The falling action began with the baptizing of both Silas and the child, christened as Eppie. Fifteen years passed happily for Silas and Eppie. On the other hand, the reader is informed of Godfrey and Nancy Lammeter’s childless marriage and Nancy’s refusal to adopt despite Godfrey’s persistent desire to adopt Eppie. When Dunstan’s body is found along with Silas’s gold, Godfrey, fearing discovery, confessed to Nancy that he had been secretly married to Eppie’s mother. Nancy was regretful for in her mind, she could justify adopting Eppie. Together, they confronted Silas and Eppie with the knowledge that Godfrey was Eppie’s natural father. Godfey offered Eppie his home and his love, and Silas told Eppie the decision was hers to make.
The novel arrived at its dénouement when Eppie chose to remain with the father who raised her and firmly took his hand. Silas returns to Lantern Yard to determine whether the congregation of his church still considered him to be a criminal. Instead, he discovered his neighbourhood had been replaced by a series of factories. With mixed emotions, Marner returned to Raveloe. Soon after, they celebrate the wedding of Eppie to her new husband.
The author succeeds in unifying the story through two parallel plots. She describes Silas Marner’s discontent and loss of faith and eventually, his recovery. The second plot relates Godfrey Cass’ secret marriage, his ne’r-do-well brother Dunstan, and his love for Nancy Lammeter. These two plots are kept entirely separate until Dunstan robbed Silas and provoked a chain of events leading to the turning point. George Eliot also writes with the consistent point of view of an omniscient third person. Albeit the reader is subjected to Silas Marner’s point of view for the majority of the time, the narrator moves to other more minor characters to learn of their perspectives then returns to Silas once again. The setting and time is restricted to the turn of the nineteenth century in a rural community in England during society’s change to industrialization.
The author achieves audience appeal by placing a poignant quotation from Wordsworth on the title page: “A child, more then all other gifts/That earth can offer to declining man/Brings hope with it, and forward-looking thoughts.” The opening is striking because it introduces the reader to weavers, who because of their customs, mannerism and physical appearances are made to appear grotesque and inhuman. The reader tramps through Marner’s emotional changes starting with his being in a contented state, to his immediate despair after being betrayed by his religious community, to his recovery and joy. Foreshadowing also is employed to keep the reader’s interest. For example, Dunstan was warned, “And take care to keep sober tomorrow, else you’ll get pitched on your head coming home, and Wildfire might be the worse for it.” Suspense continues to the very end when Eppie is asked to choose between her biological father and adopted father. Even Silas’ return to his religious community, after Eppie chooses to be with him, is suspenseful. All of these techniques, including foreshawdowing mentioned earlier, work to keep the audience interested.
Section II – Characterization
Part “A” – General
George Eliot narrated in the omniscient third person and thus enabled the reader to comprehend the thoughts and motivations of each character. The major characters developed two plots. In the first plot Silas Marner is the major character and in the second the major players are Godfrey Cass, Squire Cass, Dunstan Cass, Nancy Lammeter, Eppie and Dolly Winthrop, although both plots eventually become entwined. Each will be briefly examined.
Silas Marner, the protaganist of the primary plot, was a modest, instinctual and trusting man who becomes an industrious weaver after being condemned to solitude by his religious sect. His physique reflects his newly adopted life, for he was bent from the loom, and although he was thirty-nine years old when we met him, he looked considerably older. His protruding myopic eyes, alleged healing powers, and cataleptic fits caused him to be viewed with superstition and curiosity. He was a dynamic character, first appearing as a devout religious man, then as a man of despair when the church finds him guilty of a crime, and in the end as a responsible and contributing member of society.
Godfrey Cass was the supposedly wealthy Squire Cass’ elder son. A "tall powerful, florid man, seen chiefly on horseback", who’s charm was that of a "healthy and good-tempered young animal," Godfrey was admired by the villagers. In contrast to Marner’s solitude, family surrounded Godfrey. While Silas endured his exclusion from society, Godfrey was impatient and a moral coward. His regret with respect to his secret marriage led him to reject his fatherly responsibilities for Eppie. He was a static character whose motivation for action was dependant on the likely response of his wife both before and after their marriage. He also symbolized the author’s view of the shallow moral characteristics of the upper class.
“The greatest man in the village of Raveloe was Squire Cass”. He was a gentleman of the highest social standing. Eliot depicts in him her view of some of the worst characteristics of this class of society. He had little involvement in the lives of his sons and was rough on them. He ridiculed the villagers, did no work and took comfort in the material pleasures of life. This static character was also depicted as illustrative of his class.
Dunstan was the villain of the novel, whose sinful ideas would become realities. Throughout Part One, he succeeded in persuading his brother, Godfrey, to bend to his will. He disbursed the money Godfrey lent him, then caused the death of his brother’s horse, and stole Silas’s gold. Dunstan was selfish, and oblivious to any moral standards. As with the Squire and his brother, Eliot portrayed him as the product of the upper class. He was dim-witted, and believed in his own luck at other’s misfortune. For example, he did not plan robbing Silas, the circumstances just happened to permit it.
Nancy Lammeter was also a static character in the novel. She was the recipient of Godfrey’s love and affection. Although she remained mysterious throughout the first seven chapters, we learnt of her from the perspective of other characters. She was presented to the reader as a youthful, principled, sensitive girl with a country dialect. In the narrator’s view, she was more suitable for Godfrey then his secret wife. She allowed the reader to be sensitive to the foibles of the upper class even with her proper mannerisms and strict values. However, her inflexible code of conduct showed a serious weakness in her character.
Eppie was a small forlorn child when she came into Silas’ life. She was simple-minded, having basic needs. Later, the reader sees this dynamic child as active and in search of a source of mischief. She grew to be “a creature of endless claims and ever-growing desires, seeking and loving sunshine and living sounds and living movements.” Eppie replaced Silas’ stolen gold. She forced him out of isolation and into the acceptance of society and the church. Despite her relationship to the upper class, none of its characteristics were ascribed to her. Eppie. Rather, she was depicted as a beautiful, golden-haired girl, whose qualities were directly associated with nature. She symbolized all the goodness in a lower class upbringing.
Dolly Winthrop was also a product and of symbol of the values of her community. She was hardworking, skillful, and effective so that she had time enough to care for Silas and Eppie. She was instinctively motherly and religious, and offered advice accordingly. The author did not give her a physical appearance and as a result her character was strictly symbolic.
The minor characters in this novel were Aaron Winthrop, Priscilla Lammeter and the men at the Rainbow tavern. Aaron Winthrop was first introduced to Silas with his mother Dolly. Silas reached out to him foreshadowing his relationship with Eppie. Like Eppie, he is close with nature, as he was a gardener. He later becomes Eppie’s lover. Priscilla Lammeter was Nancy’s older sister, but contrarily, she was opinionated, unrefined, and blunt-spoken. Priscilla and Nancy demonstrated strong affection for each other and were proof that love can exist in upper class families. Priscilla’s function in the novel was to underline Nancy’s positive traits when compared to her own. The men at the Rainbow fulfilled the purpose of commenting on the actions of the main characters. They provided an insight into the moral standards and wisdom of the community.
Part “B” – Analysis of a Major Character
Eliot based her novel on a quotation by Wordsworth, one of her favourite poets. Silas Marner may be described as a Wordsworthian hero for he is a simple, and selfless man with little education, but who has a nobility of manner.
Silas's physical appearance was peculiar for he was bent from weaving at his loom, had strange and alarming eyes, and looked much older than he was. His pales face cause him to be viewed a as a ghost by the men in the Rainbow, when he came seeking help with finding his gold. His physical unattractiveness made him an odd hero for a novel.
George Eliot opened the novel with a hint of a magical other world of weavers. Soon after, she shifted to an explanation of the superstition of the inhabitants of this rural village, which she claimed resulted from their ignorance of the past of the weavers. She described the weavers as “emigrants from the town to the country”. We first met Silas at the age of thirty-nine as he is weaving in his small cottage while the curiosity of some village boys drives them to have a closer look at this eccentric man. His loneliness, the author emphasized, was not a conscientious choice he made, but rather one that was imposed upon him by society. His first attempt at neighbourliness caused him to be viewed with even more superstition, when he succeeded in curing an illness of a villager. They began to see him as enchanting.
Eliot presented a minute examination of the psychological processes of Silas. At the beginning of the novel, she explained his emotional distress at God’s failure to show the congregation his innocence. She allowed the reader to understand his reasoning for hoarding gold, namely it was one of the few dependable aspects of life and more trust worthy, in his perspective, then humans and God. Consequently, Silas personified the coins and treated them as friends. She showed his devastation at the loss of this gold. Finally, the reader understood how Eppie drew him out of his numb life, into nature and into the lives of the people of Raveloe. We see that his growth mirrors Eppie’s as he rediscovers himself. Comparatively, Silas Marner’s psychology seemed elementary to the reader next to Godfrey’s for Silas was limited by imagination and a lifetime of work.
Eliot was clearly appreciative to Silas’ predicament ad to his feelings. This caused the reader to be equally sympathetic toward him. She displayed both Silas’ perspective and the perspective of the community surrounding him. He was likeable because we see how misunderstood he was. He was the result of some cruel force. He did nothing to deserve being excommunicated, being made the object of gossip or being robbed. He was simply propelled by his tragic circumstances. Eliot believed his story was important even though he was but a poor and simple linen-weaver. His occupation, physical unattractiveness, and isolation from the community were an unrealistic combination for a hero for society at the time.
Section III – Theme
As a human being, George Eliot has a subjective point of view, and naturally incorporated her personal opinions and statements about life in such examples as themes.
A recurrent theme in this novel is that of luck and fate, the sense of a power deciding the reward or punishment of the actions and mannerisms of each character. Dunstan Cass placed his trust in his good luck, whereas Godfrey was less assured of his own luck. Dunstan walked through life heedless of any present consequences but Godfrey later learned that a divine force, according to Eliot, intervenes to punish and reward man. His being childless during his second marriage was fitting punishment for not recognizing Eppie as his natural daughter. On the other hand, Silas was rewarded by acceptance in the community and the return of his gold for adopting Eppie. Silas’ strong belief in the subsequent rewards and punishments for the deeds of man was severely shocked when he was condemned despite his innocence. This betrayal caused his loss of faith in God and man. Throughout the novel, his role could be seen as the puppet of an uncontrollable destiny. In this way, Eliot presented her perception of the overreaching influence of luck and faith on man.
George Eliot used characters to comment extensively on religion. The religions of the town from which Silas emigrated and the religion of Raveloe were both Christianity. The dogmatic religious community that Silas left stood in sharp contrast with the humanity and good will that was prevalent in the rural community to which he migrated.
The author also examined the distinction between the upper and lower classes in society. She showed her preference for the hard working lower class and attributed higher moral standards to them then to the upper class. For instance, Silas, a stranger to Eppie, insisted on raising her while her natural father, a member of the upper class, ignored her existence. In addition, the author employed a sympathetic tone to depict the lower class while approaching the upper class much more critically. The result was that the reader sympathized much more with the lower class.
Section IV - Style
George Eliot was able to communicate the feelings of the characters by utilizing the omniscient point of view. As a result, the dialogue was kept to a minimum. Eliot wrote with a direct and precise manner. Each word was chosen for its meaning to ensure that she fulfilled her purpose. When focusing on her characters, she employed lofty words for those of the upper class while using more simple words for those of the lower class. Her sentences were long, sprinkled with punctuation that allowed the reader to appreciate her meaning. When narrating the community’s perception of Silas, she used casual, light hearted and colloquial. In contrast, when she narrates from the perspective of an upper class spectator, she became sarcastic and mocking.