Before this pivot Silas worked at Lantern Yard where he was content and highly thought of as he was accepted in his community and society, “Marner was highly thought of”. He regularly attended church having faith in God, “ardent faith”. But he is betrayed, blamed for something he didn’t even do. His friend betrays him, but his God doesn’t help him prove his innocence. He could have stayed in Lantern Yard but he would have been a shamed man so he chooses to leave. His old job has left “loveless chasms” in his life. He travels to Raveloe and lives deep in the woods. He feels hidden from the villagers of Raveloe and even from God by the trees out casting him still.
He becomes a figure of mystery and fear in the village with children calling him “Old Master Marner”. He is isolated from the rest of the world in the woods and has no faith for man or god, “thought was arrested, affection seemed to have died”. Marner takes up his weaving where money is made. This money fills his “loveless chasms” and is all he lives for: “His life was reduced to mere functions, weaving and hording”. Silas shows some form of emotion when a vase in his home breaks and he repairs it and puts it back in the same spot, showing feeling and a pride in his place of residence. Silas returns home one night and finds all his gold to be gone. He is distraught and overwhelmed at this shock as his money was the one thing that kept him going at the end of the day: “cry of desolation”. This is a repeated feeling for Silas as he had something he loved so much taken away from him when he lived at Lantern Yard; now this is recurring with his beloved money. The positive side of this for Silas, after losing his money the villager’s opinion of him has now turned as they feel he is just like them now with hardly any money. Two villagers come to comfort Silas, one of which is a young boy called Aaron, brought by his mother, Dolly Winthrop. He sings to Silas to try and cheer him up after losing his money but Marner feels no emotion towards the child.
Godfrey is a kind and helpful man towards other people, “good natured man”. But he is worried that his brother (Dunstan) will tell his father of Godfrey’s secret marriage to Molly Farren (a poor barmaid). Dunstan threatens to tell his father, “I might tell the squire”. Godfrey is forced to bribe Dunstan with the villager’s taxes so he won’t tell. He also gives Dunstan his horse (Wildfire) but Dunstan stakes the horse and goes missing. This makes Godfrey upset and he tells his father about him giving the villager’s taxes to Dunstan but he doesn’t tell him what for.
Godfrey is in love with Nancy Lammeter but cannot marry her because he is married to Molly. This puts Godfrey in a dilemma and he waits for something to happen, “Think about the future with joy”. Godfrey is mesmerised by Nancy and cannot keep his eyes off her, “keep sight of Nancy”. This shows that he’s a nice man really but something has gone wrong. The pressures of his dark secrets are causing him to behave badly at times. He is now being selfish and is thinking of what he wants and not anyone else.
With the arrival of Eppie, Silas and Godfrey’s stories are merged together. Silas feels he lost his money because God took it away from him and gave him Eppie. Silas and Eppie have both grown close to one another. Eppie with Silas, “Holding both his hands while she looked up at him”, and Silas with Eppie, “if I lost you, Eppie. I might come to think I was forsaken again”. Silas loved his money and would do anything for it, now Eppie has replaced his money. This is shown when his money is found with Dunstan’s body. Now he needs the money to bring up Eppie and he feels god has done this purposely, “The money was taken from me in time … till it was wanted for you”. He wants to use his money to make Eppie happy rather than himself.
Silas now realises he feels for Eppie more than he did for his gold, “Silas, shaken by the worst fear that could have befallen him”. Eppie wandered out the door and Silas thinks he has lost her. This shows how much Silas’s character has changed. At the end of chapter 14 everyone in the village agrees Silas is doing a good job raising Eppie and they have now become somewhat of a feature of wonder.
At the end of Chapter 12 everything is going well for Godfrey as now that his wife is dead he has married Nancy Lammeter, and Eppie is being taken care of. He also is not being blackmailed by Dunstan any more and no longer has to steal from the villager’s taxes. Nancy becomes pregnant but when the baby is ready it comes out dead. Godfrey and Nancy really want a baby so Godfrey thinks about telling Nancy his daughter is Eppie. At this point Godfrey becomes very selfish as when he could have had Eppie he turned her down now he wants what he cant have. Godfrey prevented the child having birthright because it suited him at the time. The problems get even worse when Dunstan is found with Silas money and Godfrey and Nancy take it to him but also with a choice for Eppie to make, whether to stay with Silas or to become their child. Silas wants what is best for Eppie so he lets her decide, but Eppie does decide to stay with Silas, as she has no other to call father. Eppie only chooses to stay with Silas rather than Godfrey because she was rejected by Godfrey and accepted by Silas in chapter 12 making it a very significant chapter. Silas is rewarded for doing well while Godfrey is punished for being bad.
Chapter 12 is a great “pillar” in the structure of the book as it holds the whole story together. It brings the two lives of a man mistreated by others and a man who’s life is a mess together and creates the link (Eppie). These separate lives are brought together with a wild twist thus creating major changes in the main characters of the book. A moral is also run throughout the book. Those who do well are rewarded, while those who do bad are punished. This is clearly reflected in the deeds of Mr. Marner and Mr. Cass.
The writer sets in motion a chain of events that not only affects Godfrey and Silas immediately in chapter 12 but also does 16 years later. Eppie becomes treasure for Silas instead of his beloved gold, while Godfrey wants Eppie to be his child after turning his back on her when he could have owned up and said she was his child. These decisions made in Chapter 12 make it a significant Chapter in the eyes of Silas Marner and Godfrey Cass.