At the end of Silas Marner, there is a feeling that justice has been done, that the bad have been punished and the good rewarded. Explain, with reference to at least two characters in the novel, how far you agree with this statem

The first character that demonstrates that justice has been done is Godfrey Cass. He left his wife and child with little money and no support. He didn’t tell his family and friends about them, and didn’t even tell his second wife, Nancy, until 15 years into the marriage. Godfrey and Nancy had a child but it died as an infant and so Nancy refuses to have another child in fear it will happen again. Nancy also disagrees about them adopting;

“The adopted child, she was convinced, would never turn out well, and would be a curse to those who had wilfully and rebelliously sought what it was clear that, for some high reason, they were better without.” (Chapter 17, Page 157)

Nancy believes that they aren’t supposed to have children, and they would be going against that by adopting, which would cause themselves and the child misfortune. This means that Godfrey is without an heir, and the couple remain childless. When Godfrey finally tells Nancy about his wife, and admits that Eppie is his daughter, she is completely fine with it. She even tells him that she wishes he had told her sooner so that they could have raised her themselves. They both agree that they will ask Eppie to come live with them. But Eppie refuses their offer;

“I can’t leave my father, nor own anybody nearer than him.”

“I couldn’t give up the folks I’ve been used to.”(Chapter 19, Page 169)

 As Eppie has grown up with and been raised by Marner, she thinks of him as her father, not Godfrey, and therefore doesn’t wish to leave Marner.

 “God gave her to me because you turned your back upon her, and He looks upon her as mine. You’ve not right to her!” (Chapter 19, Page 170)

Silas is saying that because Godfrey didn’t claim her as soon as he could, things have changed, and Godfrey has lost his chance and right to be Eppie’s father. Marner is saying that he has more right to Eppie as he has been the one who looked after and raised her and that that makes him more of a father to her than Godfrey.

I think that it is a result of his previous actions that Godfrey will never have a child. I think this because he doesn’t want anything to do with Eppie in the beginning, and then later on when he finds he does in fact wants her; Eppie doesn’t want anything to do with him.

Dunstan is another example of how justice has been served in the novel. He blackmails his own brother for money and steals Marner’s gold. He also gambles and drinks a lot. He ends up dying after falling into the stone pits whilst fleeing from Marner’s house. When he dies he isn’t missed by anyone and nobody bothers looking for him when he is gone for sixteen years – he is only found by accident. He doesn’t even get the chance to spend the money he has stolen.

Dunstan is very self centred and greedy, and would do anything to save his own neck;

“If the weaver was dead, who had a right to his money?”
Dunstan thinks that Marner is dead as he left his door open and his supper cooking so late at night. He thinks that Marner has slipped into the stone pits and without any remorse believes that he has as much right as anyone to just take Marner’s money. He sees this as an opportunity to repay his debt to Godfrey and also get some money for himself at the same time.

Dunstan is also very lonely;

“To be sure, the neighbours said it was no matter what became of Dunsey – a spiteful, jeering fellow, who seemed to enjoy his drink the more when other people went dry...”

This is saying that nobody really cares what happens to Dunstan. He doesn’t care about anybody but himself, and he enjoys other people suffering, so why should they care about him. When Dunstan is finally found in the stone pits, Godfrey seems more bothered at the fact that Dunstan stole the money and the shame that this will cause him, rather than fact that his brother had died.

In the end Dunstan dies a very early and lonely death. I think that this is a result of his actions as he lived a very lonely life and was greedy, and then died alone surrounded by money.

To conclude I agree with the statement as Godfrey and Dunstan both got punished for what they did. Godfrey didn’t want Eppie in the beginning and then when he did want her, she didn’t want him. Dunstan blackmailed his brother and stole and ended up dead.