One night, when Marner was tending to the senior deacon who had ‘fallen dangerously ill’ and waiting for Dane to relieve him of this duty, Marner observed that ‘his [the deacons] audible breathing had ceased’. And, after quick examination, Marner concluded the Deacon had been dead for a while. We see Marner confused , especially after being questioned but the minister in connection with the death. However, later after Dane tries to convince Marner that one of his ‘visitations from Satan’ could have led to him murdering the Deacon, confronts Dane, and we see the truth begin to unravel. Despite Marners innocence and his declaration of 'God will clear me', he was found guilty and departed from the town just after his fiancé married William Dane.
In this chapter, it is almost painful to watch the injustice of Marners exclusion from the town and the people who admired him so much. Its even more awful, that his expulsion was due to his supposed best friend. We now worry that all this may have changed Marners outlook on life and make him become possibly bitter and lonely.
Raveloe lies “in the rich central plain of what we are pleased to call merry England” with its pleasant, relaxed decriptions of “orchards looking lazy” and “purple-faced farmers jogging”. In contrast to Lantern Yard, religion in Raveloe seems a somewhat more sical activity, with the “Power.. In prayer meetings (being) very far away”. However, after the previos betrayal, Marner possessed “little light” thus he buries himself in his work However, the village, being ’not over-wise or clever’ assumed hard work ‘could be carried on entirely’ with the help of the ’Evil One’ and therefore were rather wary of him. Another feature or Marner that the villagers found rather odd was learning about his knowledge of certain herbs after he cured a local inhabitant. Thus, the people of Raveloe began to think of him as a Witchdoctor. It is at this time that our sympathy for Marner heightens, as we realise even this warm, close-knit community refuse to accept him as a person, but only as a weaver, which drives lonely Marner to comfort himself with his ever-increasing gold.
When Marner first sees a gold light shining on the hearth, he hopefully assumes its his gold ‘brought back to him as mysteriously as it had been taken away’ . However after feeling it, he discovers he has actually come across a golden mop of curls, After taking her to the Red House, to announce her arrival and ask for a doctor, Marner quickly and courageously decides to keep the baby girl, as he feels it’s fate; The arrival of Eppie [what Silas names the baby] in replacement for the gold was taken. As Marner starts to raise Eppie, he gains the respect and admiration of all the mothers in Raveloe, especially Dolly Winthrop who comfortingly assures him ‘I seen men who are wonderful handy wi’ children’. With her and the rest of the communities help, Marner quickly takes to looking after Eppie as if she were his own and experience a feeling that he hasn’t had for a very long time. Love. And, at the same time, he is gradually integrated into society.
After about 30 years of living in Raveloe, Marner begins thinking about his old town, and whether his name was ever cleared therefore he decides that he and Eppie should visit Lantern Yard to find out. However, upon arrival, they quickly realise the town had become ’a dark, ugly place’ and literally and metaphorically unrecognisable. The Industrial Revolution had meant the original picturesque surroundings were now used only as land for factories. The obvious irony used throughout this chapter contradicts the towns title, Lantern Yard, which gives us an idea of a bright, happy place. We are informed about the ‘grim walls of the jail’ and the ’sallow begrimed face’ of many a child peeping out from ’gloomy doorways’ and begin to realise that the place Marner’s looking for no longer exists, and the people he once new have long since moved on. So unfortunately, Marner never receives the closure he so wished for.
The general message of this novel appears to lie mainly on fate, and how there are always reasons behind every thing that occurs in our lives. If Silas hadn’t have been wrongly accused in Lantern Yard, he wouldn’t have moved to Raveloe and found Eppie, and maybe wouldn’t loved anything or anybody quite as much during his entire life. Throughout the novel, we can really understand and maybe relate to how Marner feels at the injustice of what happened, however it helps us understand how our surroundings really can effect our overall outlook on life.
