable for that.

Nancy as a young girl is charming and graceful. These qualities Eliot brings home by demonstration — by portrayal of her actions, by the testimony of other characters, and by narration. Nancy is also shown to have high and strict principles: she does not care to associate with any man of poor reputation. It might be feared that her principles will become too strict with time, except that her character already has the saving touch of emotion. Despite her resolves, she cannot entirely overcome her love for Godrey.

Part of Nancy's youthful "principle" is girlish self-dramatization. When this disappears with her maturity, it leaves a base of real principle, but it is sweetened by a love that can become sympathy. Nancy's principle keeps her from adopting a child, but her love for Godfrey makes her try to make it up to him in other ways. When she discovers that Eppie is Godfrey's own daughter, it is not the principle that governs her actions, as Godfrey had feared, but love and sympathy. The insight into her character that has been given through the scenes presented from her point of view has prepared for this development. It is a surprise only to Godfrey.

Godfrey Cass

Godfrey's character is summed up by Eliot near the beginning of the novel as "irresolution and moral cowardice," a state in which he continues until almost the end. Godfrey is not evil in any way. He has no desire to harm anyone; he is pained when he does so. But he does not have the courage to take responsibility for his acts nor to give up his desires when they conflict with duty.

Eliot is careful to make excuses for Godfrey. The early marriage was not really his fault; he has good intentions about caring for Eppie; he really wants to lead a better life. Yet these are only the ultimate complication of Godfrey's situation. Such "excuses" are an insufficient defense. Godfrey knows that, and Eliot tries to make sure that the reader does too. She seems to be saying that there are times when wrong can be made to seem almost right, but that such conditions provide a weak base for a life.

Godfrey's life with Nancy sets him on a better path, but there is no true test of his character except his failure to own Eppie as his daughter. This shows that Godfrey is unchanged — he wants to do the right things, but not badly enough to risk his happiness. In the end, he tells the truth only because he is afraid it will be found out anyway. His own desires still are the most important thing to him. He puts them in the form of principle now — he thinks he has a "right" to his daughter, although he was willing to neglect the corresponding duty.

Godfrey at last comes to some self-realization. The unexpected resistance he meets from Silas and Eppie brings home to him for the first time the fact that rights and duties cannot be separated. He accepts his rebuke willingly. Still, he fails to do his whole duty. He takes the easy way out, deciding to "own" Eppie only in his will. But at least he does it from better motives, from consideration for others rather than for himself.

Eppie

Eppie is the least developed of the major characters, which is to be expected: hers is a functional role, and it hardly requires a fully characterized individual to fulfill it. During half the time she is in the story, she is a small child. There is no attempt to make her a special sort of child, except in Silas' eyes. She has the normal child's habits and a childish cuteness. This is sufficient for her function, which to that point is only to bring Silas into contact with his neighbors.

As a young woman, Eppie has a more difficult part. In order to show the sort of life Silas has achieved, it is necessary for Eppie to have some semblance of a personality. However, there is little time in which to achieve any complexity of character. Eliot takes some pains to give Eppie depth by showing incidents that are emblematic of her character rather than by providing a full background of her life. Thus Eppie's fondness for animals stands for all of her affectionate nature. She is put in the position of having to choose between her two "fathers," and this demonstrates that her affection has depth. A small touch of complexity is given by her wish to have one slight advantage over Aaron.

In the end, Eppie is most important for the effect her presence has on Silas' life and on Godfrey's. The character she is given is suited to her functional role, but it does not go far beyond that.

Dunstan Cass

Dunstan is set as a direct contrast to Godfrey. Where Godfrey is merely weak, Dunstan is completely bad. He is vain, arrogant, and selfish, as well as dishonest. Like Godfrey, he is primarily interested in what he himself wants, but he lacks any saving virtues. Dunstan suspects his own worthlessness: while he thinks what a fine person he is, he fears the opinions of others on that subject. This narcissism is put symbolically by having Dunstan take Godfrey's whip, as it gives a better appearance than his own.

Dunstan, like Eppie, is just the sort of person needed to fulfill his role. He serves as a contrast to Godfrey, as a means of relieving Silas of his gold, and as a reminder to Godfrey that truth will eventually reveal itself. When not needed, he can be conveniently removed from the story without being missed. He is an example of static characterization — he shows no development during the story and comes on the scene full-blown. However, he has a certain complexity: his repressed knowledge of his faults gives him a psychological interest that Eppie lacks.

The Choral Characters: Macey, Dowlas, Snell, Lundy, Tookey, Winthrop

These characters represent the range of Raveloe character and opinion, from Macey, the self-admiring authoritative old-timer, to Tookey, the defensively uncertain newcomer. Dowlas is the "negative spirit" of the group, almost a freethinker. Snell, the landlord, is the peacemaker, and Ben Winthrop is simply an average well-established inhabitant of Raveloe. None of the group is developed to any depth, but they are distinct individuals. Some of them — Macey and Dowlas, especially — are among the more forceful characters of the book. As a group, they give information about the background of the story, comment on the action, and are a source of broad comedy.

Dolly Winthrop

She has an instinctive faith that contrasts with Silas' initial distrust of Heaven. She represents the best of Raveloe, the community spirit and real interest and concern for others. She is no stereotype; through her discussions with Silas, she reveals a full personality, slow in thought but steady in faith and strong in her sympathy.

George Eliot Biography

George Eliot was the pen name of Mary Ann (later Marian) Evans, who was born in a country house at Nuneaton, Warwickshire, in 1819. The plains and hedges of her native region furnish the setting of many of her novels, includingSilas Marner. With her sister, Evans attended two boarding schools for girls, where she was strongly influenced by evangelical Christianity. Miss Lewis, the principal of the second of these schools, was especially influential with her, and it was here that Mary Ann adopted the religious devotion and self-repression that dominated her youth.

Following the death of her mother and her sister's marriage in 1837, Evans took charge of her father's household. In 1841, they moved to a house near Coventry. As she matured, Evans’ religious beliefs changed, and friends whom she met here further shook her faith in Christianity. She soon decided that she could no longer attend church in good faith. Her father refused to live with her on those terms, and she went to her brother for three weeks. A reconciliation was arranged by her brother and her friends, and she agreed to resume church attendance and returned to her father. Nevertheless, her renunciation of all religious dogma was complete, and she remained agnostic until her death.

Evans had continued her studies of Italian, German, Greek, and Latin. Her first published work was a translation of Das Leben Jesu ("The Life of Jesus") by the German theologian David Strauss. She was also contributing articles and reviews to a periodical edited by her friend Charles Bray. After the death of her father in 1849, she moved to London and became assistant editor of the Westminster Review, a liberal periodical. In London, she met George Henry Lewes — a professional drama critic and man of letters, actor, and author of a history of philosophy — and fell in love with him. Lewes was married, but his wife had abandoned him. However, there was no chance of a legal divorce. In 1854, Lewes and Evans sailed together to Germany, and from that time they lived together as man and wife until his death in 1878. Their union at first made them social outcasts, but when it became apparent that this was no irresponsible affair, they were accepted by their friends and society as a married couple. After Lewes' death, Evans married, in 1880, an old friend, the American banker J. W. Cross. Soon after, on December 22, 1880, she died.

Lewes' encouragement had much to do with George Eliot's career as a writer of fiction, beginning with publication of three stories in Blackwood's Magazine. These were published together in 1858 as Scenes of Clerical Life. Adam Bede, published in 1859, was an immediate success. It was followed by The Lifted Veilin 1859, and her first great novel, The Mill on the Floss, in 1860. Silas Marner appeared in 1861. Her later works include Romola (1862-63); Felix Holt (1866); The Spanish Gypsy (1868), which is a drama in blank verse; a volume of verses, The Legend of Jubal and other Poems (1874); and a volume of essays,The Impressions of Theophrastus Such. The novel generally considered to be her masterpiece isMiddlemarch, published in 1871-72.

Silas Marner, The Mill on the Floss, and Adam Bede form a group that make use of childhood recollections and the rural world Eliot knew in Warwickshire. She said that Silas Marner came to her "first of all, quite suddenly, as a sort of legendary tale suggested by my recollection of having once, in early childhood, seen a linen-weaver with a bag on his back." The novel uses other aspects of her childhood as well, including her knowledge of both Anglican worship and the more enthusiastic forms of Christianity.

However, the story was shaped in the mind of a mature and highly intelligent woman, and it represents the beliefs of her maturity. Two ideas that are expressed in Eliot's letters of about this time are that "the idea of God . . . is the ideal of a goodness entirely human," and that "no man can begin to mould himself on a faith or an idea without rising to a higher order of experience." Eliot believed strongly in the interdependence of humanity, and in all her novels she is greatly concerned to discover what might be considered good and what bad in social relationships. Silas Marner is no exception. Eliot said of the book: "it sets — or is intended to set — in a strong light the remedial influences of pure, natural human relations."

Critical Essays Plot and Structure of Silas Marner:

The book covers a long span of time — over thirty years. However, concentration within this span limits the time actually portrayed to three relatively short periods. The first of these, the time on which the book opens, shows Silas living his lonely existence at Raveloe. This period is followed by a flashback to the time fifteen years earlier when he was driven from Lantern Yard. The time then skips quickly back to its original point, settling on a November afternoon. The events between then and New Year's take up the first portion of the book, although the narrator briefly mentions some events that follow as Silas begins to raise Eppie.

Sixteen years are then jumped over, and the results of the early events are seen. The intervening years are filled in mostly by the narrator or by conversations between characters. There are only a few brief dramatic portrayals of events during those years — for example, Godfrey and Nancy's discussion about adopting Eppie. After the past is brought up to date, the time remains at the same Sunday on which this portion of the book opened, until the main plot considerations are disposed of (for example, Dunstan's disappearance, Godfrey's relationship to Eppie, and Eppie's future). Some events occur after that — Silas goes to Lantern Yard a few days later, and still later Eppie is married — but they are treated very briefly.

The three times on which Eliot concentrates contain five main events: the Lantern Yard robbery, the theft of Silas' gold, the death of Molly (or the arrival of Eppie), the return of Silas' gold, and Godfrey's attempt to claim his child.

Consideration of these basic events gives a broad view of the structure of Silas Marner. They are all more or less related, either in the mind of one or more characters, or by cause-and-effect. The last four fall into pairs: the theft of the gold and the coming of Eppie in its place; the return of the gold and Godfrey's claim on Eppie. The first two are not related in fact, as the reader knows, but Silas and the other inhabitants of Raveloe consider them to be a kind of cause-and-effect, which gives rise to a symbolic relationship between them. The latter pair are related strictly through their cause — the discovery of Dunstan's body with the gold leads Godfrey to confess that he is Eppie's father. But the symbolic relationship that has been established carries over from the past. The first event, the robbery at Lantern Yard, is of course the indirect cause of the rest, for it sends Silas to Raveloe, but it also provides the basis for Silas' reactions at the time of the second robbery — it causes his feeling of being tormented by an unseen power. As such, it is responsible for the symbolic values of later events.

There are two plots in Silas Marner: Silas' rejection of humanity and his redemption, and the plot involving Godfrey and his two wives. The two plots are not unrelated, however. In the beginning, there is little connection between them, but by the end of the tale they are inseparable. A glance at the events outlined above shows how this happens. The structure of the book might be thought of as a funnel, with Godfrey and Silas on opposite sides at first but gradually being carried by events into the same course. There are many parallels between their lives. At first these parallels are distant, but they come closer and closer until at last they join. Note, for example, that Godfrey is betrayed by Dunstan as Silas was betrayed by William Dane. Godfrey has two wives to correspond to Silas' two treasures; in both cases, the first is their ruin, and the second is their salvation. Their first real connection is the gold: Dunstan is trying to extort money from Godfrey, and when he fails at that, he steals it from Silas. Eppie comes to replace the gold, and she is the second and far closer connection between Silas and Godfrey. Godfrey is her real father, but Silas becomes like a father to her. Furthermore, the event that brings Eppie to Silas is looked on as a blessing by both Silas and Godfrey, for it frees Godfrey to marry Nancy.

The meaning of the novel and its symbolic values are completely bound up in the contrasts and comparisons between these two plots. The nature of a "blessing," the meaning of good and bad in relation to social conduct — these and other problems become involved in the working out of events. Nor are Godfrey and Silas the only persons involved. Their lives are connected most of all through the society in which they live. The community of Raveloe is an agent of their acts as well as a spectator and commentator. When Silas discovers the robbery, he reports it to the Rainbow, and Godfrey hears of it from there. A cross-section of the community is present to receive word of Molly's death. Eppie provides a connecting link not only between Godfrey and Silas, but between Silas and the community as well. Communal opinion is never the final authority in the novel; Eliot often treats it ironically; but it is an important factor in the lives of the major characters and in the functioning of the plot.

Critical EssaysTechnique and Characterization in Silas Marner:

Like most novelists of her day, Eliot uses an omniscient point of view — that is, she views the action from any point she finds convenient, whether from the narrator's standpoint, as a disinterested spectator might see it, or as seen or felt by any character. This viewpoint has many advantages, and it is well suited to Eliot's strengths as a novelist. It allows her to show what any character thinks or feels and to show an act and its consequences with great comprehensiveness. Eliot uses this technique to increase the reader's sympathy and understanding of characters and of the situations they find themselves in. It also allows better control of the reader's awareness, which is the main source of the irony so important in Eliot's novels. The reader generally knows more than any single character (for example, about Godfrey's marriage and that Dunstan is the thief), and this superior knowledge lends ironic humor to the things the characters think and do in their ignorance. However, the reader is not told everything. The news of Dunstan's death is perhaps less of a surprise than to Godfrey, but it has never been a certainty. This allows the reader to feel something of the shock that Godfrey must feel at that moment.

The excellence of Eliot's characterization depends partly on this omniscience, but the most important factor is Eliot's deep understanding of human psychology. Her major characters are portrayed in great depth. Their reactions are varied: they are capable of surprising, yet they never seem arbitrary. On reflection, that which seemed surprising in them is seen to be consistent with their previous actions. They do not remain static, but their development builds on the past. A prime example of this is Silas. His belief in God goes through a series of developments that are directly related to the things that have happened to him. Throughout all these changes, however, he clings to some support — his church, his work, his gold, or his daughter. His character displays both change and constancy, and this makes him recognizably the same person even as he changes. His character does not merely change — it develops.

Eliot's style lends her several aids to characterization. The omniscient point of view sometimes does this by giving the reaction of an unprejudiced observer, someone whom the reader will believe. The Miss Gunns find Nancy charming; and since they are neutral toward her at best, the reader is likely to accept their view.

Another important device of persuasion is metaphor, which is likely to go almost unperceived by the reader, but which have a cumulative effect. Throughout the opening chapters, Silas is compared to a spider in a number of ways, and this "insect-like existence" lends reality to the withering of his humanity.

A third device of characterization is speech. The characters do not all talk alike. Squire Cass' speech is rough but forceful. Priscilla sounds almost like a man, and from what we see of her it is evident that she is trying to fill a man's place. All of the characters except Godfrey speak a more or less rustic dialect, but it is more pronounced when Eliot is calling attention to the insularity of the community — for example, at the gathering at the Rainbow. Godfrey's speech is always somewhat more refined than his neighbors' or his father's, indicating perhaps that he is at least trying to hold himself above a life of "conviviality and condescension."

Critical EssaysThemes of Silas Marner:

 

Themes are simply ideas that Eliot develops in the course of the novel. It should be remembered, however, that what a good novel says is not detachable from the way it says it. The meaning is a part of the style and structure, and themes cannot be set out in so many pointed quotations. Meanings and attitudes are expressed through the whole work of art, and they must be studied as a part of it.

The major theme of Silas Marner is of course the influence of "pure, natural human relationships," but there are several others. Some of these are never the subject of a direct statement, but constant repetition brings them to the reader's attention, and the novel draws some sort of conclusion about them. One of these themes is the function of religion in society. Another is the use of custom and tradition. There is a more direct consideration, focused on Nancy, of the extent to which "principle" should predominate over sympathy in human relationships. This is closely connected to the question of indulgence versus discipline in human life, as exemplified by the home life of Godfrey and of Nancy.

A theme may be mentioned only indirectly and yet be quite explicit in its meaning. One such in Silas Marner is the effect of industrialization on English society in the nineteenth century. Lantern Yard after the factory has been built is a grimy, dark place full of unhealthy people. There is a sharp contrast between the grim unfriendliness of Lantern Yard and the community spirit of Raveloe, between Silas' life as a spinning insect and the fresh air of the open fields.

Critical EssaysSymbolism in Silas Marner:

A symbol is an object that demands attention in itself but that also refers to another object or to a concept. Normal images and metaphors, through consistent use, may become symbols. Symbols may operate in more than one way at the same time, and often there is no one concept attached to a given object; instead, a whole range of ideas may be brought into play.

The tale of Silas Marner certainly must be understood symbolically as well as literally. Eppie is explicitly put forward as a substitute for Silas' treasure, and this raises questions of the nature of treasures literal and spiritual. Dunstan steals Silas' gold and in the process falls into a pit, but in another way the pit may be thought of as the pit that waits for all erring humans. Silas' door stands open as a symbol of his spiritual condition, and evil and good in turn come and work their influence on him. Silas' renewal of faith and human contact in this way becomes a symbolic rebirth. Both through his fits and through his alienation from other men, he is a man who has seemed dead and has come back to life.

Study HelpEssay Questions:

1. Discuss Eliot's use of Biblical allusions and their function in the novel.

2. What sort of dramatic or thematic unity do you find in the tale of Silas Marner?

3. Discuss the various ways in which Eliot portrays or develops characters.

4. Contrast the methods used to characterize Silas and Mr. Macey.

5. Does Eliot express any personal religious beliefs through this novel? How does religion affect the lives of the characters?

6. Aside from Silas' visit to Lantern Yard, does the novel offer any comment on contemporary industrial conditions?

7. Silas Marner is frequently referred to as a "fairy tale." What fairy tale elements does it have? Does the label fit?

8. Discuss Eliot's use of comic irony.

9. Is coincidence overworked in the plot of Silas Marner?

10. What is the purpose of introducing the peddler as a suspect in the robbery?

11. Do you think the novel would be more effective if Eliot did not intrude in the story?

12. Compare the technique or style of Silas Marner to that of any other novel by George Eliot.

13. "No man can begin to mould himself on a faith or an idea without rising to a higher order of experience." Apply this statement by Eliot to Silas Marner.

14. Can Silas' final view of life be reconciled with life as Godfrey experiences it?

15. Do you think Silas Marner was written to make a philosophical point?