SILAS MARNER

GEORGE ELIOT
Context
George Eliot was the pseudonym of Mary Ann Evans, born in 1819 at the estate of her fathers employer in
Chilvers Coton, Warwickshire, England !he was sent to boarding school, where she developed a strong
religious faith, deeply influenced by the evangelical preacher "ev #ohn Edmund #ones After her mothers
death, Evans moved with her father to the city of Coventry $here she met Charles and Caroline %ray,
progressive intellectuals who led her to &uestion her faith 'n 1842 she stopped going to church, and this
renunciation of her faith put a strain on Evanss relationship with her father that did not ease for several years
Evans became ac&uainted with intellectuals in Coventry who broadened her mind beyond a provincial
perspective $hrough her new associations, she traveled to Geneva and then to (ondon, where she worked as
a freelance writer 'n (ondon she met George (ewes, who became her husband in all but the legal sense)a
true legal marriage was impossible, as (ewes already had an estranged wife At this point in her life Evans
was still primarily interested in philosophy, but (ewes persuaded her to turn her hand to fiction instead $he
publication of her first collection of stories in 1857, under the male pseudonym of George Eliot, brought
immediate acclaim from critics as prestigious as Charles *ickens and William Makepeace $hackeray, as well
as much speculation about the identity of the mysterious George Eliot After the publication of her ne+t book
and first novel, Adam Bede, a number of impostors claimed authorship 'n response, Evans asserted herself as
the true author, causing &uite a stir in a society that still regarded women as incapable of serious writing
(ewes died in 1878, and in 1880 Evans married a banker named #ohn Walter Cross, who was twenty,one
years her -unior !he died the same year
Eliot wrote the novels Adam Bede .1859/ and The Mill on the Floss .1860/ before publishing Silas
Marner .1861/, the tale of a lonely, miserly village weaver transformed by the love of his adopted daughter
Eliot is best known, however, for Middlemarch .18711872/ !ubtitled 0A !tudy in 1rovincial (ife,2 this lengthy
work tells the story of a small English village and its inhabitants, centering on the idealistic and self,sacrificing
*orothea %rooke
Eliots novels are deeply philosophical 'n e+ploring the inner workings of her characters and their relationship
to their environment, she drew on influences that included the English poet William Wordsworth, the 'talian
poet *ante, the English art critic #ohn "uskin, and the 1ortuguese,*utch philosopher %aruch !pino3a, whose
work Eliot translated into English $he philosophical concerns and references found in her novels)and the
refusal to provide the re&uisite happy ending)struck some contemporary critics as unbecoming in a lady
novelist Eliots detailed and insightful psychological portrayals of her characters, as well as her e+ploration of
the comple+ ways these characters confront moral dilemmas, decisively broke from the plot,driven domestic
melodrama that had previously served as the standard for the 4ictorian novel Eliots break from tradition
inspired the modern novel and inspired numerous future authors, among them 5enry #ames, who admirered
Eliot
Silas Marner was Eliots third novel and is among the best known of her works Many of the novels themes and
concerns stem from Eliots own life e+periences !ilass loss of religious faith recalls Eliots own struggle with
her faith, and the novels setting in the vanishing English countryside reflects Eliots concern that England was
fast becoming industriali3ed and impersonal $he novels concern with class and family can likewise be linked
back to Eliots own life $he voice of the novels narrator can thus, to some e+tent, be seen as Eliots own
voice)one tinged with slight condescension, but fond of the setting and thoroughly empathetic with the
characters $houghSilas Marner is in a sense a very personal novel for Eliot, its treatment of the themes of
faith, family, and class has nonetheless given it universal appeal, especially at the time of publication, when
English society and institutions were undergoing rapid change
The Epigraph
A child, more than all other gifts
That earth can offer to declining man,
Brings hope with it, and forward-looking thoughts.
William Wordsworth
At his death, eleven years before the publication of Silas Marner, William Wordsworth was widely considered
the most important English writer of his time 5is intensely personal poetry, with its simple language and
rhythms, marked a revolutionary departure from the comple+, formal structures and classical sub-ect matter of
his predecessors, poets such as #ohn *ryden and Ale+ander 1ope 6nlike the poetry of *ryden and 1ope,
Wordsworths poems are meditative rather than narrative $hey celebrate beauty and simplicity most often
most often located in the natural landscape Wordsworths influence on English poetry)at a time when poetry
was un&uestioningly held to be the most important form of literature)was enormous Along with !amuel
$aylor Coleridge, Wordsworth set in motion the "omantic era, inspiring a generation of poets that included
#ohn 7eats, 1ercy %ysshe !helley, and (ord %yron
George Eliot evidently felt a kinship with Wordsworth and his strong identification with the English landscape
(ike Wordsworth, Eliot draws many of her metaphors from the natural world 5owever, the Wordsworth
epigraph she chose for Silas Marner also highlights the philosophical aspect of her affinity with Wordsworth
(ike Eliot, Wordsworth had tried his hand at philosophy before turning to more literary pursuits, and in his
poetry he works out his conception of human consciousness 8ne of Wordsworths ma-or ideas, radical at the
time, was that at the moment of birth, human beings move from a perfect, ideali3ed 0otherworld2 to this
imperfect world, characteri3ed by in-ustice and corruption Children, being closest to that otherworld, can
remember its beauty and purity, seeing its traces in the natural world around them As they grow up, however,
they lose that connection and forget the knowledge they had as children 5owever, as described in the &uote
Eliot has chosen, children and the memories of childhood they evoke in adults can still bring us close to that
early, idyllic state 't is not hard to imagine that Eliot had this model in mind when she wrote her story of a child
bringing a man out of isolation and spiritual desolation
Plot Overview
!ilas Marner is the weaver in the English countryside village of "aveloe in the early nineteenth century (ike
many weavers of his time, he is an outsider)the ob-ect of suspicion because of his special skills and the fact
that he has come to "aveloe from elsewhere $he villagers see !ilas as especially odd because of the curious
cataleptic fits he occasionally suffers !ilas has ended up in "aveloe because the members of his religious
sect in (antern 9ard, an insular neighborhood in a larger town, falsely accused him of theft and
e+communicated him
Much shaken after the accusation, !ilas finds nothing familiar in "aveloe to reawaken his faith and falls into a
numbing routine of solitary work 5is one attempt at neighborliness backfires: when an herbal remedy he
suggests for a neighbors illness works, he is rumored to be a sort of witch doctor With little else to live for,
!ilas becomes infatuated with the money he earns for his work and hoards it, living off as little as possible
Every night he pulls his gold out from its hiding place beneath his floorboards to count it 5e carries on in this
way for fifteen years
!&uire Cass is the wealthiest man in "aveloe, and his two eldest sons are Godfrey and *unstan, or *unsey
*unsey is greedy and cruel, and en-oys tormenting Godfrey, the eldest son Godfrey is good,natured but
weak,willed, and, though secretly married to the opium addict Molly ;arren, he is in love with <ancy
(ammeter *unsey talked Godfrey into the marriage and repeatedly blackmails him with threats to reveal the
marriage to their father Godfrey gives *unsey 100 pounds of the rent money paid to him by one of their
fathers tenants Godfrey then finds himself in a bind when *unsey insists that Godfrey repay the sum himself
*unsey once again threatens to reveal Godfreys marriage but, after some arguing, offers to sell Godfreys
pri3e horse, Wildfire, to repay the loan
$he ne+t day, *unsey meets with some friends who are hunting and negotiates the sale of the horse *unsey
decides to participate in the hunt before finali3ing the sale, and, in doing so, he has a riding accident that kills
the horse 7nowing the rumors of !ilass hoard, *unsey makes plans to intimidate the weaver into lending him
money 5is walk home takes him by !ilass cottage, and, finding the cottage empty, *unsey steals the money
instead
!ilas returns from an errand to find his money gone 8verwhelmed by the loss, he runs to the local tavern for
help and announces the theft to a sympathetic audience of tavern regulars $he theft becomes the talk of the
village, and a theory arises that the thief might have been a peddler who came through the village some time
before Godfrey, meanwhile, is distracted by thoughts of *unsey, who has not returned home After hearing
that Wildfire has been found dead, Godfrey decides to tell his father about the money, though not about his
marriage $he !&uire flies into a rage at the news, but does not do anything drastic to punish Godfrey
!ilas is utterly disconsolate at the loss of his gold and numbly continues his weaving !ome of the
townspeople stop by to offer their condolences and advice Among these visitors, *olly Winthrop stands out
(ike many of the others, she encourages !ilas to go to church)something he has not done since he was
banished from (antern 9ard)but she is also gentler and more genuinely sympathetic
<ancy (ammeter arrives at !&uire Casss famed <ew 9ears dance resolved to re-ect Godfreys advances
because of his unsound character 5owever, Godfrey is more direct and insistent than he has been in a long
time, and <ancy finds herself e+hilarated by the evening in spite of her resolution Meanwhile, Molly, Godfreys
secret wife, is making her way to the Casses house to reveal the secret marriage !he has their daughter, a
toddler, in her arms $iring after her long walk, Molly takes a draft of opium and passes out by the road
!eeing !ilass cottage and drawn by the light of the fire, Mollys little girl wanders through the open door and
falls asleep at !ilass hearth
!ilas is having one of his fits at the time and does not notice the little girl enter his cottage When he comes to,
he sees her already asleep on his hearth, and is as stunned by her appearance as he was by the
disappearance of his money A while later, !ilas traces the girls footsteps outside and finds Mollys body lying
in the snow !ilas goes to the !&uires house to find the doctor, and causes a stir at the dance when he arrives
with the baby girl in his arms Godfrey, recogni3ing his daughter, accompanies the doctor to !ilass cottage
When the doctor declares that Molly is dead, Godfrey reali3es that his secret is safe 5e does not claim his
daughter, and !ilas adopts her
!ilas grows increasingly attached to the child and names her Eppie, after his mother and sister With *olly
Winthrops help, !ilas raises the child lovingly Eppie begins to serve as a bridge between !ilas and the rest of
the villagers, who offer him help and advice and have come to think of him as an e+emplary person because
of what he has done Eppie also brings !ilas out of the benumbed state he fell into after the loss of his gold 'n
his newfound happiness, !ilas begins to e+plore the memories of his past that he has long repressed
$he novel -umps ahead si+teen years Godfrey has married <ancy and !&uire Cass has died Godfrey has
inherited his fathers house, but he and <ancy have no children $heir one daughter died at birth, and <ancy
has refused to adopt Eppie has grown into a pretty and spirited young woman, and !ilas a contented father
$he stone,pit behind !ilass cottage is drained to water neighboring fields, and *unseys skeleton is found at
the bottom, along with !ilass gold $he discovery frightens Godfrey, who becomes convinced that his own
secrets are destined to be uncovered as well 5e confesses the truth to <ancy about his marriage to Molly and
fathering of Eppie <ancy is not angry but regretful, saying that they could have adopted Eppie legitimately if
Godfrey had told her earlier
$hat evening, Godfrey and <ancy decide to visit !ilass cottage to confess the truth of Eppies lineage and
claim her as their daughter 5owever, after hearing Godfrey and <ancys story, Eppie tells them she would
rather stay with !ilas than live with her biological father Godfrey and <ancy leave, resigning themselves to
helping Eppie from afar $he ne+t day !ilas decides to visit (antern 9ard to see if he was ever cleared of the
theft of which he was accused years before $he town has changed almost beyond recognition, though, and
!ilass old chapel has been torn down to make way for a new factory !ilas reali3es that his &uestions will
never be answered, but he is content with the sense of faith he has regained through his life with Eppie $hat
summer Eppie is married to Aaron Winthrop, *ollys son Aaron comes to live in !ilass cottage, which has
been e+panded and refurbished at Godfreys e+pense
Character List
Silas Marner - A simple, honest, and kindhearted weaver. Ater losin! aith in "oth #od and his ellow man, $ilas lives
or iteen %ears as a solitar% miser. Ater his mone% is stolen, his aith and tr&st are restored "% his adopted da&!hter,
'ppie, whom he lovin!l% raises.
Godfrey Cass - (he eldest son o $)&ire *ass. #odre% is !ood-nat&red "&t selish and weak-willed. +e knows what is
ri!ht "&t is &nwillin! to pa% the pri,e or o"e%in! his ,ons,ien,e.
Eppie - A !irl whom $ilas -arner event&all% adopts. 'ppie is the "iolo!i,al ,hild o #odre% *ass and -oll% .arren,
#odre%/s se,ret wie. 'ppie is prett% and spirited, and loves $ilas &n)&estionin!l%.
Nancy Lammeter - (he o"0e,t o #odre%/s ae,tion and his event&al wie. 1an,% is prett%, ,arin!, and st&""orn, and
she lives her lie "% a ,ode o r&les that sometimes seems ar"itrar% and &n,ompromisin!.
Dunstan Cass - #odre%/s %o&n!er "rother. 2&nse%, as he is &s&all% ,alled, is ,r&el, la3%, and &ns,r&p&lo&s, and he
loves !am"lin! and drinkin!.
Squire Cass - (he wealthiest man in 4aveloe. (he $)&ire is la3%, sel-satisied, and short-tempered.
Dolly Winthrop - (he wheelwri!ht/s wie who helps $ilas with 'ppie. 2oll% later "e,omes 'ppie/s !odmother and
mother-in-law. $he is kind, patient, and devo&t.
Molly Farren - #odre%/s se,ret wie and 'ppie/s mother. 5n,e prett%, -oll% has "een destro%ed "% her addi,tions to
opi&m and al,ohol.
William Dane - $ilas/s pro&d and pri!!ish "est riend rom his ,hildhood in 6antern 7ard. 8illiam 2ane rames $ilas
or thet in order to "rin! dis!ra,e &pon him, then marries $ilas/s ian,9e, $arah.
Mr. Macey - 4aveloe/s parish ,lerk. -r. -a,e% is opinionated and sm&! "&t means well.
Aaron Winthrop - 2oll%/s son and 'ppie/s event&al h&s"and.
riscilla Lammeter - 1an,%/s homel% and plainspoken sister. :ris,illa talks endlessl% "&t is e;tremel% ,ompetent at
ever%thin! she does.
Sarah - $ilas/s ian,9e in 6antern 7ard. $arah is p&t o "% $ilas/s stran!e it and ends &p marr%in! 8illiam 2ane ater
$ilas is dis!ra,ed.
Mr. Lammeter - 1an,%/s and :ris,illa/s ather. -r. 6ammeter is a pro&d and morall% &n,ompromisin! man.
!em "odney - A somewhat disrep&ta"le ,hara,ter and a poa,her. <em sees $ilas in the midst o one o $ilas/s its. $ilas
later a,,&ses <em o stealin! his !old.
Mr. #im$le - #odre%/s &n,le and 4aveloe/s do,tor. -r. =im"le is &s&all% an animated ,onversationalist and 0oker, "&t
"e,omes irrita"le when he pla%s ,ards. +e has no medi,al de!ree and inherited the position o villa!e ph%si,ian rom his
ather.
Mr. Do%las - (he town arrier, who shoes horses and tends to !eneral livesto,k diseases. -r. 2owlas is a ier,el%
,ontrarian person, m&,h taken with his own opinions.
Mr. Snell - (he landlord o the 4ain"ow, a lo,al tavern. >% nat&re a ,on,iliator% person, -r. $nell alwa%s tries to settle
ar!&ments.
&he peddler - An anon%mo&s peddler who ,omes thro&!h 4aveloe some time "eore the thet o $ilas/s !old. (he
peddler is a s&spe,t in the thet "e,a&se o his !%ps%like appearan,e?and or la,k o a "etter ,andidate.
'ryce - A riend o "oth #odre% and 2&nse%. >r%,e arran!es to "&% 8ildire, 2&nse%/s horse.
Miss Gunns - $isters rom a lar!er near"% town who ,ome to the $)&ire/s 1ew 7ear/s dan,e. (he -isses #&nn are
disdain&l o 4aveloe/s r&sti, wa%s, "&t are nonetheless impressed "% 1an,% 6ammeter/s "ea&t%.
Sally (ates - $ilas/s nei!h"or and the wheelwri!ht/s wie. $ilas eases the pain o $all%/s heart disease and drops% with a
,on,o,tion he makes o&t o o;!love.
Analysis of Major Characters
Silas Marner
(he title ,hara,ter, $ilas is a solitar% weaver who, at the time we meet him, is a"o&t thirt%-nine %ears old and has "een
livin! in the 'n!lish ,o&ntr%side villa!e o 4aveloe or iteen %ears. $ilas is re,l&sive and his nei!h"ors in 4aveloe
re!ard him with a mi;t&re o s&spi,ion and ,&riosit%. +e spends all da% workin! at his loom and has never made an eort
to !et to know an% o the villa!ers. $ilas/s ph%si,al appearan,e is odd@ he is "ent rom his work at the loom, has stran!e
and ri!htenin! e%es, and !enerall% looks m&,h older than his %ears. >e,a&se $ilas has knowled!e o medi,inal her"s and
is s&"0e,t to o,,asional ,atalepti, its, man% o his nei!h"ors spe,&late that he has otherworldl% powers.
2espite his antiso,ial "ehavior, however, $ilas is at heart a deepl% kind and honest person. At no point in the novel does
$ilas do or sa% an%thin! remotel% mali,io&s and, stran!el% or a miser, he is not even parti,&larl% selish. $ilas/s love o
mone% is merel% the prod&,t o spirit&al desolation, and his hidden ,apa,it% or love and sa,rii,e maniests itsel when
he takes in and raises 'ppie.
$ilas/s o&tsider stat&s makes him the o,al point or the themes o ,omm&nit%, reli!ion, and amil% that 'liot e;plores in
the novel. As an o&t,ast who event&all% "e,omes 4aveloe/s most e;emplar% ,iti3en, $ilas serves as a st&d% in the
relationship "etween the individ&al and the ,omm&nit%. +is loss and s&"se)&ent redis,over% o aith demonstrate "oth the
dii,&lt% and the sola,e that reli!io&s "elie ,an "rin!. Additionall%, the &nlikel% domesti, lie that $ilas ,reates with
'ppie presents an &n,onventional "&t power&l portrait o amil% and the home.
(ho&!h he is the title ,hara,ter o the novel, $ilas is "% and lar!e passive, a,ted &pon rather than a,tin! on others. Almost
all o the ma0or events in the novel demonstrate this passivit%. $ilas is ramed or thet in his old town and, instead o
pro,laimin! his inno,en,e, p&ts his tr&st in #od to ,lear his name. $imilarl%, 2&nse%/s thet o $ilas/s !old and 'ppie/s
appearan,e on $ilas/s doorstep?rather than an% a,tions $ilas takes o his own a,,ord?are the ma0or events that drive
the narrative orward. $ilas si!nii,antl% diver!es rom this pattern o passivit% when he de,ides to keep 'ppie, there"%
"e,omin! an a!ent o his event&al salvation.
Godfrey Cass
#odre% is the eldest son o $)&ire *ass and the heir to the *ass estate. +e is a !ood-nat&red %o&n! man, "&t weak-willed
and &s&all% &na"le to think o m&,h "e%ond his immediate material ,omort. As a %o&n! man he married an opi&m
addi,t, -oll% .arren, with whom he had a da&!hter. (his se,ret marria!e and #odre%/s handlin! o it demonstrate the
mi;t&re o !&ilt and moral ,owardi,e that keep him paral%3ed or m&,h o the novel. #odre% ,onsented to the marria!e
lar!el% o&t o !&ilt and keeps the marria!e se,ret "e,a&se he knows his ather will disown him i it ever ,omes to li!ht.
2espite his ph%si,all% power&l and !ra,e&l presen,e, #odre% is !enerall% passive. An this respe,t he is similar to $ilas.
+owever, #odre%/s passivit% is dierent rom $ilas/s, as his endless walin! and inde,isiveness stem entirel% rom
selishness. #odre% is s&"0e,t to ,onstant "la,kmail rom 2&nse%, who knows o #odre%/s se,ret marria!e, and #odre%
is inall% reed o his mali,io&s "rother simpl% "% an a,,ident. +e is delivered rom -oll% in a similarl% ort&ito&s wa%,
when -oll% ree3es to death while en ro&te to 4aveloe to e;pose their marria!e to #odre%/s amil%. 'ven #odre%/s
event&al ,onession to 1an,% is motivated simpl% "% his ri!ht ater the dis,over% o 2&nse%/s remains. (his ,onession
,omes %ears too late?"% the time #odre% is inall% read% to take responsi"ilit% or 'ppie, she has alread% a,,epted $ilas
as her ather and does not want to repla,e him in her lie.
Nancy Lammeter
1an,% is the prett%, ,arin!, and st&""orn %o&n! lad% whom #odre% p&rs&es and then marries. 6ike #odre%, 1an,%
,omes rom a amil% that is wealth% "% 4aveloe standards. +owever, her ather, &nlike $)&ire *ass, is a man who val&es
moral re,tit&de, thrit, and hard work. 1an,% has inherited these stri,t val&es and looks disapprovin!l% on what she sees
as #odre%/s weakness o ,hara,ter. $he is, however, e;hilarated "% #odre%/s attention, in part "e,a&se o the stat&s he
em"odies.
1an,% lives her lie a,,ordin! to an inle;i"le ,ode o "ehavior and "elie. $he seems to have alread% de,ided how she
eels a"o&t ever% )&estion that mi!ht ,ome &p in her lie, not ne,essaril% on the "asis o an% reason or tho&!ht, "&t simpl%
"e,a&se an%thin! else wo&ld represent a sort o weakness in her own e%es. 8hen 1an,% is %o&n!er, this B,odeC o hers
demands that she and her sister dress alike on ormal o,,asions. 8hen she is older, 1an,%/s ,ode or"ids her to adopt a
,hild, as in her mind s&,h an a,tion represents a deian,e o #od/s plan. 1an,% is neither well ed&,ated nor parti,&larl%
,&rio&s, and her ,ode marks her as 0&st as m&,h a prod&,t o 4aveloe/s isolation and r&sti,it% as 2oll% 8inthrop. 1an,%
is, however, a !en&inel% kind and ,arin! person, as eviden,ed "% her or!iveness o #odre% ater his ,onession.
&hemes) Motifs * Sym$ols
&hemes
Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
(he Andivid&al Ders&s the *omm&nit%
Silas Marner is in one sense the stor% o the title ,hara,ter, "&t it is also ver% m&,h a"o&t the ,omm&nit% o 4aveloe in
whi,h he lives. -&,h o the novel/s dramati, or,e is !enerated "% the tension "etween $ilas and the so,iet% o 4aveloe.
$ilas, who !oes rom "ein! a mem"er o a ti!ht-knit ,omm&nit% to &tterl% alone and then "a,k a!ain, is a pere,t vehi,le
or 'liot to e;plore the relationship "etween the individ&al and the s&rro&ndin! ,omm&nit%.
An the earl% nineteenth ,ent&r%, a person/s villa!e or town was all-important, providin! the sole so&r,e o material and
emotional s&pport. (he notion o inter,onne,tedness and s&pport within a villa!e r&ns thro&!h the novel, in s&,h
e;amples as the parish/s ,harita"le allowan,e or the ,rippled, the donation o letovers rom the $)&ire/s easts to the
villa!e/s poor, and the villa!ers who drop "% $ilas/s ,otta!e ater he is ro""ed.
(he ,omm&nit% also provides its mem"ers with a str&,t&red sense o identit%. 8e see this sense o identit% pla% o&t in
4aveloe/s p&"li, !atherin!s. At "oth the 4ain"ow and the $)&ire/s dan,e, intera,tion is rit&ali3ed thro&!h a shared
&nderstandin! o ea,h person/s so,ial ,lass and pla,e in the ,omm&nit%. As an o&tsider, livin! apart rom this so,ial
str&,t&re, $ilas initiall% la,ks an% sense o this identit%. 1ot a"le to &nderstand $ilas in the ,onte;t o their ,omm&nit%,
the villa!ers see him as stran!e, re!ardin! him with a mi;t&re o ear and ,&riosit%. $ilas is ,ompared to an apparition
"oth when he shows &p at the 4ain"ow and the 4ed +o&se. (o "e o&tside the ,omm&nit% is to "e somethin! &nnat&ral,
even otherworldl%.
(ho&!h it takes iteen %ears, the inl&en,e o the ,omm&nit% o 4aveloe does event&all% seep into $ilas/s lie. At does so
via #odre%/s pro"lems, whi,h ind their wa% into $ilas/s ,otta!e irst in the orm o 2&nse%, then a!ain in 'ppie. 'liot
s&!!ests that the inter,onne,tedness o ,omm&nit% is not somethin! one ne,essaril% enters into vol&ntaril%, nor
somethin! one ,an even avoid. An terms o so,ial standin!, $ilas and #odre% are )&ite ar rom ea,h other@ whereas $ilas
is a distr&sted o&tsider, #odre% is the villa!e/s !olden "o%, the heir o its most prominent amil%. >% "raidin! to!ether
the ates o these two ,hara,ters and showin! how the rest o the villa!e "e,omes impli,ated as well, 'liot portra%s the
"onds o ,omm&nit% at their most ines,apa"le and pervasive.
*hara,ter as 2estin%
(he plot o Silas Marner seems me,hanisti, at times, as 'liot takes ,are to !ive ea,h ,hara,ter his or her 0&st deserts.
2&nse% dies, the $)&ire/s lands are divided #odre% wins 1an,% "&t ends &p ,hildless, and $ilas lives happil% ever ater
with 'ppie as the most admired man in 4aveloe. (he tidiness o the novel/s resol&tion ma% or ma% not "e entirel%
"elieva"le, "&t it is a ,entral part o 'liot/s !oal to present the &niverse as morall% ordered. .ate, in the sense o a hi!her
power rewardin! and p&nishin! ea,h ,hara,ter/s a,tions, is a ,entral theme o the novel. .or 'liot, who we are
determines not onl% what we do, "&t also what is done to &s.
1earl% an% ,hara,ter in the novel ,o&ld serve as an e;ample o this moral order, "&t perhaps the "est ill&stration is
#odre%. #odre% &s&all% means well, "&t is &nwillin! to make sa,rii,es or what he knows to "e ri!ht. At one point
#odre% inds himsel a,t&all% hopin! that -oll% will die, as his ,onstant hemmin! and hawin! have "a,ked him into so
ti!ht a ,orner that his tho&!hts have "e,ome tr&l% horri"le and ,r&el. +owever, thro&!ho&t the novel 'liot maintains that
#odre% is not a "ad person?he has simpl% "een ,ompromised "% his ina,tion. .ittin!l%, #odre% ends &p with a
similarl% ,ompromised destin%@ in his marria!e to 1an,% he !ets what he wants, onl% to event&all% rea,h the dissatisied
,on,l&sion that it is not what he wanted ater all. #odre% ends &p in this ironi, sit&ation not simpl% "e,a&se he is
deservin!, "&t "e,a&se ,ompromised tho&!hts and a,tions ,annot, in the moral &niverse o 'liot/s novel, have an%thin!
"&t ,ompromised res&lts.
(he Anterdependen,e o .aith and *omm&nit%
An one sense Silas Marner ,an "e seen simpl% as the stor% o $ilas/s loss and re!ainin! o his aith. >&t one ,o&ld 0&st as
easil% des,ri"e the novel as the stor% o $ilas/s re0e,tion and s&"se)&ent em"ra,e o his ,omm&nit%. An the novel, these
notions o aith and ,omm&nit% are ,losel% linked. (he% are "oth h&man ne,essities, and the% "oth eed o o ea,h other.
(he ,omm&nit% o 6antern 7ard is &nited "% reli!io&s aith, and 4aveloe is likewise introd&,ed as a pla,e in whi,h
people share the same set o s&perstitio&s "elies. An the t%pi,al 'n!lish villa!e, the ,h&r,h &n,tioned as the predominant
so,ial or!ani3ation. (h&s, when $ilas loses his aith, he is isolated rom an% sort o lar!er ,omm&nit%.
(he ,onne,tion "etween aith and ,omm&nit% lies in 'liot/s ,lose asso,iation o aith in a hi!her a&thorit% with aith in
one/s ellow man. $ilas/s re!ained aith diers rom his ormer 6antern 7ard aith in si!nii,ant wa%s. +is ormer aith
was "ased irst and oremost on the idea o #od. 8hen he is &n0&stl% ,har!ed with m&rder, he does nothin! to deend
himsel, tr&stin! in a 0&st #od to ,lear his name. (he aith $ilas re!ains thro&!h 'ppie is dierent in that it is not even
e;pli,itl% *hristian. $ilas does not mention #od in the same wa% he did in 6antern 7ard, "&t "ases his aith on the
stren!th o his and 'ppie/s ,ommitment to ea,h other. An his words, Bsin,e . . . A/ve ,ome to love her . . . A/ve had li!ht
eno&!h to tr&sten "%E and now she sa%s she/ll never leave me, A think A shall tr&sten till A die.C
$ilas/s new aith is a reli!ion that one mi!ht ima!ine 'liot hersel espo&sin! ater her own "reak with ormali3ed
*hristianit%. At is a more personal aith than that o 6antern 7ard, in whi,h people 3ealo&sl% and s&perstitio&sl% as,ri"e
s&pernat&ral ,a&ses to events with strai!htorward ,a&ses, s&,h as $ilas/s its. An a sense, $ilas/s new "elie is the
opposite o his earlier, simplisti, world view in that it preserves the pla,e o m%ster% and am"i!&it%. 4ather than
&n,tionin! merel% as a s&pernat&ral s,ape!oat, $ilas/s aith ,omorts him in the a,e o the thin!s that do not make sense
to him. Additionall%, as 2oll% points o&t, $ilas/s is a aith "ased on helpin! others and tr&stin! others to do the same.
>oth 2oll%/s and espe,iall% $ilas/s aith ,onsists o a "elie in the !oodness o other people as m&,h as an idea o the
divine. $&,h a aith is th&s ine;tri,a"l% linked to the "onds o ,omm&nit%.
Motifs
Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the texts ma!or
themes.
(he 1at&ral 8orld
(hro&!ho&t the novel, 'liot draws on the nat&ral world or man% ima!es and metaphors. $ilas in parti,&lar is oten
,ompared to plants or animals, and these ima!es are &sed to tra,e his pro!ression rom isolated loner to well-loved ather
i!&re. As he sits alone weavin! near the start o the novel, $ilas is likened to a spider, solitar% and sli!htl% omino&s. <&st
ater he is ro""ed, $ilas is ,ompared to an ant that inds its &s&al path "lo,ked?an ima!e o limitation and ,on&sion, "&t
also o sear,hin! or a sol&tion. 6ater, as $ilas "e!ins to rea,h o&t to the rest o the villa!e, his so&l is likened to a plant,
not %et "&ddin! "&t with its sap "e!innin! to ,ir,&late. .inall%, as he raises 'ppie, $ilas is des,ri"ed as B&noldin!C and
Btrem"lin! into &ll ,ons,io&sness,C ima!er% evokin! "oth the metamorphosis o an inse,t and the "loomin! o a lower.
(his nat&re ima!er% also emphasi3es the preind&strial settin! o the novel, remindin! &s o a time in 'n!land when the
nat&ral world was a "i!!er part o dail% lie than it was ater the And&strial 4evol&tion.
2omesti,it%
.or the most part, the events o Silas Marner take pla,e in two homes, $ilas/s ,otta!e and the *ass ho&sehold. (he
novel/s two ke% events are intr&sions into $ilas/s domesti, spa,e, irst "% 2&nse% and then "% 'ppie. 'liot &ses the home
as a marker o the state o its owner. 8hen $ilas is isolated and witho&t aith, his ,otta!e is "leak and ,losed o rom the
o&tside world. As $ilas opens himsel &p to the ,omm&nit%, we see that his door is more re)&entl% open and he has a
stead% stream o visitors. .inall%, as $ilas and 'ppie "e,ome a amil%, the ,otta!e is "ri!htened and illed with new lie,
"oth i!&rativel% and in the orm o literal improvements and re&r"ishments to the ho&se and %ard. 6ikewise, the *ass
ho&sehold moves rom slovenl% and BwielessC &nder the $)&ire to ,lean and invitin! &nder 1an,%.
*lass
4aveloe, like most o nineteenth-,ent&r% 'n!lish so,iet%, is or!ani3ed alon! stri,t lines o so,ial ,lass. (his so,ial
hierar,h% is en,oded in man% wa%s@ the orms ,hara,ters &se to address one another, their ha"its, even where the% sit at
so,ial events. 8hile the *asses are not no"ilit%, as landowners the% sit atop 4aveloe/s so,ial pe,kin! order, while $ilas,
an o&tsider, is at its "ase. 1onetheless, $ilas proves himsel to "e the "etter man than his so,ial s&periors. $imilarl%, in
'ppie/s view, the simple lie o the workin! ,lass is preera"le to that o the landed ,lass. 'liot is skilled in showin! how
,lass inl&en,es the thinkin! o her ,hara,ters, rom 2&nse%/s idea o $ilas as simpl% a so&r,e o eas% mone% to #odre%
and 1an,%/s idea that, as hi!her-,lass landowners, their ,laim to 'ppie is stron!er than $ilas/s.
Sym$ols
Sym"ols are o"!ects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent a"stract ideas or concepts.
$ilas/s 6oom
$ilas/s loom em"odies man% o the novel/s ma0or themes. 5n a literal level, the loom is $ilas/s livelihood and so&r,e o
in,ome. (he e;tent to whi,h $ilas/s o"session with mone% deorms his ,hara,ter is ph%si,all% em"odied "% the "ent
rame and limited e%esi!ht he develops d&e to so man% ho&rs at the loom. (he loom also oreshadows the ,omin! o
ind&striali3ation?the loom is a ma,hine in a time and pla,e when most la"or was nonme,hani,al, related to armin! and
animal h&s"andr%. Additionall%, the loom, ,onstantl% in motion "&t never !oin! an%where, em"odies the &n,easin! "&t
&n,han!in! nat&re o $ilas/s work and lie. .inall%, the pro,ess o weavin! &n,tions as a metaphor or the ,reation o a
,omm&nit%, with its man% interwoven threads, and presa!es the wa% in whi,h $ilas will "rin! to!ether the villa!e o
4aveloe.
6antern 7ard
(he pla,e where $ilas was raised in a ti!ht-knit reli!io&s se,t, 6antern 7ard is a ,omm&nit% o aith, held to!ether "% a
narrow reli!io&s "elie that 'liot s&!!ests is "ased more on s&perstition than an% sort o rational tho&!ht. 6antern 7ard is
the onl% ,omm&nit% $ilas knows, and ater he is e;,omm&ni,ated, he is &na"le to ind an% similar ,omm&nit% in 4aveloe.
(hro&!ho&t the novel 6antern 7ard &n,tions as a s%m"ol o $ilas/s past, and his !rad&al ,omin! to !rips with what
happened there si!nals his spirit&al thaw. 8hen $ilas inall% !oes "a,k to visit 6antern 7ard, he inds that the entire
nei!h"orhood has disappeared, and no one remem"ers an%thin! o it. A lar!e a,tor% stands in the spot where the ,hapel
on,e stood. (his disappearan,e demonstrates the disr&ptive power o ind&striali3ation, whi,h destro%s tradition and
erases memor%. 6ikewise, this "reak with the past si!nals that $ilas has inall% "een a"le to move "e%ond his own
em"itterin! histor%, and that his earlier loss o aith has "een repla,ed with newo&nd p&rpose.
(he +earth
(he hearth represents the ph%si,al ,enter o the ho&sehold and s%m"oli3es all o the ,omorts o home and amil%. 8hen
#odre% dreams o a lie with 1an,%, he sees himsel Bwith all his happiness ,entred on his own hearth, while 1an,%
wo&ld smile on him as he pla%ed with the ,hildren.C 'ven in a p&"li, pla,e s&,h as the 4ain"ow, one/s importan,e is
meas&red "% how ,lose one sits to the ire. Anitiall%, $ilas shares his hearth with no one, at least not intentionall%.
+owever, the two intr&ders who orever ,han!e $ilas/s lie, irst 2&nse% and then 'ppie, are drawn o&t o in,lement
weather "% the invitin! li!ht o $ilas/s ire. $ilas/s ,otta!e ,an never "e entirel% separate rom the o&tside world, and the
li!ht o $ilas/s ire attra,ts "oth misort&ne and redemption. An the end, it is $ilas/s hearth that eels the warmth o amil%,
while #odre%/s is ,hildless.
art +) Chapters ,-.
Summary/ Chapter ,
To have sought a medical explanation for this phenomenon would have "een held "y Silas himself, as well as "y his
minister and fellow#mem"ers, a willful self#exclusion from the spiritual significance that might lie therein.
$See %mportant &uotations 'xplained(
(he novel opens in the 'n!lish ,o&ntr%side Bin the da%s when the spinnin!-wheels h&mmed "&sil% in the armho&ses.C An
this era one wo&ld o,,asionall% en,o&nter weavers?t%pi,all% pale, thin men who looked like Bthe remnants o a
disinherited ra,eC?"eside the heart% peasants who worked in the ields. >e,a&se the% possessed a spe,ial skill and
t%pi,all% had emi!rated rom lar!er towns, weavers were invaria"l% o&tsiders to the peasants amon! whom the% lived.
(he peasants were s&perstitio&s people, oten s&spi,io&s o "oth B,levernessC and the world "e%ond their immediate
e;perien,e. (h&s, the weavers lived isolated lives and oten developed the e,,entri, ha"its that res&lt rom loneliness.
$ilas -arner, a linen-weaver o this sort, lives in a stone ,otta!e near a deserted stone-pit in the i,tional villa!e o
4aveloe. (he "o%s o the villa!e are drawn to the so&nd o his loom, and oten peer thro&!h his window with "oth awe
and s,orn or his stran!eness. $ilas responds "% !larin! at them to s,are them awa%. (he "o%s/ parents ,laim that $ilas
has spe,ial powers, s&,h as the a"ilit% to ,&re rhe&matism "% invokin! the devil. Altho&!h 4aveloe is a airl% al&ent,
attra,tive villa!e, it is ar rom an% ma0or road. $heltered rom ,&rrents o pro!ressive tho&!ht, the townspeople retain
man% primitive "elies.
An the iteen %ears $ilas has lived in 4aveloe, he has not invited an% !&ests into his home, made an% eort to "eriend
other villa!ers, or attempted to ,o&rt an% o the town/s women. $ilas/s re,l&siveness has !iven rise to a n&m"er o m%ths
and r&mors amon! the townspeople. 5ne man swears he on,e saw $ilas in a sort o it, standin! with his lim"s sti and
his e%es Bset like a dead man/s.C -r. -a,e%, the parish ,lerk, s&!!ests that s&,h episodes are ,a&sed "% $ilas/s so&l
leavin! his "od% to ,omm&ne with the devil. 2espite these r&mors, $ilas is never perse,&ted "e,a&se the townspeople
ear him and "e,a&se he is indispensa"le?he is the onl% weaver in town. As the %ears pass, lo,al lore also "e!ins to hold
that $ilas/s "&siness has ena"led him to save a si3a"le hoard o mone%.
>eore $ilas ,ame to 4aveloe, he lived in a town to the north, where he was tho&!ht o as a %o&n! man Bo e;emplar% lie
and ardent aith.C (his town was dominated "% a stri,t reli!io&s se,t that met in a pla,e ,alled 6antern 7ard. 2&rin! one
pra%er meetin!, $ilas "e,ame &n,ons,io&s and ri!id or more than an ho&r, an event that his ellow ,h&r,h mem"ers
re!arded as divinel% inspired. +owever, $ilas/s "est riend at the time, 8illiam 2ane?a seemin!l% e)&all% devo&t "&t
arro!ant %o&n! man?s&!!ested that $ilas/s it mi!ht have represented a visitation rom the devil rather than rom #od.
(ro&"led "% this s&!!estion, $ilas asked his ian,9e, a %o&n! servant named $arah, i she wished to ,all o their
en!a!ement. (ho&!h $arah seemed at irst to want to, she did not.
5ne ni!ht $ilas sta%ed &p to wat,h over the senior dea,on o -6antern 7ard, who was si,k. 8aitin! or 8illiam to ,ome
in to relieve him at the end o his shit, $ilas s&ddenl% reali3ed that it was nearl% dawn, the dea,on had stopped "reathin!,
and 8illiam had never arrived. $ilas wondered i he had allen asleep on his wat,h. +owever, later that mornin! 8illiam
and the other ,h&r,h mem"ers a,,&sed $ilas o stealin! the ,h&r,h/s mone% rom the dea,on/s room. $ilas/s po,ketknie
t&rned &p in the "&rea& where the mone% had "een stored, and the empt% mone% "a! was later o&nd in $ilas/s dwellin!.
$ilas e;pe,ted #od to ,lear him o the ,rime, "&t when the ,h&r,h mem"ers drew lots, $ilas was determined !&ilt% and
e;,omm&ni,ated. $arah ,alled their en!a!ement o. *r&shed, $ilas maintained that the last time he &sed his knie was in
8illiam/s presen,e and that he did not remem"er p&ttin! it "a,k in his po,ket aterward. (o the horror o the ,h&r,h,
$ilas an!ril% reno&n,ed his reli!io&s aith. $oon thereater, 8illiam married $arah and $ilas let town.
Summary/ Chapter .
Marners face and figure shrank and "ent themselves into a constant mechanical relation to the o"!ects of his life, so that
he produced the same sort of impression as a handle or a crooked tu"e, which has no meaning standing apart.
$See %mportant &uotations 'xplained(
A,,ordin! to the narrator, $ilas inds 4aveloe, with its sense o Bne!le,ted plent%,C ,ompletel% &nlike the world in whi,h
he !rew &p. (he ertile soil and ,limate make arm lie m&,h easier in 4aveloe than in the "arren north, and the villa!ers
are ,onse)&entl% more eas%!oin! and less ardent in their reli!ion. 1othin! amiliar in 4aveloe reawakens $ilas/s
B"en&m"edC aith in #od. $pirit&all% depleted, $ilas &ses his loom as a distra,tion, weavin! more )&i,kl% than ne,essar%.
.or the irst time he is a"le to keep the &ll portion o his earnin!s or himsel, no lon!er havin! to share them with an
emplo%er or the ,h&r,h. +avin! no other sense o p&rpose, $ilas eels a sense o &lillment merel% in holdin! his newl%
earned mone% and lookin! at it.
Aro&nd this time $ilas noti,es the ,o""ler/s wie, $all% 5ates, s&erin! the s%mptoms o heart disease and drops%, a
,ondition o a"normal swellin! in the "od%. $all% awakens in $ilas memories o his mother, who died o similar ,a&ses.
+e oers $all% an her"al preparation o o;!love that his mother had &sed to ease the pain o the disease. (he ,on,o,tion
works, so the villa!ers ,on,l&de that $ilas m&st have some dealin!s with the o,,&lt. -others start to "rin! their si,k
,hildren to his ho&se to "e ,&red, and men with rhe&matism oer $ilas silver to ,&re them. (oo honest to pla% alon!,
$ilas sends them all awa% with !rowin! irritation. (he townspeople/s hope in $ilas/s healin! power t&rns to dread, and
the% ,ome to "lame him or a,,idents and misort&nes that "eall them. +avin! wanted onl% to help $all% 5ates, $ilas
now inds himsel &rther isolated rom his nei!h"ors.
$ilas !rad&all% "e!ins to make more mone%, workin! si;teen ho&rs a da% and o"sessivel% ,o&ntin! his earnin!s. +e
en0o%s the ph%si,al appearan,e o the !old ,oins and handles them 0o%&ll%. +e keeps the ,oins in an iron pot hidden
&nder the loor "eneath his loom, and takes them o&t onl% at ni!ht, Bto en0o% their ,ompanionship.C 8hen the pot is no
lon!er lar!e eno&!h to hold his hoard, $ilas "e!ins keepin! the mone% in two leather "a!s. +e lives this wa% or iteen
%ears, &ntil a s&dden ,han!e alters his lie one *hristmas.
Analysis/ art +) Chapters ,-.
'liot opens Silas Marner "% immediatel% distan,in! the novel rom its readers. (he narrator repeatedl% stresses that the
time, ph%si,al settin!, and ,hara,ters are &namiliar to &s. 'liot evokes the pastoral 'n!lish ,o&ntr%side o the earl%
nineteenth ,ent&r%, emphasi3in! 4aveloe/s distan,e rom lar!e towns and even lar!e roads, an isolation that keeps the
town mostl% i!norant o the intelle,t&al ,&rrents o its own time. (he ,hara,ters "ehave a,,ordin! to a r&sti, "elie
s%stem that is distant and alien to &s. (his distan,e is temporal as m&,h as it is spatial. Antervenin! "etween the era in
whi,h the novel is set and the era in whi,h it is written is the And&strial 4evol&tion. (his ind&striali3ation dramati,all%
transormed 'n!land rom a so,iet% o arms and villa!es to one o a,tories and ,ities. An Silas Marner 'liot is thereore
des,ri"in! a lost world, and part o her p&rpose in the novel is to evoke what she eels has "een lost.
+ere, as in all o her novels, 'liot/s narrative voi,e is s%mpatheti, "&t stron!l% moral. 'liot does not romanti,i3e the
simpli,it% o her ,hara,ters. 5n the ,ontrar%, she &nderlines the laws and limitations o their worldview with a sort o
"enevolent ,ondes,ension. Administerin! 0&sti,e "% drawin! lots, or instan,e, or s&spe,tin! that $ilas is allied with
$atan "e,a&se he knows how to work a loom, are ,learl% o&tmoded "elies. +owever, 'liot also takes it &pon hersel to
e;plain these ,hara,ters and their short,omin!s?not to 0&sti% them, "&t to make them &nderstanda"le and h&man.
(ho&!h $ilas is isolated, there are hints o his event&al in,orporation into the ,omm&nit% o 4aveloe. $ilas/s o&tsider
stat&s is partl% d&e to his proession, as, the narrator tells &s, weavers o his da% were rarel% a,,epted "% their nei!h"ors.
+owever, $ilas/s work also provides a power&l metaphor o &nit% or that same ,omm&nit%. At is $ilas who takes the
threads sp&n on 4aveloe/s individ&al spinnin! wheels and weaves them into whole ,loth. (his work "oth ,ontrasts with
his literal isolation and prei!&res a later a,t, his adoption o 'ppie, whi,h serves to &nite the ,omm&nit%. (his metaphor
is &rther reinor,ed when *hapter (wo ends with a ,omparison o $ilas/s hermeti, e;isten,e to a Blittle shiverin!
thread.C
$ilas has not alwa%s "een an o&tsider. +is re0e,tion o ,omm&nit% ,oin,ides with his loss o aith, and th&s, in a sense, his
aith in his ellow man has died alon! with his aith in #od. 8hereas the reli!io&s ,omm&nit% in whi,h $ilas !rew &p is
o&nded and !overned "% a stri,t "elie s%stem, the ,omm&nit% o 4aveloe shares a looser set o s&perstitions. 8hen $ilas
re0e,ts his ormer "elies, he "e!ins to idoli3e his mone% to ill the void. (his spirit&all% impoverished worship onl%
reinor,es his isolation. -one% allows $ilas to on,e a!ain worship something, "&t witho&t involvin! other h&man "ein!s.
8hen he is "anished rom his ,h&r,h, he ,asts awa% his desire or h&man ellowship and inds a new so&r,e o &lillment
in his !old ,oins.
$ilas/s me,hani,al aptit&de and worship o mone% ,an "e seen as representative o the imminent onset o
ind&striali3ation, a histori,al phenomenon that &prooted man% people rom their villa!es and tore apart the ,omm&nities
that had previo&sl% ,onne,ted workin!-,lass people to one another. (he #erman so,ial philosopher =arl -ar;, writin!
shortl% "eore #eor!e 'liot, ,oined the phrase Bthe ,ommodii,ation o la"orC to des,ri"e this &prootin!, whi,h tended to
deh&mani3e workers as the% ,ame to "e deined solel% in terms o the monetar% val&e prod&,ed "% their la"or, rather than
"% their pla,e in a lo,al e,onom%. $ilas/s e;isten,e has "e,ome as me,hani3ed as an% a,tor% worker/s. +e is des,ri"ed
as shr&nken to it to his loom, so m&,h so that he looks like a part o it, and the narrator ,ompares him to Ba handle or a
,rooked t&"e, whi,h has no meanin! standin! apart.C $ilas/s la"or holds no si!nii,an,e or him e;,ept as a means to
,olle,t more o the mone% he loves. +e does not view his work as a ,ontri"&tion to the ,omm&nit% or as somethin! in
whi,h to take pride. >eret o ,onne,tions to other h&man "ein!s, $ilas attri"&tes h&man )&alities to his mone%, admirin!
the a,es on the ,oins as i the% were riends.
art +) Chapters 0-1
Summary/ Chapter 0
$)&ire *ass is a,knowled!ed as the !reatest man in 4aveloe, the ,losest thin! the villa!e has to a lord. +is sons, however,
have Bt&rned o&t rather ill.C (he $)&ire/s %o&n!er son, 2&nstan, more ,ommonl% ,alled "% the ni,kname 2&nse%, is a
sneerin! and &npleasant %o&n! man with a taste or !am"lin! and drinkin!. (he elder son, #odre%, is handsome and
!ood-nat&red, and ever%one in town wants to see him married to the lovel% 1an,% 6ammeter. 6atel%, however, #odre%
has "een a,tin! stran!e and lookin! &nwell.
5ne 1ovem"er aternoon, the two *ass "rothers !et into a heated ar!&ment over100 po&nds that #odre% has lent
2&nse%?mone% that was the rent rom one o their ather/s tenants. (he $)&ire is !rowin! impatient, #odre% sa%s, and
will soon ind o&t that #odre% has "een l%in! to him a"o&t the rent i 2&nse% does not repa% the mone%. 2&nse%,
however, tells #odre% to ,ome &p with the mone% himsel, lest 2&nse% tell their ather a"o&t #odre%/s se,ret marria!e
to the dr&nken opi&m addi,t -oll% .arren. 2&nse% s&!!ests that #odre% "orrow mone% or sell his pri3ed horse,
8ildire, at the ne;t da%/s h&nt. #odre% "alks at this, sin,e there is a dan,e that evenin! at whi,h he plans to see 1an,%.
8hen 2&nse% mo,kin!l% s&!!ests that #odre% simpl% kill -oll% o, #odre% an!ril% threatens to tell their ather a"o&t
the mone% and his marria!e himsel, th&s !ettin! 2&nse% thrown o&t o the ho&se alon! with him.
#odre%, however, is &nwillin! to take this step, preerrin! his &n,ertain "&t ,&rrentl% ,omorta"le e;isten,e to the ,ertain
em"arrassment that wo&ld res&lt rom revealin! his se,ret marria!e. (hinkin! that he has perhaps p&shed #odre% too ar,
2&nse% oers to sell #odre%/s horse or him. #odre% a!rees to this, and 2&nse% leaves. (he narrator then !ives &s a
!limpse o #odre%/s &t&re@ the empt%, monotono&s prosperit% o the a!in! ,o&ntr% s)&ire who spends his %ears drinkin!
and wallowin! in re!ret. (he narrator adds that #odre% alread% has e;perien,ed this re!ret to some de!ree@ we learn that
#odre% was talked into his se,ret marria!e "% none other than 2&nse%, who &sed the idea as a trap to !ain levera!e with
whi,h to "la,kmail #odre%. #odre% does !en&inel% love 1an,% 6ammeter?as the narrator s&!!ests, 1an,% represents
ever%thin! missin! rom the ho&sehold in whi,h #odre% !rew &p ater his mother/s death. (he a,t that #odre% ,annot
a,t &pon his emotions toward 1an,% onl% in,reases his miser%.
Summary/ Chapter 1
2&nse% sets o the ne;t mornin! to sell his "rother/s horse. :assin! "% $ilas -arner/s ,otta!e, 2&nse% remem"ers the
r&mors a"o&t $ilas/s hoard o !old and wonders wh% he has never tho&!ht to pers&ade #odre% to ask $ilas or a loan.
2espite the promise o this idea, 2&nse% de,ides to ride on an%wa%, sin,e he wants his "rother to "e &pset a"o&t havin!
had to sell 8ildire and he looks orward to the "ar!ainin! and swa!!er that will "e involved in the sale o the horse.
2&nse% meets some a,)&aintan,es who are h&ntin!. Ater some ne!otiation he arran!es 8ildire/s sale, with pa%ment to
"e handed over &pon sae deliver% o the horse to the sta"le. 2&nse% de,ides not to deliver the horse ri!ht awa%, and
instead takes part in the h&nt, en0o%in! the prospe,t o 0&mpin! en,es to show o the horse. +owever, 2&nse% 0&mps one
en,e too man%, and 8ildire !ets impaled on a stake and dies. 1o one witnesses the a,,ident, and 2&nse% is &nh&rt, so
he makes his wa% to the road in order to walk home. All the while he thinks o $ilas/s mone%. 8hen 2&nse% passes
$ilas/s ,otta!e 0&st ater d&sk and sees a li!ht on thro&!h the window, he de,ides to introd&,e himsel. (o his s&rprise the
door is &nlo,ked and the ,otta!e empt%. (empted "% the "la3in! ire inside and the pie,e o pork roastin! over it, 2&nse%
sits down at the hearth and wonders where $ilas is. +is tho&!hts )&i,kl% shit to $ilas/s mone% and, lookin! aro&nd the
,otta!e, 2&nse% noti,es a spot in the loor ,are&ll% ,overed over with sand. +e sweeps awa% the sand, pries &p the loose
"ri,ks, and inds the "a!s o !old. +e steals the "a!s and lees into the darkness.
Analysis/ art +) Chapters 0-1
8hile the irst two ,hapters esta"lish a tone o monoton% and ro&tine, the third ,hapter introd&,es narrative tension.
#odre%/s se,ret wie, his r&strated love or 1an,%, and 2&nse%/s "la,kmail ,reate a pre,ario&s sit&ation. $ilas/s
sit&ation is m&,h the opposite@ he lives a lie marked "% &n,han!in! la"or and the slow a,,&m&lation o mone%, a lie in
whi,h ,han!e is hard to ima!ine. (he tension "etween these two lives sets the narrative in motion, as #odre%/s need or
mone% leads 2&nse% to $ilas/s door.
(he parallel narratives o $ilas and the *ass amil% do not interse,t &ntil 2&nse%/s thet at the end o *hapter .o&r. (his
thet represents the irst o three ma0or interse,tions "etween $ilas and the *ass amil%. Aside rom these three
interse,tions, the two dierent narratives r&n alon! separate tra,ks, with 'liot ollowin! ea,h or a ew ,hapters at a time.
(his str&,t&re o two separate narratives renders ea,h point o interse,tion si!nii,ant or "oth. (his irst interse,tion, the
thet, sets in motion the a,tion o the entire novel, &psettin! the monoton% o $ilas/s lie and event&all% "rin!in! him
or,e&ll% into the lie o his s&rro&ndin! ,omm&nit%.
2&nse%/s thet "rid!es not onl% a narrative distan,e, "&t also a so,ial distan,e. >% 0&;taposin! the wealth% *ass amil%
with the h&m"le $ilas, 'liot o,&ses o&r attention on the sharp dieren,es in so,ial ,lass within the villa!e o 4aveloe. An
the nineteenth ,ent&r%, as thro&!ho&t most o >ritish histor%, the ,lass s%stem was the predominant realit% o villa!e lie.
(he ,lass to whi,h one "elon!ed not onl% deined one/s so,ial intera,tions, "&t also shaped one/s val&es and view o the
world. 'liot e;plores ,lass distin,tions thro&!ho&t the novel. All o the ,hara,ters we meet in the irst two ,hapters are o
a lower ,lass than the *ass amil%, who, while not no"ilit%, still hold a hi!h so,ial rank as landowners. (he *asses are
admired "% ever%one in 4aveloe and are thereore at the arthest so,ial e;treme rom $ilas, who is seen as the villa!e
reak.
.or $ilas, la"or has ,ome to mean nothin! more than a wa% to ,olle,t !old ,oins, while, or the *asses, la"or is a
,ompletel% orei!n ,on,ept alto!ether. As a landowner, $)&ire *ass makes a livin! not rom his own la"or "&t rom the
rents he ,olle,ts rom his tenants or the ri!ht to work his land. (his lie o ease is espe,iall% em"odied "% 2&nse%, who
spends his time swappin! animals and "ettin!, and who deli!hts in sellin! his "rother/s horse. (hese all represent means
o makin! mone% witho&t workin!. 8hen #odre% needs mone%, not one o the s,hemes that o,,&r to 2&nse% is rooted
in the idea o earnin! mone% thro&!h toil.
.&rthermore, 'liot implies that the *ass amil%/s prosperit%, like #odre%/s do&"le lie, is not somethin! that ,an lon!
,ontin&e. Silas Marner takes pla,e d&rin! the 1apoleoni, 8ars, a series o earl% nineteenth-,ent&r% ,onli,ts o&!ht "%
'n!land and vario&s allies a!ainst 1apoleon/s .ran,e. (hese wars kept land pri,es artii,iall% hi!h. As 'liot writes in
*hapter (hree, Bthe all o pri,es had not %et ,ome to ,arr% the ra,e o small s)&ires and %eomen down that road to r&in
or whi,h e;trava!ant ha"its and "ad h&s"andr% were plenti&ll% anointin! their wheels.C (he metaphor o a ,arria!e
poised at the top o a hill, wheels pointed down the slope, is an apt one or the inan,ial and so,ial stat&s o the *ass
ho&sehold. (his pre,ario&s ima!e o the ,arria!e serves as a ,o&nterpoint to the ima!e o $ilas/s loom, whi,h em"odies
his stead% la"or and monotono&s lie. (hese ima!es serve to ,ontrast the *ass amil%/s pre,ario&s idleness with $ilas/s
persistent, i resi!ned, ind&strio&sness.
art +) Chapters 2-3
Summary/ Chapter 2
$ilas ret&rns to his ,otta!e, thinkin! nothin! o the &nlo,ked door "e,a&se he has never "een ro""ed "eore. +e is lookin!
orward to the roast pork, a !it rom a ,&stomer, whi,h he let ,ookin! while he was r&nnin! an errand. 1oti,in! nothin!
o&t o the ordinar%, $ilas sits down "eore his ire. +e ,annot wait to p&ll his mone% o&t, and de,ides to la% it on the ta"le
as he eats.
$ilas removes the "ri,ks and inds the hole &nder the loor"oards empt%. +e ranti,all% sear,hes the ,otta!e or his !old,
desperatel% hopin! that he mi!ht have de,ided to store it somepla,e else or the ni!ht. +e event&all% reali3es that the !old
is !one, and he s,reams in an!&ish. $ilas then tries to think o what ,o&ld have happened. +e initiall% ears that a !reater
power removed the mone% to r&in him a se,ond time, "&t "anishes that tho&!ht in avor o the simpler e;planation o a
ro""er%. +e mentall% r&ns thro&!h a list o his nei!h"ors and de,ides that <em 4odne%, a well-known poa,her, mi!ht
have taken the !old.
$ilas de,ides to de,lare his loss to the important people o the town, in,l&din! $)&ire *ass, in the hopes that the% mi!ht
"e a"le to help re,over his mone%. $ilas !oes to the 4ain"ow, the villa!e inn and tavern, to ind someone o a&thorit%.
+owever, the more prominent ,iti3ens o 4aveloe are all at the "irthda% dan,e we saw #odre% anti,ipatin! earlier, so
$ilas inds onl% the Bless lot% ,&stomersC at the tavern. (he 4ain"ow has two rooms, separatin! patrons a,,ordin! to
their so,ial standin!. (he parlor, re)&ented "% $)&ire *ass and others o Bsele,t so,iet%,C is empt%. (he ew han!ers-on
who are normall% permitted into the parlor to enlar!e Bthe opport&nit% o he,torin! and ,ondes,ension or their "ettersC
are instead takin! the "etter seats in the "ar a,ross the hall, to he,tor and ,ondes,end to their ineriors in t&rn.
Summary/ Chapter 3
(he ,onversation in the tavern is )&ite animated "% the time $ilas arrives, tho&!h it has taken a while to !et &p to speed.
(he narrator des,ri"es this ,onversation in ,onsidera"le detail. At "e!ins with an aimless ar!&ment a"o&t a ,ow, ollowed
"% a stor% rom -r. -a,e% a"o&t a time when he heard the parson "&n!le the words o a weddin! vow, a stor% that
ever%one in the tavern has heard man% times "eore. -a,e% sa%s that the parson/s lapse set him thinkin! a"o&t whether
the weddin! was thereore invalid and, i not, 0&st what it was that !ave weddin!s meanin! in the irst pla,e. <&st "eore
$ilas appears, the ,onversation lapses "a,k into an ar!&ment, this time a"o&t the e;isten,e o a !host who alle!edl%
ha&nts a lo,al sta"le. (he ar!&mentative arrier, -r. 2owlas, does not "elieve in the !host, and oers to stand o&t in ront
o the sta"le all ni!ht, "ettin! that he will not see the !host. +e !ets no takers, as the 4ain"ow/s landlord, -r. $nell,
ar!&es that some people are 0&st &na"le to see !hosts.
Analysis/ art +) Chapters 2-3
(he thet o $ilas/s !old or,es him to involve himsel in the lie o the town. (his is the se,ond thet we have
en,o&ntered so ar in the novel. (he ori!inal thet, whi,h drove $ilas o&t o 6antern 7ard, made him an o&t,ast rom his
ti!ht-knit ,omm&nit% and deprived him o an% aith e;,ept in mone%. (he se,ond thet, 2&nse%/s, event&all% reverses
"oth o these ee,ts. 'liot writes that $ilas/s !old had B!athered his power o lovin! to!ether into a hard isolation like its
own.C Ats loss makes $ilas vent&re o&t into the ,omm&nit% to ask or help.
(he ,onversation $ilas interr&pts in the tavern provides 'liot with an opport&nit% to show a sli,e o lie o the 4aveloe
,omm&nit%. Almost all o the a,tion th&s ar in the novel has taken pla,e in the private sphere, within ,hara,ters/ homes.
(he tavern provides a p&"li, ,o&nterpart. (he 4ain"ow is the primar% meetin! pla,e or 4aveloe/s men, where mem"ers
o all o the town/s so,ial ,lasses meet and min!le. Fnlike ,h&r,h, the other si!nii,ant p&"li, spa,e in the town, the
tavern is a parti,ipator% atmosphere. 'ver%one is invited to ,hime in to the ar!&ments and stories. (here is, however, a
stri,t hierar,h% that is en,oded in the intera,tions we see at the 4ain"ow. (he hi!her-,lass patrons order spirits-and-water
to drink, the lower-,lass patrons "eer. (he hi!her-,lass patrons sit near the ire, the lower-,lass arther awa%. 'ven the
two rooms o the inn itsel are arran!ed to separate so,ial ,lasses.
(he evenin!/s ,onversation provides e;amples o the oten s&perstitio&s "elies that "ind its parti,ipants to!ether. An
des,ri"in! the ,onversation in s&,h painstakin! detail, 'liot &rnishes not onl% a vivid renderin! o the diale,t o the
lower ,lass, "&t also a portrait o their "elies. (he topi,s o ,onversation are trivial and the parti,ipants are made to seem
sli!htl% ridi,&lo&s. +owever, the% do o,,asionall% to&,h on important ideas. -r. -a,e%/s stor% ,on,erns the importan,e
o lan!&a!e, and -r. $nell/s point a"o&t some people/s ina"ilit% to see !hosts to&,hes on the s&"0e,tivit% o e;perien,e.
An sim&ltaneo&sl% makin! li!ht o the deni3ens o the 4ain"ow and showin! that the% possess a ,ertain &ns,hooled
,&riosit%, 'liot tempers her a&thorial ,ondes,ension and shows her s&"0e,ts as limited in ,ertain wa%s, "&t nevertheless
,omple; and worth% o attention.
(he ,onversation, however, is a rit&al to stave o "oredom as m&,h as it is a or&m or e;,han!in! "elies. 6ike $ilas/s
weavin! and the *ass amil%/s h&ntin! and ridin!, these ni!htl% !atherin!s at the 4ain"ow are repetitive. -r. -a,e% has
told the same stor% to the same a&dien,e man% times "eore. (ho&!h this "oredom and rit&al seem meanin!less, the% are
an inte!ral part o the r&ral lie 'liot presents. (hese !atherin!s orm the te;t&re o their parti,ipants/ dail% lie, a lie that
is p&n,t&ated onl% o,,asionall% "% noteworth% events.
art +) Chapters 4-5
Summary/ Chapter 4
)ur consciousness rarely registers the "eginning of a growth within us any more than without us* there have "een many
circulations of the sap "efore we detect the smallest sign of the "ud.
$See %mportant &uotations 'xplained(
$ilas s&ddenl% appears in the middle o the tavern, his a!itation !ivin! him a stran!e, &nearthl% appearan,e. .or a
moment, ever%one present, re!ardless o his stan,e in the previo&s ar!&ment a"o&t the s&pernat&ral, "elieves he is
lookin! at a !host. $ilas, short o "reath ater his h&rried walk to the inn, inall% de,lares that he has "een ro""ed. (he
landlord tells <em 4odne%, who is sittin! nearest $ilas, to sei3e him, as he is delirio&s. +earin! the name, $ilas t&rns to
4odne% and pleads with him to !ive his mone% "a,k, tellin! him that he will !ive him a !&inea and will not press ,har!es.
4odne% rea,ts an!ril%, sa%in! that he will not "e a,,&sed.
(he tavern-!oers make $ilas take o his ,oat and sit down in a ,hair "% the ire. 'ver%one ,alms down, and $ilas tells the
stor% o the ro""er%. (he villa!ers "e,ome more s%mpatheti, and "elieve $ilas/s stor%, lar!el% "e,a&se he appears so
,r&shed and patheti,. (he landlord vo&,hes or <em 4odne%, sa%in! that he has "een in the inn all evenin!. $ilas
apolo!i3es to 4odne%, and -r. 2owlas, the arrier, asks how m&,h mone% was lost. $ilas tells him the e;a,t i!&re, whi,h
is more than 270 po&nds. 2owlas s&!!ests that 270 po&nds ,o&ld "e ,arried o&t easil%, and he oers to visit $ilas/s
,otta!e to sear,h or eviden,e, sin,e $ilas/s e%esi!ht is poor and he mi!ht have missed somethin!. 2owlas also oers to
ask the ,onsta"le to appoint him dep&t%-,onsta"le, whi,h sets o an ar!&ment. -r. -a,e% o"0e,ts that no do,tor ,an also
"e a ,onsta"le and that 2owlas?whose d&ties as a arrier in,l&din! the treatment o livesto,k diseases?is a sort o
do,tor. A ,ompromise is rea,hed wherein 2owlas a!rees to a,t onl% in an &noi,ial ,apa,it%. $ilas then leaves with
2owlas and the landlord to !o to the ,onsta"le/s oi,e.
Summary/ Chapter 5
#odre% ret&rns home rom the dan,e to ind that 2&nse% has not %et ret&rned. #odre% is distra,ted "% tho&!hts o
1an,% 6ammeter, and does not think ver% m&,h a"o&t his "rother/s wherea"o&ts. >% mornin!, ever%one is dis,&ssin! the
ro""er%, and #odre% and other residents o the villa!e visit $ilas/s ,otta!e to !ather eviden,e and !ossip. A tinder-"o; is
o&nd on the s,ene and is s&spe,ted to "e somehow ,onne,ted to the ,rime. (ho&!h a ew villa!ers s&spe,t that $ilas is
simpl% mad or possessed and has lied a"o&t the thet, others deend him. $ome townspeople s&spe,t that o,,&lt or,es
took the mone%, and ,onsider ,l&es s&,h as the tinder-"o; &seless.
(he tinder-"o; reminds -r. $nell, the tavern landlord, o a peddler who had visited 4aveloe a month "eore and had
mentioned that he was ,arr%in! a tinder-"o;. (he talk amon! the townspeople t&rns to determinin! the peddler/s
appearan,e, re,allin! his Bevil looksC and tr%in! to determine whether or not he wore earrin!s. 'ver%one is disappointed,
however, when $ilas sa%s he remem"ers the peddler/s visit "&t never invited him inside his ,otta!e. #odre%,
remem"erin! the peddler as a Bmerr% !rinnin! ellow,C dismisses the stories a"o&t the peddler/s s&spi,io&s ,hara,ter.
$ilas, however, wantin! to identi% a spe,ii, ,&lprit, ,lin!s to the notion o the peddler/s !&ilt.
2&nse%/s ,ontin&in! a"sen,e distra,ts #odre% rom this dis,&ssion, and #odre% worries that 2&nse% ma% have r&n
awa% with his horse. An an attempt to ind o&t what has happened, #odre% rides to the town where the h&nt started and
en,o&nters >r%,e, the %o&n! man who had a!reed to "&% 8ildire. >r%,e is s&rprised to learn o 2&nse%/s disappearan,e
and tells #odre% that 8ildire has "een o&nd dead. $eein! no alternative and hopin! to ree himsel rom 2&nse%/s
threats o "la,kmail, #odre% de,ides to tell his ather not onl% a"o&t the rent mone% "&t a"o&t his se,ret marria!e as
well. #odre% steels himsel or the worst, as $)&ire *ass is prone to violent its o an!er and rash de,isions that he
re&ses to res,ind, even when his an!er has passed. (he ne;t mornin!, #odre% de,ides to ,oness onl% partl% and to tr%
to dire,t his ather/s an!er toward 2&nse%.
Analysis/ art +) Chapters 4-5
$ilas/s in,orporation into 4aveloe "e!ins in *hapter 7. +is devastation at the loss o his mone% is evident, and it inspires
s%mpath% in his a&dien,e at the tavern. 8hen the news spreads, the villa!e takes an immense interest, "ased partl% on
mere ,&riosit% "&t also on some !en&ine ,on,ern. 8hereas he was previo&sl% looked &pon with a mi;t&re o ear and
,ontempt, $ilas is now the o"0e,t o real s%mpath%. (he townspeople/s ,on,ern has an ee,t on $ilas, even i at irst he
does not noti,e it. As 'liot notes, B5&r ,ons,io&sness rarel% re!isters the "e!innin! o a !rowth within &s an% more than
witho&t &s@ there have "een man% ,ir,&lations o the sap "eore we dete,t the smallest si!n o the "&d.C $ilas/s in,ipient
"ond with the rest o 4aveloe is likened to a "&d on a plant, a ,learl% hope&l and positive metaphor o re"irth.
(his "ond, however, is reinor,ed onl% thro&!h s,ape!oatin! another o&tsider, the peddler. (he townspeople/s s&spi,ion
o the peddler and their ,on0e,t&res a"o&t his earrin!s are la&!ha"le, "&t s&,h "ehavior emphasi3es the ins&larit% o the
villa!e. (he townspeople are deepl% s&spi,io&s o stran!ers, espe,iall% those with dark skin and earrin!s who resem"le
!%psies. +owever, there is nonetheless some element o lo!i, to these s&spi,ions. As <em 4odne% points o&t, i a villa!e
resident stole the mone%, it wo&ld "e )&ite dii,&lt or him or her to spend it witho&t attra,tin! attention.
'liot leshes o&t #odre%/s ,hara,ter in *hapter 'i!ht, as #odre% de"ates whether to ,ome ,lean to his ather. As 'liot
writes earlier, #odre% possesses plent% o Banimal ,o&ra!e,C "&t is ,&rsed with Bnat&ral irresol&tion and moral
,owardi,e.C +e is weak and spoiled, &nwillin! to make sa,rii,es or what he knows to "e ri!ht. 6ike 2&nse%, #odre% is
sel-interested and shortsi!hted@ he repeatedl% p&ts o de,isions a"o&t his &t&re in the hope that his sit&ation will ri!ht
itsel. Fnlike the mali,io&s 2&nse%, however, #odre% is "asi,all% de,ent and periodi,all% attempts to do !ood.
#odre%/s resistan,e to the townspeople/s s&spi,ions a"o&t the peddler shows that he is at least somewhat ree o their
anti)&ated s&perstitions.
.or all his ph%si,al !ra,e and stren!th, #odre% is a passive ,hara,ter. (he one si!nii,ant a,t he has taken, marr%in!
-oll% .arren, o,,&rred onl% &nder press&re rom his "rother and rom -oll% hersel. .&rthermore, even when p&shed to
a,t, #odre% still tends to remain &nwillin! to own &p to the !reater ,onse)&en,es o his a,tions, and is th&s let in lim"o.
'liot ,ontrasts #odre%/s passivit% not onl% with 2&nse%/s a,tive mali,e "&t also with $)&ire *ass/s violent temper. 6ike
#odre%, the $)&ire is la3% and ails to heed his tro&"les &ntil the% are impossi"le to i!nore. (he $)&ire onl% rea,hes
de,isions in its o an!er, makin! violent and rash resol&tions that he re&ses to revoke even when his head has ,ooled.
#odre%, in ,ontrast, never er&pts, and merel% ,ontin&es to "a,kpedal.
(ho&!h #odre% is in,apa"le o a,tion, his ina,tion nonetheless sets events in motion@ it r&strates the $)&ire and 1an,%,
who wonder wh% #odre% has not proposed marria!eE it allows 2&nse% to take advanta!e o #odre% and a,t in his pla,eE
and event&all% it or,es -oll%, and then $ilas, into a,tions o !reat si!nii,an,e. Aroni,all%, it is th&s the perpet&all%
irresol&te #odre% who drives m&,h o the ma0or a,tion o the novel.
Part I, Chapters 9!"
#$%%ary& Chapter 9
+,odfrey- was not likely to "e very penetrating in his !udgments, "ut he had always had a sense that his fathers
indulgence had not "een kindness, and had had a vague longing for some discipline that would have checked his own
errant weakness and helped his "etter will.
$See %mportant &uotations 'xplained(
Godfrey takes his own breakfast early and waits for !&uire Cass to eat and take his morning walk before
speaking with him Godfrey tells his father about Wildfire and about how he gave the rent money to *unsey
5is father flies into one of his rages and asks why Godfrey stole from him and lied to him for *unseys sake
When Godfrey is evasive, the !&uire comes close to guessing the truth $he !&uire goes on and on, blaming
his current financial troubles on the overindulgence of his sons Godfrey insists that he has always been willing
to help with the management of his fathers estate, but the !&uire changes the sub-ect, complaining about
Godfreys waffling over whether to marry <ancy (ammeter $he !&uire offers to propose for Godfrey, but
Godfrey is again evasive and refuses the offer Afterward, Godfrey is not sure whether to be grateful that
nothing seems to have changed or uneasy that he has had to tell more half,truths $hough Godfrey worries
that his father might push his hand and force him to refuse <ancy, as usual, he merely places his trust in
0;avourable Chance,2 hoping that some unforeseen event will rescue him from his predicament
#$%%ary& Chapter !"
Weeks pass with no new evidence about the robbery and no sign of *unsey <o one connects *unseys
disappearance with the theft, however, and the peddler remains the primary suspect, though some still insist
that an ine+plicable otherworldly force is responsible !ilas is still inconsolable, and passes the days weaving
-oylessly Without his money, his life feels empty and purposeless 5e earns the pity of the villagers, who now
think of him as helpless rather than dangerous $hey bring !ilas food, call on him to offer condolences, and try
to help him get over his loss $hese efforts are only mildly successful Mr Macey sub-ects !ilas to a long and
discursive speech about coming to church, among other things, but gets little reaction and leaves more
perple+ed by !ilas than before
Another visitor is *olly Winthrop, the wheelwrights wife, a selfless and patient woman *olly brings her son
Aaron and some of her famed lard,cakes !he encourages !ilas to attend church, particularly since it is
Christmastime When she asks if he has ever been to church, !ilas responds that he has not= he has only
been to chapel *olly does not understand the distinction !ilas is making)nor, in any significant way, does
!ilas Wanting to show his gratitude for the visit, all !ilas can think to do is offer Aaron a bit of lard,cake Aaron
is frightened of !ilas, but *olly coa+es him into singing a Christmas carol *espite his gratitude, !ilas is
relieved after the two have left and he is alone to weave and mourn the loss of his money
!ilas does not go to church on Christmas *ay, but almost everyone else in town does $he Casses hold a
family Christmas party that night, and invite the 7imbles, Godfreys aunt and uncle All evening Godfrey looks
forward longingly to the !&uires famed <ew 9ears dance and the chance to be with <ancy $he prospect of
*unseys return looms over Godfrey, but he tries to ignore it
Analysis& Part I, Chapters 9!"
$hough Eliot has already described !&uire Casss parties, house, and temper tantrums, Godfreys
confrontation with his father is the first time we actually encounter the 0greatest man in "aveloe2 5e is not, we
soon discover, 0great2 in any real sense $he !&uire is complacent, la3y, arrogant, and not particularly bright,
having spent his life)merely by good fortune of birth)as the biggest fish in a very small pond 5e does not
have as much money as he once did and has spoiled his sons)not, it seems, out of affection, but simply out
of neglect $he !&uire is the only role model Godfrey has had while growing up, and Godfreys shortcomings
can be seen as stemming at least in part from his fathers
Chapter 10 returns us to !ilass domestic e+istence, and we see that he is overwhelmed by the void the
robbery has left in his life $hough his life before the theft might have appeared empty and sad, it was
nonetheless 0an eager life, filled with immediate purpose that fenced him in from the wide, cheerless
unknown2 (ikewise, though !ilass money was, according to the narrator, a 0dead disrupted thing,2 it
nonetheless had given him purpose in life and satisfied his need for connection and meaning <ow, however,
!ilas is broken and utterly defenseless in the face of an outside world that he long ago re-ected as corrupt and
uncaring 8nce again, his most valued possession has been taken from him
(ike her earlier comparison of !ilas to a budding plant, Eliots imagery in this chapter gives us hope for !ilass
recovery $he progression of imagery Eliot uses is largely drawn from nature !ilas initially clings to his money
as to the roots of a plant, and now is confused like 0a plodding ant when the earth has broken away on its
homeward path2 ;inally, Eliot foreshadows a metaphor she uses later: !ilas is 0still the shrunken rivulet, with
only this difference, that its little groove of sand was blocked up, and it wandered confusedly against dark
obstruction2 $he three phenomena to which !ilas is compared in these metaphors share a common aspect of
recovery and self,righting $he roots of the plant will regrow in new soil, the ant will find its way, and the
dammed stream will rise with water until it flows over its obstruction
*olly Winthrop provides a simple, compelling portrait of religious faith (ike the philosophical fumblings of the
"ainbows deni3ens, the 0simple "aveloe theology2 that *olly professes to !ilas is something at which a
seminarian might scoff *olly is illiterate and thus does not even understand the words of some of the
Christmas carols she so loves <onetheless, *ollys description of her faith is elo&uent in its own way %y
placing her faith in 0$hem as are above us2 while at the same time demanding that 0wen done our part,2 *olly
holds to a distinctly community,oriented faith ;or *olly, faith in God provides not only an incentive to do good
works herself, but also a trust that others in the community will do their part
*ollys beliefs contrast markedly with the 0;avourable Chance2 relied upon by Godfrey and other men 0who
follow their own devices instead of obeying a law they believe in2 'n *ollys Christianity, the re&uirement of
action goes a long way toward fulfilling the e+pectations of faith Godfreys faith, while perhaps more
sophisticated than *ollys, seems far more futile
Part I, Chapters !!!'
#$%%ary& Chapter !!
<ancy (ammeter and her father arrive at the "ed 5ouse for the !&uires <ew 9ears dance $he trip over
slushy roads has not been an easy one, and <ancy is annoyed that she has to let Godfrey help her out of her
carriage <ancy thinks she has made it clear that she does not wish to marry Godfrey 5is unwelcome
attention bothers her, though the way he often ignores her bothers her -ust as much <ancy makes her way
upstairs to a dressing room that she must share with si+ other women, including the Gunn sisters, who come
from a larger town and regard "aveloe society with disdain Mrs 8sgood, an aunt of whom <ancy is fond, is
also among the women As she puts on her dress for the dance, <ancy impresses the Gunn sisters as a
0rustic beauty2)lovely and immaculate but, with her rough hands and slang, clearly ignorant of the higher
social graces
<ancys sister 1riscilla arrives and complains about how <ancy always insists they wear matching gowns
1riscilla freely admits she is ugly and, in doing so, manages to imply that the Gunns are ugly as well
5owever, 1riscilla insists that she has no desire to marry anyway When <ancy says that she doesnt want to
marry either, 1riscilla pooh,poohs her When they go down to the parlor, <ancy accepts a seat between
Godfrey and the rector, Mr Crackenthorp !he cannot help but feel e+hilarated by the prospect that she could
be the mistress of the "ed 5ouse herself <ancy reminds herself, however, that she does not care for
Godfreys money or status because she finds him of unsound character !he blushes at these thoughts $he
rector notices and points out her blush to Godfrey $hough Godfrey determinedly avoids looking at <ancy, the
half,drunk !&uire tries to help things along by complimenting <ancys beauty After a little more banter, the
!&uire pointedly asks Godfrey if he has asked <ancy for the first dance of the evening Godfrey replies that he
has not, but nonetheless embarrassedly asks <ancy, and she accepts
$he fiddler comes in, and, after playing a few preludes, he leads the guests into the White 1arlour, where the
dancing begins Mr Macey and a few other townspeople sit off to one side, commenting on the dancers $hey
notice Godfrey escorting <ancy off to the ad-oining smaller parlor, and assume that the two are going
0sweethearting2 'n reality, <ancy has torn her dress and has asked to sit down to wait for her sister to help
mend it <ancy tells Godfrey that she doesnt want to go into the smaller room with him and will -ust wait on
her own 5e insists that she will be more comfortable there and offers to leave $o her own e+asperation,
<ancy is as annoyed as she is relieved by Godfreys offer 5e tells <ancy that dancing with her means very
much to him and asks if she would ever forgive him if he changed his ways !he replies that it would be better
if no change were necessary Godfrey, aware that <ancy still cares for him, tells <ancy she is hard,hearted,
hoping to provoke a &uarrel #ust then, however, 1riscilla arrives to fi+ the hem of <ancys dress Godfrey,
e+hilarated by the opportunity to be near <ancy, decides to stay with them rather than go back to the dance
#$%%ary& Chapter !'
While Godfrey is at the dance, his wife Molly is approaching "aveloe on foot with their baby daughter in her
arms Godfrey has told Molly that he would rather die than acknowledge her as his wife !he knows there is a
dance being held at the "ed 5ouse and plans to crash the party in order to get revenge against Godfrey Molly
is addicted to opium and knows that this, not Godfrey, is the primary reason for her troubles, but she also
resents Godfreys wealth and comfort and believes that he should support her
Molly has been walking since morning, and, as evening falls, she begins to tire in the snow and cold $o
comfort herself, she takes a draft of opium $he drug makes her drowsy, and after a while she passes out by
the side of the road, still holding the child As Mollys arms rela+, the little girl wakes up and sees a light
moving $hinking it is a living thing, she tries to catch the light but fails !he follows it to its source, which is the
fire in !ilas Marners nearby cottage $he child toddles through the open door, sits down on the hearth, and
soon falls asleep, content in the warmth of the fire
'n the weeks since the theft, !ilas has developed a habit of opening his door and looking out distractedly, as if
he might somehow see his gold return, or at least get some news of it 8n <ew 9ears Eve he is particularly
agitated and opens the door repeatedly $he last time he does so, he stands and looks out for a long time, but
does not see what is actually coming toward him at that instant: Mollys child As he turns to shut the door
again, !ilas has one of his cataleptic fits, and stands unaware and unmoving with his hand on the open door
When he comes out of the fit)as always, unaware that it has even occurred)he shuts the door
As !ilas walks back inside, his eyes nearsighted and weak from his years of close work at the loom, he sees
what he thinks is his gold on the floor 5e leans forward to touch the gold, but finds that the ob-ect under his
fingers is soft)the blonde hair of the sleeping child !ilas kneels down to e+amine the child, thinking for a
moment that his little sister, who died in childhood, has been brought back to him $his memory of his sister
triggers a flood of other memories of (antern 9ard, the first he has had in many years $hese memories
occupy !ilas until the child wakes up, calling for her mother !ilas reheats some of his porridge, sweetening it
with the brown sugar he has always denied himself, and feeds it to the child, which &uiets her ;inally, seeing
the childs wet boots, it occurs to !ilas to wonder where she came from, and he follows her tracks along the
road until he finds her mothers body lying in the snow
Analysis& Part I, Chapters !!!'
$he appearance of the little girl on !ilass hearth is the second of the three intersections between the parallel
narratives of !ilas and the Cass family (ike the first intersection, the theft of !ilass gold, it is one of the
novels two ma-or turning points 5er appearance will at once fill !ilass sense of loss and resume his process
of reentering the community $he fact that !ilas first mistakes the little girl for his gold)previously the central
driving force of his life)foreshadows the strength of the bond that !ilas will soon forge with the girl
!everal details of the girls arrival link the event to the two earlier turning points in !ilass life)his e+pulsion
from his religious sect and the theft of his gold (ike *unsey, the little girl passes by !ilass cottage in
inclement weather, feels drawn to the cottage by the light of the fire, and enters without !ilass knowledge 'n
addition, -ust as !ilass fit rendered him unaware that William *ane had framed him for theft in (antern 9ard,
another fit renders him unaware of the little girls arrival !ignificantly, in all three of these key events, !ilas is
passive, not active)he is framed, he is robbed, he is standing with the door open when a child toddles in from
a snowstorm
A key symbolic difference between *unseys visit and the little girls, however, is that !ilas opens the door
himself this time Even though he opens the door only to peer out into the darkness after his lost gold, and
though he is unaware that the girl actually enters, !ilass act of standing at his open door contrasts markedly
with his previous habits !ilas was once a man obsessed with isolation)closing his shutters, locking his
doors, and viewing his customers as nothing more than a means to ac&uire more money 'n opening his door,
!ilas symbolically opens himself up to the outside world from which he has lived apart for so long As !ilas
reali3es, if only vaguely, in Chapter 10, 0if any help came to him it must come from without2
't is not until this point, halfway through the novel, that we meet the last two of the ma-or characters: <ancy
(ammeter and the little girl who will become known as Eppie Eppie does not develop as a true character until
she grows up a bit 5owever, we learn much about <ancys character in the first scene in which she appears,
the !&uires <ew 9ears dance We have already heard much about <ancy, especially her beauty $hus, not
surprisingly, <ancys introduction focuses on her appearance, specifically on how her beauty is still evident
despite her muddy raincoat and the frightened e+pression on her face $his opening image is fitting for <ancy,
who is called a 0rustic beauty2 $hough blessed with natural grace and poise, <ancy is unpolished)her
speech is somewhat vulgar, her hands are calloused, and she has had little formal schooling $hus, though
<ancy is separated from !ilas and his neighbors by degrees of wealth and privilege, she is no less a product
of "aveloes sleepy isolation (ike the poorer townspeople, she has created her own code of conduct and
beliefs from a mi+ of religion and superstition 5owever, like her upstanding, almost priggish father, <ancy
displays a Calvinist severity in her -udgments, frowning on Godfreys weakness of character and attempting to
curb her feelings for him <ancy stubbornly holds to these beliefs, with one e+ception)we see her
conspicuously waver in her attitude toward Godfrey
art +) Chapters ,0-,2
Summary/ Chapter ,0
>a,k at the 4ed +o&se, the men dan,e and #odre% stands to the side o the parlor to admire 1an,%. #odre% s&ddenl%
noti,es $ilas -arner enter ,arr%in! #odre%/s ,hild, and, sho,ked, he walks over with -r. 6ammeter and -r.
*ra,kenthorp to dis,over what has "ro&!ht $ilas here. (he $)&ire an!ril% )&estions $ilas, askin! him wh% he has
intr&ded. $ilas sa%s he is lookin! or the do,tor "e,a&se he has o&nd a woman, apparentl% dead, l%in! near his door.
=nowin! that it is -oll%, #odre% is terriied that perhaps she is not in a,t dead. $ilas/s appearan,e ,a&ses a stir, and the
!&ests are told simpl% that a woman has "een o&nd ill. 8hen -rs. =im"le s&!!ests that $ilas leave the !irl at the 4ed
+o&se, $ilas re&ses, ,laimin! that she ,ame to him and is his to keep.
#odre% insists on a,,ompan%in! the do,tor, -r. =im"le, to $ilas/s ,otta!e, and the% pi,k &p 2oll% alon! the wa% to
serve as a n&rse. =im"le/s title is B-r.C rather than B2r.C "e,a&se he has no medi,al de!ree and inherited his position as
villa!e do,tor. #odre% waits o&tside the ,otta!e in a!on%, reali3in! that i -oll% is dead he is ree to marr% 1an,%, "&t
that i -oll% lives he has to ,oness ever%thin!. 8hen =im"le ,omes o&t, he de,lares that the woman has "een dead or
ho&rs. #odre% insists on seein! her, ,laimin! to =im"le that he had seen a woman o a similar des,ription the da%
"eore. As he veriies that the woman is in a,t -oll%, #odre% sees $ilas holdin! the ,hild and asks him i he intends to
take the ,hild to the parish. $ilas replies that he wants to keep her, sin,e "oth he and she are alone, and witho&t his !old
he has nothin! else to live or. +e implies a ,onne,tion "etween his lost mone%, B!one, A don/t know where,C and the
"a"%, B,ome rom A don/t know where.C #odre% !ives $ilas mone% to "&% ,lothes or the little !irl, and then h&rries to
,at,h &p with -r. =im"le.
#odre% tells =im"le that the dead woman is not the woman he saw "eore. (he two talk a"o&t the oddness o $ilas
wantin! to keep the ,hild, and =im"le sa%s that i he were %o&n!er he mi!ht want the ,hild or himsel. #odre%/s
tho&!hts t&rn to 1an,%, and how he ,an now ,o&rt her witho&t dread o the ,onse)&en,es. +e sees no reason to ,oness
his previo&s marria!e to her, and vows that he will see to it that his da&!hter is well ,ared or. #odre% tells himsel that
the !irl mi!ht "e 0&st as happ% witho&t knowin! him as her ather.
Summary/ Chapter ,1
-oll% is !iven an anon%mo&s pa&per/s "&rial, "&t her death, the narrator notes, will have !reat ,onse)&en,es or the
inha"itants o 4aveloe. (he villa!ers are s&rprised "% $ilas/s desire to keep the ,hild, and on,e a!ain the% "e,ome more
s%mpatheti, toward him. 2oll% is parti,&larl% help&l, oerin! advi,e, !ivin! him ,lothin! o&t!rown "% her own
,hildren, and helpin! to "athe and ,are or the !irl. $ilas is !rate&l "&t makes ,lear that he wishes to learn to do
ever%thin! himsel, so that the little !irl will "e atta,hed to him rom the start. $ilas remains ama3ed "% the !irl/s arrival
and ,ontin&es to think that in some wa% his !old has t&rned into the ,hild.
2oll% pers&ades $ilas to have the ,hild "apti3ed, tho&!h at irst $ilas does not reall% know what the ,eremon% means.
2oll% tells him to ,ome &p with a name or her and he s&!!ests +eph3i"ah, the name o his mother and sister. 2oll% is
skepti,al, sa%in! that it doesn/t so&nd like a B,hristened nameC and is a little lon!. $ilas s&rprises her "% respondin! that it
is in a,t a name rom the >i"le. +e adds that his little sister was ,alled 'ppie or short.
'ppie and $ilas are "apti3ed to!ether, and $ilas inds that the ,hild "rin!s him ,loser to the other villa!ers. Fnlike his
!old, whi,h e;a,er"ated his isolation and did not respond to his attentions, %o&n! 'ppie is endlessl% ,&rio&s and
demandin!. +er desires are ine,tio&s, and as she h&n!ril% e;plores the world aro&nd her, so does $ilas. 8hereas his !old
had driven him to sta% indoors and work endlessl%, 'ppie tempts $ilas awa% rom his work to pla% o&tside. An the sprin!
and s&mmer, when it is s&nn%, $ilas takes 'ppie to the ields o lowers "e%ond the stone-pit and sits and wat,hes her
pla%. $ilas/s !rowth mirrors 'ppie/s, and he "e!ins to e;plore memories and tho&!hts he has kept lo,ked awa% or man%
%ears.
>% the time 'ppie is three, she shows si!ns o mis,hievo&sness, and 2oll% insists that $ilas not spoil her@ he sho&ld
p&nish her either "% spankin! her or "% p&ttin! her in the ,oal-hole to ri!hten her. $hortl% ater this ,onversation, 'ppie
es,apes rom the ,otta!e and !oes missin! or a while, tho&!h she is soon o&nd. 2espite his relie at indin! her, $ilas
de,ides that he m&st "e stern with 'ppie. +is &se o the ,oal-hole is inee,tive, however, as 'ppie takes a likin! to the
pla,e.
(h&s, 'ppie is reared witho&t p&nishment. $ilas is even rel&,tant to leave her with an%one else and so takes her with him
on his ro&nds to !ather %arn. 'ppie "e,omes an o"0e,t o as,ination and ae,tion, and, as a res&lt, so does $ilas. Anstead
o lookin! at him with rep&lsion, the townspeople now oer advi,e and en,o&ra!ement. 'ven ,hildren who had ormerl%
o&nd $ilas ri!htenin! take a likin! to him. $ilas, in t&rn, takes an a,tive interest in the town, wantin! to !ive 'ppie all
that is !ood in the villa!e. -oreover, $ilas no lon!er hoards his mone%. $in,e his !old was stolen, he has lost the sense o
pleas&re he on,e elt at ,o&ntin! and to&,hin! his savin!s. 1ow, with 'ppie, he reali3es he has o&nd somethin! !reater.
Summary/ Chapter ,2
#odre% keeps a distant e%e on 'ppie. +e !ives her the o,,asional present "&t is ,are&l not to "etra% too stron! an
interest. +e does not eel parti,&larl% !&ilt% a"o&t ailin! to ,laim her "e,a&se he is ,onident that she is "ein! taken ,are
o well. 2&nse% still has not ret&rned, and #odre%, released rom his marria!e and do&"t&l that he will ever hear rom
his "rother a!ain, ,an devote himsel to reel% wooin! 1an,%. +e "e!ins to spend more time at 1an,%/s home, and people
sa% that he has ,han!ed or the "etter. #odre% promises himsel that his da&!hter will alwa%s "e well ,ared or, even
tho&!h she is in the hands o the poor weaver.
Analysis/ art +) Chapters ,0-,2
(he parallels "etween the novel/s two pivotal events are &rther developed in this se,tion. 6ike the thet, 'ppie/s arrival
a!ain drives $ilas to interr&pt a p&"li, !atherin! in a dramati, ashion, this time at the 4ed +o&se rather than the
4ain"ow. >oth appearan,es ,a&se )&ite a ,ommotion, and "oth times $ilas arrives with an otherworldl% a&ra. At the
4ain"ow, the assem"led men all take $ilas or a !host. $imilarl%, when $ilas appears with 'ppie at the dan,e, #odre% is
as sho,ked as i he is seein! an Bapparition rom the dead.C >oth s,enes emphasi3e $ilas/s o&tsider stat&s. >oth the tavern
and the $)&ire/s dan,e are !overned "% r&les o hierar,h% and ha"it in whi,h ever%one relies on Bsae, well-tested
personalities.C An these ,omorta"le, rit&ali3ed spa,es, $ilas/s entran,es are as disr&ptive and disorientin! as visits rom a
!host.
$ilas, too, is &nderstanda"l% disoriented "% the appearan,e o 'ppie. +e ,ontin&es to asso,iate her with his !old and
"elieves, in a va!&e wa%, that his !old has somehow t&rned into her. An a wa%, o ,o&rse, $ilas/s ,onne,tion is ,orre,t, as
"oth the !old/s disappearan,e and 'ppie/s appearan,e ,an "e indire,tl% tra,ed to #odre% and his se,ret marria!e. -ore
important, the a,t that $ilas e)&ates 'ppie with the !old indi,ates that she has ee,tivel% repla,ed his !old as the o"0e,t
o his ae,tions.
+owever, whereas the !old isolated $ilas, 'ppie "e,omes a "rid!e "etween him and the rest o the world. 1ot onl% does
she ret&rn his ae,tion in a wa% that his !&ineas never ,o&ld, "&t her desire and ,&riosit% a"o&t the world i!nite similar
eelin!s in $ilas. 'liot &ses the weather as a si!nal o this ,han!e. 8hereas 2&nse% stole the !old on a rain% ni!ht and
'ppie appeared in a "li33ard, the aternoons that $ilas and 'ppie spend to!ether at pla% are s&nn% and warm. Also, 'liot
on,e a!ain &ses a metaphor rom the nat&ral world to des,ri"e $ilas/s !rowth. As he "e!ins to ,ome o&t o his -isolation
and sel-denial, $ilas/s so&l is likened to a metamorphosin! "&tterl% or "&ddin! lower, &noldin! and Btrem"lin!
!rad&all% into &ll ,ons,io&sness.C
#odre% is at his worst in these ,hapters. 8hile it is ,lear that he is not dire,tl% responsi"le or -oll%/s death, #odre%/s
desperate desire that -oll% not s&rvive is horri%in!l% ,r&el and selish. 'liot, alwa%s &n,ompromisin! in her moral
0&d!ments, presents #odre%/s ,r&elt% as the nat&ral res&lt o his dishonest% and ,owardi,e. (his selishness is simpl% the
res&lt o #odre% "ein! Ba man whose happiness han!s on d&pli,it%,C who repeatedl% shirks the demands o his
,ons,ien,e. $tran!el% eno&!h, however, #odre% seems to "e rewarded or his d&pli,it%, as he re,eives e;a,tl% the
mira,le or whi,h he has hoped. At is not dii,&lt or &s to s&rmise, tho&!h, that #odre% will not !et o )&ite so easil%.
As mentioned earlier, "oth o the novel/s main ,hara,ters, $ilas and #odre%, are remarka"le or their passivit%. 1either
man a,ts?instead, "oth are "% and lar!e a,ted &pon. +owever, $ilas is a,ted &pon primaril% "e,a&se o "ad l&,k,
whereas #odre% is a,ted &pon "e,a&se o his own naGvet9 and ,owardi,e. +ere, "oth ,hara,ters are presented with an
opport&nit% or a,tion. $ilas takes a,tion, while #odre% does not. $ilas/s de,ision to keep 'ppie has !reat positive
,onse)&en,es or him, "rin!in! him ,ompanionship and redemption. #odre% ,o&ld have made the same de,ision?as
'ppie/s nat&ral ather, with !reater 0&stii,ation?"&t he does not. As we will see, when #odre% event&all% tries to make
&p or this ina,tion, it will "e too late.
Part II, Chapters !(!)
#$%%ary& Chapter !(
$he action resumes si+teen years later, as the "aveloe congregation files out of church after a !unday
service Godfrey has married <ancy, and though they have aged well, they no longer look young !&uire Cass
has died, but his inheritance was divided after his death, and Godfrey did not inherit the title of !&uire !ilas
Marner is also in the departing congregation 5is eyes have a more focused look than they did before, but
otherwise he looks &uite old for a man of fifty,five Eppie, eighteen and &uite pretty, walks beside !ilas, while
Aaron Winthrop follows them eagerly Eppie tells !ilas that she wants a garden, and Aaron offers to dig it for
them $hey decide that Aaron should come to their cottage to mark it out that afternoon, and that he should
bring his mother, *olly
!ilas and Eppie return to the cottage, which has changed greatly since we last saw it $here are now pets: a
dog, a cat, and a kitten $he cottage now has another room and is decorated with oak furniture, courtesy of
Godfrey We learn that the townspeople always note Godfreys kindness toward !ilas and Eppie with approval
and that they now regard !ilas as an 0e+ceptional person2 Mr Macey even claims that !ilass good deed of
adopting Eppie will bring back the stolen gold someday 5aving returned home, !ilas and Eppie eat dinner
!ilas watches Eppie play with the pets as she eats
After dinner, !ilas and Eppie go outside so that !ilas can smoke his pipe $he pipe is a habit that !ilass
neighbors have suggested as a possible remedy for his cataleptic fits $hough !ilas finds tobacco
disagreeable, he continues with the practice, going along with his neighbors advice !ilass adoption of
"aveloe customs such as smoking, the narrator tells us, is matched by a growing acknowledgement of his
own past !ilas has gradually been telling *olly Winthrop the story of his previous life in (antern 9ard *olly is
intrigued and pu33led by the customs he describes $hey both try to make sense of the practice of drawing
lots to mete out -ustice, and attempt to understand how !ilas could have been falsely convicted by this
method
We learn that !ilas has also discussed his past with Eppie 5e has informed her that he is not her father and
has told her how she came to him at her mothers death !he is not unduly troubled by the story and does not
wonder about her father, as she considers !ilas a better father than any other in "aveloe !he is, however,
eager to know things about her mother, and repeatedly asks !ilas to describe what little he knows of her !ilas
has given Eppie her mothers wedding ring, which she often gets out to look at
As the two come out of the cottage for !ilass smoke, !ilas mentions that the garden will need a wall to keep
the animals out Eppie suggests building a wall out of stones, so she goes to the stone,pit, where she notices
that the water level has dropped !ilas tells her that the pit is being drained in order to water neighboring
fields Eppie tries to carry a stone, but it is heavy and she lets it drop !itting down with !ilas, Eppie tells him
that Aaron Winthrop has spoken of marrying her !ilas conceals his sadness at this news Eppie adds that
Aaron has offered !ilas a place to live in their household if they are married Eppie says she is reluctant, as
she does not want her life to change at all, but !ilas tells her that she will eventually need someone younger
than he to take care of her !ilas suggests that they speak to *olly, who is Eppies godmother, about the
matter
#$%%ary& Chapter !*
Meanwhile, the "ed 5ouse has likewise gained a much more domestic feel than it had during the !&uires
0wifeless reign2 <ancy invites 1riscilla and their father to stay at the "ed 5ouse for tea, but 1riscilla declines,
saying she has work to do at home 1riscilla has taken over management of the (ammeter farm from her
aging father %efore 1riscilla leaves, she and <ancy take a walk around the garden <ancy mentions that
Godfrey is not contented with their domestic life $his angers 1riscilla, but <ancy rushes to defend Godfrey,
saying it is only natural that he should be disappointed at not having any children
Godfrey goes on his customary !unday afternoon walk around his grounds and leaves <ancy with her
thoughts <ancy muses, as she often does, on their lack of children and the disappointment it has caused
Godfrey $hey did have one daughter, but she died at birth <ancy wonders whether she was right to resist
Godfreys suggestion that they adopt !he has been adamant in her resistance, insisting that it is not right to
seek something that 1rovidence had withheld and predicting that an adopted child would inevitably turn out
poorly (ike her insistence years before that she and 1riscilla wear the same dress, <ancys unyielding
opposition to adoption is not based on any particular reasoning, but simply because she feels it important to
have 0her unalterable little code2 Godfreys argument)that the adopted Eppie has turned out well)is of no
use <ever considering that !ilas might ob-ect, Godfrey has all along specified that if he and <ancy were to
adopt, they should adopt Eppie Considering his childless home a retribution for failing to claim Eppie, Godfrey
sees adopting her as a way to make up for his earlier fault
#$%%ary& Chapter !)
% cant say what % should have done a"out that, ,odfrey. % should never have married any"ody else. But % wasnt worth
doing wrong for.nothing is in this world. /othing is so good as it seems "eforehand.not even our marrying wasnt,
you see.
$See %mportant &uotations 'xplained(
Godfrey returns from his walk, trembling, and tells <ancy to sit down 5e tells her that the skeleton of his
brother *unsey has been found in the newly drained stone,pit behind !ilass cottage $he body has been
there for si+teen years, and it is clear that it was *unsey who robbed !ilas *unsey fell into the pit as he made
his escape, and the money has been found with his remains Godfrey is greatly shaken by the discovery, and
it convinces him that all hidden things eventually come to light $hus, Godfrey goes on to make his own
confession, telling <ancy of his secret marriage to Molly and of Eppies true lineage <ancy responds not
angrily but instead with regret, saying that had she known the truth about Eppie, she would have consented to
adopt her si+ years before <ancy and Godfrey resolve to do their duty now and make plans to visit !ilas
Marners cottage that evening
Analysis& Part II, Chapters !(!)
!ilass transition into the community is complete by this point in the novel <ow he is not only a full member of
the "aveloe community, but is universally considered its most e+emplary citi3en Even the most fractious town
gossips look upon !ilas with respect 'mportantly, much as the town has gotten to know !ilas better, so have
we 'n his interactions with Eppie in this section, !ilas speaks more than he has anywhere else in the book
and even displays a bit of a sense of humor Additionally, as he opens up to pipe smoking and other town
customs and beliefs, he also begins to e+plore his past !ilas attempts to attain new self,knowledge and to
reconcile his old religious beliefs with his new ones
$he device of the fifteen,year time lapse serves to balance the novel and matches the earlier fifteen,year
lapse between !ilass arrival in "aveloe and the events that form the heart of the novel $he events that follow
this second -ump in time are thus much like an epilogue $he characters are all older, and times are changing:
the profession of the weaver is even becoming obsolete While these final chapters do contain action and plot
development, they represent the logical continuation of events already set in motion and thus, to a certain
e+tent, already determined Even Godfreys confession, which seems a striking departure from his lifetime of
prevarication, is drawn out of him by the shock of the discovery of *unseys death, an event that occurred
years before 'mportantly, because the narrative time lapse implies that we have passed a point of no return,
we are left suspicious of Godfreys chances of getting Eppie back
5ere, Eppie also emerges for the first time as a real character, and Eliot uses her character to return to the
topic of social class $he child of nobility raised in poverty is a staple narrative device in literature, from
Eli3abethan comedy to 4ictorian melodrama 5ere, Eliot uses Eppie to play with the conventions of this
narrative device With her 0touch of refinement and fervour,2 Eppie is not &uite a 0common village maiden2
5owever, instead of attributing Eppies refinement to her genteel lineage, Eliot ascribes it to the 0tender and
peculiar love2 with which !ilas has raised her $he implication is that Eppies upbringing has been far more
important than her heredity, and that she is a better person than she would have been if !ilas had not raised
her
$he discovery of *unseys remains underlines the small, closed nature of Eliots narrative universe ;ar from
having left the country or -oined the army, as the townspeople have speculated, it turns out that *unsey has
been in "aveloe all along 'n fact, ironically, !ilas is the only ma-or character we have seen enter or leave
"aveloe in the entire novel Eliot emphasi3es this hermetic &uality of e+istence in "aveloe partly to portray the
inertia of English rural life 5owever, Eliot also wishes this insularity to evoke a world where one can never
escape the repercussions of the past or the effects of ones actions 'n "aveloe, things do not simply go away
Part II, Chapters !9'!, Concl$sion
#$%%ary& Chapter !9
Eppie and !ilas sit in their cottage later that evening !ilas has sent *olly and Aaron Winthrop away, desiring
solitude with his daughter after the e+citement of the afternoons discovery !ilas muses about the return of his
money and reconsiders the events that have passed since he lost it 5e tells Eppie how he initially hoped she
might somehow turn back into the gold, but later grew fearful of that that prospect because he loved her more
than the money !ilas tells Eppie how much he loves her, and says the money has simply been 0kept till it was
wanted for you2 !he responds that if not for !ilas, she would have been sent to the workhouse
!omeone knocks at the door, and Eppie opens it to find Godfrey and <ancy Cass Godfrey tells !ilas that he
wants to make up to !ilas not only for what *unsey did, but also for another debt he owes to the weaver
Godfrey tells !ilas that the money is not enough for him to live on without continuing to work !ilas, however,
argues that though it might seem like a very small sum to a gentleman, it is more money than many other
working people have Godfrey says that Eppie does not look like she was born for a working life and that she
would do better living in a place like his home !ilas becomes uneasy
Godfrey e+plains that since they have no children, they would like Eppie to come live with them as their
daughter 5e assumes that !ilas would like to see Eppie in such an advantageous position, and promises that
!ilas will be provided for himself Eppie sees that !ilas is distressed, though !ilas tells her to do as she
chooses Eppie tells Godfrey and <ancy that she does not want to leave her father, nor does she want to
become a lady
Godfrey insists that he has a claim on Eppie and confesses that he is her father !ilas angrily retorts that, if
this is the case, Godfrey should have claimed Eppie when she was a baby instead of waiting until !ilas and
Eppie had grown to love each other <ot e+pecting this resistance, Godfrey tells !ilas that he is standing in the
way of Eppies welfare !ilas says that he will not argue anymore and leaves the decision up to Eppie As she
listens, <ancy cannot help but sympathi3e with !ilas and Eppie, but feels that it is only right that Eppie claim
her birthright <ancy feels that Eppies new life would be an un&uestionably better one Eppie, however, says
that she would rather stay with !ilas <ancy tells her that it is her duty to go to her real fathers house, but
Eppie responds that !ilas is her real father Godfrey, greatly discouraged, turns to leave, and <ancy says they
will return another day
#$%%ary& Chapter '"
Godfrey and <ancy return home and reali3e that Eppies decision is final Godfrey concedes that what !ilas
has said is right, and he resigns himself simply to helping Eppie from afar Godfrey and <ancy surmise that
Eppie will marry Aaron, and Godfrey wistfully comments on how pretty and nice Eppie seemed 5e says he
noticed that Eppie took a dislike to him when he confessed that he was her father, and he decides that it must
be his punishment in life to be disliked by his daughter Godfrey tells <ancy that he is grateful, despite
everything, to have been able to marry her, and vows to be satisfied with their marriage
#$%%ary& Chapter '!
$he ne+t morning !ilas tells Eppie that he wants to make a trip to his old home, (antern 9ard, to clear up his
lingering &uestions about the theft and the drawing of the lots After a few days -ourney, they find the old
manufacturing town much changed and walk through it looking for the old chapel $he town is frightening and
alien to them, with high buildings and narrow, dirty alleys $hey finally reach the spot where the chapel used to
be, and it is gone, having been replaced by a large factory <o one in the area knows what happened to the
former residents of (antern 9ard !ilas reali3es that "aveloe is his only home now, and upon his return tells
*olly that he will never know the answers to his &uestions *olly responds that it does not matter if his
&uestions remain unanswered because that does not change the fact that he was in the right all along !ilas
agrees, saying that he does not mind because he has Eppie now, and that gives him faith
#$%%ary& Concl$sion
Eppie and Aaron are married on a beautiful summer day 1riscilla (ammeter and her father are among those
who watch the procession through the village $hey have come to keep <ancy company, as Godfrey has gone
away for the day 0for special reasons2 1riscilla tells her father that she wishes <ancy had found a child like
Eppie to raise for her own $he procession stops at Mr Maceys porch, as he is too old and frail to attend the
wedding feast and has prepared some kind words for !ilas At the "ainbow, the assembling guests talk about
!ilass strange story, and everyone, even the farrier, agrees that he deserves his good fortune $he wedding
procession of !ilas, Eppie, Aaron, and *olly approaches the cottage Eppie and Aaron have decided they
would rather stay in !ilass cottage than go to any new home, so the cottage has been altered to
accommodate Aaron Among other improvements, a large and impressive garden has been built at Godfreys
e+pense "eturning home with the wedding party, Eppie tells !ilas that she thinks 0nobody could be happier
than we are2
Analysis& Chapters !9'!, Concl$sion
$he final intersection of the two narrative lines resolves the novels remaining tensions $he confrontation
between !ilas and the Casses over their claims to Eppie is partly a conflict of class *espite their good
intentions for Eppies welfare, Godfrey and <ancy do not understand the depth of !ilass feelings for his
daughter Godfrey simply assumes that 0deep affections can hardly go along with callous palms and scant
means2 $hough <ancy is more sympathetic to !ilass bond with Eppie, she still regards the prospect of
Eppies belatedly restored birthright as an 0un&uestionable good2 Also, <ancys 0code2 gives precedence to
the claim of the blood father over the adoptive father Against these claims, however, !ilas and Eppies simple
assertion of family easily wins out $he Casses assumptions of upper,class superiority and the importance of
blood relations are no match for !ilass simple emotion and moral certitude Eliot here shows that !ilass 0rude
mind,2 which she describes with some condescension earlier in the novel, in fact possesses a great deal of
natural nobility
While Godfreys attempt to make up for his past inaction is an important event, to some e+tent it has been
predetermined by what has come before As !ilas says, after so many years, it is impossible for Godfrey to
make up for his previous refusal to claim Eppie Godfrey comes to understand that his wish to 0pass for
childless2 when courting <ancy now means that he must continue to be childless, even though his wish has
changed Godfrey has no more managed to escape the conse&uences of his actions than *unsey has $he
sense of predetermination that haunts Godfrey is integral to the highly moral nature of Eliots narrative
universe Good deeds are ultimately rewarded, and evil deeds)or cowardly inaction)are punished
When !ilas and Eppie visit (antern 9ard, they find that it is the opposite of "aveloe in more than one sense
!ilas finds it a frightening and unrecogni3able place $he chapel and graveyard have completely disappeared,
and no one in the town remembers anything about the way things once were 6nlike "aveloe, where nothing
ever goes away, in the larger town we see that people and places can disappear without a trace $he same
thirty years that have utterly effaced (antern 9ard have brought virtually no comparable change to the
landscape of "aveloe $he transitory nature of the larger town is partly a function of its si3e, but is also tied to
industriali3ation A factory, after all, replaces (antern 9ards chapel $he tall buildings that !ilas and Eppie
pass on their way through the town, with their 0gloomy2 doorways filled with 0sallow, begrimed2 faces, contrast
with the rural, outdoorsy life of "aveloe $he industrial landscape of the larger town)frightening, destructive,
and dehumani3ing)has wiped out memory and history
Silas Marner closes with a final public event, bringing together all of its characters in the same way the
"ainbow and the !&uires dance do 5owever, whereas !ilas is an intruder at the public gatherings earlier in
the novel, this time he is at the center Moreover, Godfrey, who was the beau of the <ew 9ears dance,
chooses not to attend the wedding, making himself the outsider 'mportantly, both Mr Maceys statement and
the wedding guests conversations concern not the newlyweds but !ilas himself $his provides yet another
sign that !ilas has completed his progression from the margins of the community to the center
I%portant +$otations Explaine,
1. (o have so&!ht a medi,al e;planation or this phenomenon wo&ld have "een held "% $ilas himsel, as well as "% his
minister and ellow-mem"ers, a will&l sel-e;,l&sion rom the spirit&al si!nii,an,e that mi!ht lie therein.
';planation or H&otation 1 II
(his passa!e, rom *hapter 1, des,ri"es the rea,tion o $ilas/s reli!io&s se,t in 6antern 7ard to one o his ,atalepti, its.
(he worshippers in his ,hapel interpret $ilas/s it as divinel% inspired, a sort o hol% tran,e, and their respe,t or him
!rows as a res&lt. (he passa!e addresses the iss&e o aith, one o the ,entral themes o the novel. (he des,ription
s&!!ests that the se,t mem"ers/ aith in the Bspirit&al si!nii,an,eC o $ilas/s it re)&ires a denial o an% a,tors that mi!ht
,ompli,ate it. An other words, the "elies predominant in 6antern 7ard do not allow or ,omple;it% or am"i!&it% and
re)&ire that one develop intelle,t&al "linders.
'liot does not hesitate, in this ,hapter and elsewhere, to la"el this sort o "elie primitive. (here is a note o
,ondes,ension in 'liot/s des,ription, a wink, shared with her ,ontemporar% readers, at these simple olk rom the past
who as,ri"e s&pernat&ral ,a&ses to an%thin! the least "it &n&s&al. (he h&mor lies in the phrase Bwill&l sel-e;,l&sion,C
whi,h, 'liot implies, is e;a,tl% what $ilas and his ellow worshippers depend &pon to maintain their "elie. At is important
to keep in mind that 'liot writes as someone who had on,e "elieved )&ite passionatel% in similar tea,hin!s "&t had sin,e
"roken rom them. (h&s, her view o the se,t is that o someone who has "oth e;perien,ed and re0e,ted similar ,omorts
and tenets.
2. $tran!el% -arner/s a,e and i!&re shrank and "ent themselves into a ,onstant me,hani,al relation to the o"0e,ts o his
lie, so that he prod&,ed the same sort o impression as a handle or a ,rooked t&"e, whi,h has no meanin! standin! apart.
(he prominent e%es that &sed to look tr&stin! and dream%, now looked as i the% had "een made to see onl% one kind o
thin! that was ver% small, like tin% !rain, or whi,h the% h&nted ever%whereE and he was so withered and %ellow, that,
tho&!h he was not %et ort%, the ,hildren alwa%s ,alled him B5ld -aster -arner.C
';planation or H&otation 2 II
.rom *hapter 2, this passa!e ,reates in $ilas a portrait o the deh&mani3in! ee,ts o ,ommodiied la"or that =arl -ar;
had written a"o&t a ew %ears prior to the p&"li,ation o this novel. $ilas/s me,hani,al wa% o lie and his worship o
mone% make him into an almost !rotes)&e parod% o what -ar; d&""ed Bthe ,ommodii,ation o la"or.C An this wa%
$ilas serves as a har"in!er o ind&striali3ation or sleep% 4aveloe. .or -ar;, ind&striali3ation inevita"l% leads to a
deh&mani3ation o la"or, as workers are red&,ed to nothin! more than the amo&nt o mone% that their la"or is worth.
8orkers/ so,ial positions and ties to parti,&lar pla,es are eliminated to ,reate a vast, mo"ile la"or or,e. An this passa!e,
$ilas is des,ri"ed as similarl% dis,onne,ted, his h&manit% de!raded to the stat&s o a mere ma,hine. +e is premat&rel%
a!ed, Bwithered and %ellow,C and has shr&nk and "ent to it to his loom?so m&,h so that he looks like a part o the loom,
Ba handle or a ,rooked t&"e, whi,h has no meanin! standin! apart.C
8e learn that even $ilas/s e%esi!ht has "een dama!ed "% his ,onstant work. +is ina"ilit% to see thin!s that are ar awa%,
is a handi,ap that takes on metaphori,al overtones in this passa!e. +is a"ilit% to see onl% Bone kind o thin! that was ver%
small, or whi,h Jhis e%esK h&nted ever%whereC shows the mone%-o"sessed narrow-mindedness into whi,h $ilas has
allen. At this point in the novel, $ilas ,an see onl% one kind o thin!, !old, in ever%thin! he does. +is mone% is the onl%
thin! that !ives meanin! to his lie. +ere, as elsewhere, $ilas/s ph%si,al deterioration parallels a spirit&al one. 6ater, ater
'ppie "rin!s $ilas "a,k into the ,omm&nit%, we see another des,ription o his e%es and learn that "% then the% Bseem to
have !athered a lon!er vision.C
L. (his stran!el% novel sit&ation o openin! his tro&"le to his 4aveloe nei!h"o&rs, o sittin! in the warmth o a hearth not
his own, and eelin! the presen,e o a,es and voi,es whi,h were his nearest promise o help, had do&"tless its inl&en,e
on -arner, in spite o his passionate preo,,&pation with his loss. 5&r ,ons,io&sness rarel% re!isters the "e!innin! o a
!rowth within &s an% more than witho&t &s@ there have "een man% ,ir,&lations o the sap "eore we dete,t the smallest
si!n o the "&d.
';planation or H&otation L II
+ere, in *hapter 7, is the irst moment sin,e his "anishment rom 6antern 7ard that $ilas is in an% wa% part o a
,omm&nit%. +e is at the 4ain"ow, havin! !one there to seek help ater he is ro""ed. (he tavern-!oers sit $ilas down "%
the hearth and make him tell his stor% rom "e!innin! to end. As he does so, &n"eknownst even to him, $ilas "e!ins to
e;perien,e the irst stirrin!s o a sense o solidarit% with his nei!h"ors. 'ver%thin! a"o&t the e;perien,e is Bstran!el%
novelC or $ilas@ he has never "een to the 4ain"ow and has not in a ver% lon! time "een inside an%one/s ho&se "&t his
own. -ore important, he has not in iteen %ears had the e;perien,e o eelin! reass&red "% the presen,e o others.
An des,ri"in! these "e!innin!s o a ,han!e, 'liot relies, as she oten does, on a metaphor drawn rom the nat&ral world.
+ere, $ilas is ,ompared to a "&ddin! plant in the late winter, when the sap has started to ,ir,&late "&t "eore there is an%
o&tward si!n o lie. (his ima!e o re"irth s&!!ests an idea o ,omm&nit% as somethin! nat&ral and or!ani,, as opposed
to the &nnat&ral, deormin! isolation rom whi,h $ilas is "e!innin! to emer!e.
4. #odre% was silent. +e was not likel% to "e ver% penetratin! in his 0&d!ments, "&t he had alwa%s had a sense that his
ather/s ind&l!en,e had not "een kindness, and had had a va!&e lon!in! or some dis,ipline that wo&ld have ,he,ked his
own errant weakness and helped his "etter will.
';planation or H&otation 4 II
+ere, in *hapter 9, #odre% is weatherin! a severe ton!&e-lashin! rom his ather, $)&ire *ass, ater ,onessin! that he
lent 2&nse% rent mone% rom one o his ather/s tenants. (he $)&ire ,omplains that he has "een Btoo !ood a atherC and
has spoiled his sons. An this re!ard, the *ass ho&sehold provides a ,o&nterpoint to the domesti, lie $ilas and 'ppie later
,reate. >oth #odre% and 'ppie !row &p motherless?the ormer in ,ir,&mstan,es o !reat plent%, the latter with little.
>oth athers ind&l!e their ,hildren, "&t while the $)&ire does so o&t o ne!li!en,e, $ilas does so o&t o love. 'ppie never
do&"ts $ilas/s love or her, whereas #odre%, in this passa!e, has pre,isel% that do&"t a"o&t his ather. 'liot implies that
this ,r&,ial dieren,e is the reason #odre% has !rown &p weak-willed and ,owardl%, while 'ppie possesses a stron!
sense o val&es. (his ,ontrast is all the more strikin! sin,e 'ppie is in a,t #odre%/s nat&ral da&!hter.
(he passa!e also hi!hli!hts the perspe,tive that 'liot/s narrator takes thro&!ho&t the novel. (his omnis,ient narrator is
not ,onstrained simpl% to report what is seen and heard. +ere, we !o inside #odre%/s head and have a,,ess to ideas that
he thinks "&t does not e;press alo&d. (he narrator takes this even one step &rther, not onl% div&l!in! what #odre% is
thinkin!, "&t passin! 0&d!ment on #odre%/s !eneral intelli!en,e. At the same time, however, 0&d!in! rom the $)&ire/s
"ehavior, the ,on,l&sion at whi,h #odre% !ropin!l% arrives is ,orre,t. (his sort o narration?omnis,ient, 0&d!mental,
"&t &ltimatel% s%mpatheti, toward the ,hara,ters?is an important ,hara,teristi, not onl% o this novel, "&t o all o
'liot/s works.
5. A ,an/t sa% what A sho&ld have done a"o&t that, #odre%. A sho&ld never have married an%"od% else. >&t A wasn/t worth
doin! wron! or?nothin! is in this world. 1othin! is so !ood as it seems "eorehand?not even o&r marr%in! wasn/t,
%o& see.
';planation or H&otation 5 II
1an,% !entl% &p"raids #odre% with these lines in *hapter 18, ater he ,onesses that he is 'ppie/s ather and has hidden
that a,t rom 1an,% or ei!hteen %ears. 1an,%/s rea,tion is not one o an!er, "&t instead one o deep re!ret that #odre%
had not ,laimed 'ppie lon! a!o, so the% ,o&ld have raised her themselves. 8hen #odre% responds that 1an,% wo&ld
never have married him had she known o his se,ret ,hild, she responds with these lines, a !entle ,ondemnation o
#odre%/s a,t and the thinkin! that 0&stiied it.
(he )&ote "rin!s 1an,%/s B&naltera"le little ,odeC o "ehavior into ,onrontation with #odre%/s slipper%, sel-0&sti%in!
e)&ivo,ation. 8hile 1an,% and her ,ode are portra%ed as o,,asionall% ar"itrar% and even illo!i,al, 'liot leaves no do&"t
that 1an,% is a deepl% moral person. An takin! #odre% to task or simpl% moldin! his a,tions to ,ontin!en,%, 1an,% is
passin! 'liot/s 0&d!ment, as well. +ere, as elsewhere, 'liot/s narrative p&nishes those who, "% allowin! ends to 0&sti%
means, i!nore "asi, )&estions o ri!ht and wron!.
-ey .acts
F6LL &+&LE > Silas Marner* The 0eaver of 1aveloe
A6&7(" > George Eliot
&8E (F W("# > <ovel
GEN"E > 4ictorian novel, novel of manners, pastoral fiction
LANG6AGE > English
&+ME AND LACE W"+&&EN > 186061, (ondon
DA&E (F F+"S& 6'L+CA&+(N > 1861
6'L+S7E" > William %lackwood and !ons
NA""A&(" > An anonymous omniscient speaker with no part in the plot
(+N& (F 9+EW > $he narrator speaks in the omniscient third person, describing what the characters are
seeing, feeling, and thinking and what they are failing to see, feel, and think $he narrator uses the first person
singular 0',2 but at no point enters the story as a character <ear the beginning, a personal story unrelated to
the action of the novel is relayed to provide corroborating evidence for a generali3ation, hinting that the
narrator is a real person
&(NE > Morally uncompromising, slightly condescending, but nevertheless deeply sympathetic to characters
failings
&ENSE > 1ast
SE&&+NG :&+ME; > $he 0early years2 of the nineteenth century
SE&&+NG :LACE; > "aveloe, a fictional village in the English countryside
"(&AG(N+S& > !ilas Marner
MA!(" C(NFL+C& > !ilas Marner lives for a long time without any connection to other human beings or his
youthful faith in God $hough he does not struggle to find purpose and connection in his life, the novel is about
his recovery of purpose, faith, and community through his finding Eppie
"+S+NG AC&+(N > !ilas spends fifteen years in relative isolation, amassing a hoard of gold coins that is then
stolen by *unstan Cass
CL+MA< > Eppie appears in !ilass cottage, and he decides to adopt her
FALL+NG AC&+(N > When Godfrey fails to claim Eppie as his daughter and marries <ancy, !ilas raises
Eppie !ilass love and care for Eppie make him a revered member of the "aveloe community, ending his
isolation !i+teen years later, Godfrey admits that he is Eppies father and tries to adopt her, but she elects to
stay with !ilas
&7EMES > $he individual versus the community= character as destiny= the interdependence of faith and
community
M(&+FS > $he natural world= domesticity= class
S8M'(LS > !ilass loom= (antern 9ard= the hearth
F("ES7AD(W+NG > !ilas opening his door to look outside as Eppie toddles toward his cottage= Mr Macey
telling !ilas his money will be returned to him= *unsey claiming that he always lands on his feet
#t$,y +$estions / Essay Topics
Study =uestions
1. 8hat is the si!nii,an,e o $ilas -arner/s nearsi!htednessM
Answer or $t&d% H&estion 1 II
$ilas/s poor e%esi!ht is part o the "odil% deterioration and deormation he has e;perien,ed as the res&lt o his lon! ho&rs
o work at the loom. 6ike his "ent rame and premat&re a!in!, it is a mark o the deh&mani3in! )&alities o lon!,
repetitive la"or. 5n the level o plot development, $ilas/s poor vision ,reates a parallel "etween 'ppie and $ilas/s lost
!old. +e does not see 'ppie ,ome in, 0&st as he did not see the !old leave. 8hen he irst noti,es 'ppie, $ilas sees her
"londe hair and thinks that somehow his !old has ret&rned. +e m&st to&,h her hair in order to &nderstand that 'ppie is a
livin! thin!. 5n a s%m"oli, level, $ilas/s nearsi!htedness em"odies his !eneral narrowness o vision and tho&!ht?a
limitation that, &ntil 'ppie ,omes into his lie, prevents him rom thinkin! "e%ond the narrow ,onines o his work and
his !old. At is si!nii,ant that, when we see $ilas si;teen %ears ater he has adopted 'ppie and !rown o&t o his spirit&al
strait0a,ket, his e%es Bseem to have !athered a lon!er vision, as is the wa% with e%es that have "een shortsi!hted in earl%
lie.C
2. *ompare $ilas -arner/s love o his mone% to his reli!io&s aith.
Answer or $t&d% H&estion 2 II
.or iteen %ears, $ilas/s !old serves as a s&"stit&te or his lost aith. $ilas loves his !old, works or it, and looks orward
to viewin! it and holdin! it in his hands ea,h evenin!. +e even ,omes to love the a,es en!raved on the ,oins as i the%
were his riends. >&t, as is made ,lear when 'ppie appears, in his miserliness $ilas has wasted his love on somethin! that
has no ,apa,it% to re,ipro,ate. Fnlike his lost aith, $ilas/s love o his mone% is simpl% a desire and does not involve an%
hi!her s%stem o "elies. -oreover, $ilas/s love o his mone% ,o&ld "e seen as the oppositeo aith in that it renders his
a,tions important onl% as a means to o"tain more !old. *onversel%, a lie o aith, as e;empliied "% 2oll% 8inthrop, is
one in whi,h a,tions have meanin! as maniestations o "elie.
(he other ma0or dieren,e is that reli!io&s aith is a ,omm&nal e;perien,e. An "oth 6antern 7ard and 4aveloe,
,omm&nit% is ormed aro&nd shared aith. A,,ordin! to 2oll%/s simple theolo!%, reli!io&s aith is intimatel% asso,iated
with a aith in one/s nei!h"ors, and the ,h&r,h is seen as responsi"le or those mem"ers o the ,omm&nit% who ,annot
,are or themselves. $ilas/s !&ineas, on the other hand, draw him awa% rom the world and sh&t him &p in the isolation o
his ,otta!e.
L. 8hat does $ilas -arner/s ,otta!e representM
Answer or $t&d% H&estion L II
$ilas/s stone ,otta!e &n,tions as a s%m"ol o domesti,it%, one o 'liot/s primar% motis in the novel. $ilas/s is a stran!e
sort o domesti,it%, sin,e the ,otta!e is hardl% &rnished, "&t the ,otta!e is still ver% m&,h $ilas/s private spa,e. .or $ilas
to "e in,orporated into the ,omm&nit%, he m&st irst "e drawn o&t rom his isolation in the ,otta!e. (h&s, the novel/s two
most important events are intr&sions into $ilas/s ,otta!e, irst "% 2&nse% and then "% 'ppie. Ater ea,h intr&sion, $ilas is
or,ed to leave the ,otta!e to seek help in the p&"li, spa,e o the villa!e.
$imilarl%, the ,otta!e &n,tions as a marker o $ilas/s !rowth into the ,omm&nit%. Anitiall%, when $ilas is isolated and
witho&t aith, his home is "leak and ,losed o rom the o&tside world, with its doors ti!htl% sh&t. As $ilas "e!ins to open
himsel &p, his ,otta!e likewise opens &p. As $ilas and 'ppie "e,ome a amil%, the home is literall% "ri!htened and illed
with new lie, as the amil% !ets several animals and improves the !arden and %ard.
(he *ass ho&sehold, the 4ed +o&se, &n,tions as a ,o&nterpoint to $ilas/s ,otta!e. 8hile at the opposite e;treme o si3e
and l&;&r% rom $ilas/s a"ode, the *ass home also &nder!oes a transormation as it moves rom the $)&ire/s ,ontrol to
1an,%/s. (he 4ed +o&se pla%s host to two ma0or so,ial events in the novel@ the 1ew 7ear/s dan,e and Aaron and
'ppie/s weddin! pro,ession. +owever, while $ilas/s home ,ontin&es to !row and take on new mem"ers, the 4ed +o&se
"e,omes in,reasin!l% s&"d&ed and has ewer o,,&pants at the novel/s ,lose than at its "e!innin!.
#$ggeste, Essay Topics
1 's there a difference between superstition and religion in the novel? 'f so, what is the difference?
2 *iscuss the importance of labor in the novel
L 5ow does social class function in the novel?
4 Why does !ilas wish to visit (antern 9ard again? What does his visit accomplish?
5 Compare <ancys and *ollys systems of belief
6 Eliot sets her novel in the recent, but nonetheless irretrievable, past 'n what ways does she foreshadow the
end of the world she describes?
7. $he novel is set up as two parallel narratives that intersect three times 5ow do these meetings show a
progression in !ilass status as a member of the community?
8 *iscuss the significance of the novels epigraph