Review of Silas Marner

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Silas Marner Review                     

Sami Start                                  

Silas Marner is a 19th century novel written by a Victorian writer who went by the name of George Elliot (who’s real name is Mary Ann Evans). It is her shortest work yet it is very densely packed with a plot that is never dull, subtle characterisations (e.g. Eppie who is the daughter of Silas Marner and is usually shy but very outspoken when is passionate about something like in the argument of who will parent her), more obvious characterisations (e.g. Dunstan, the foolish and greedy thief and brother of Godfrey Cass) and some very complex themes that would have been controversial at the time they were written. These include family (especially parenting of Eppie), religion, true happiness the importance of money, community and the role of status in the community.

    It is essentially the story of the title character and it accounts after he was unfairly exiled from a northern village after drawing lots was used to reach the unjust conclusion that he committed a certain robbery. He then spent fifteen years weaving linen and gathering money in the town of Raveloe in this way and then counting and cherishing his fortune every night until it was stolen by Dunstan (the son of the most important man in the book, Squire Cass) which greatly depressed Silas and made him feel like he had nothing to live for. This sadness in Silas continues until the opium-addicted wife of Godfrey (who is Dunstan’s brother) approaches Raveloe in order to make Godfrey actual acknowledge her and their daughter in public but takes an opium overdose on the way and dies so that the baby roams into Silas’s open door and Silas takes the role of her father giving him a new meaning to life. Godfrey still does not acknowledge the child as his own so Silas is allowed her and he calls the child Eppie after his sister and mother. This gives Silas a better image and he becomes welcomed into the community of the village, which is something that had never happened to him. Eventually Dunstan is found dead and Silas’s money is returned and then eventually, in the final chapters of the book, Godfrey tells his wife Nancy about his wife and Eppie and they decide to confront Silas about this. Silas states that he has a stronger claim on Eppie and because she loves him so much she agrees to stay as she is and the Casses give up and leave. The book finishes happily with Eppie marrying a man called Aaron and the last words in the book are Eppie saying ‘…I think nobody could be happier than we are.”’

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    The story starts with the evil seeming triumphant and the good seeming unfortunate (e.g. Dunstan getting Silas’s large fortune) however as it starts to conclude it becomes apparent that all the bad deeds have come back to the characters that did them. This message of ‘no bad deed goes unpunished’ is part of why so many call this George Elliot’s ‘moral fibre’.

    I also found it interesting to look at what happens to Silas when he lives for different things; for fifteen years his only passion in life is his money and he has no faith. ...

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