One major factor which Eppie helps restore back in Silas’s life is love for other than his ‘precious gold’. ‘Silas pressed it to him and almost unconsciously utter sounds of hushing tenderness’. Here we see Eliot show that Silas has somewhat already tapped into his inner emotions and without knowing is showing signs of care and love. This is shown as a powerful moment in itself as an important part of Silas’s life is re-established.
Eppie is seen as a Christ like figure as she enters Silas’s life on New Years Eve and helps revive Silas’s relationship with God. She gives him hope that perhaps God is not ‘evil’, and that the child has been sent to him as a sign or a gift from the almighty. Eliot presents this in a symbolic manner. ‘This child was somehow a message from that far off life’, and ‘of some Power presiding over his life. Silas’s view on God was that he was evil and that he only watched cruelty be done to him even thought he had done nothing wrong. In Silas’s bewilderment either he was being punished or his God was ‘bad’ God. Little did Silas know that this child was in fact a blessing upon his life. New Years Eve is presented by Eliot as a time of happiness and of fresh new beginnings, and for this purpose Eliot brings forward the child as Silas’s new beginning.
As we see Eliot presents many things in a symbolic manner. The open door of Silas’s cottage can be seen as the way of refuge for Eppie, and the door of hope for Silas. Also ‘the grimey shawl in which it was wrapped trailing behind it’, could perhaps be symbolic or a portrayal of Eppie shedding of an awful life, and instead leading itself to the ‘light’ which is symbolic of a new more happier and improved life. However why is light coming from Silas’s dark cottage?
Light and dark is being contrasted purposely by Eliot to indicate the affect Eppie will have on Silas’s life. The once dark and cold cottage Silas lived in has now become light and warm which is why Eppie is attracted to it. Eppie being drawn to the light is symbolic of happiness coming into Silas’s life. As well as ‘dark’ and ‘light , ‘warmth’ and ‘cold’ being contrasted in the story we also see that ‘reality’ and ‘surrealism’. The incident to Silas seems so surreal to him when in fact the situation is in fact quite realistic.
At last suggested to Silas that the child had been walking on the snow, and this roused him from his entire oblivion of any ordinary means by which it could have entered or been brought to his house.
Eppie herself is symbolic of the replacement of the gold, as her hair is described as beautiful ‘gold curls’ and Silas mistaken her as his, ‘own gold brought back to him’. However we see that Eppie's golden hair, mistaken for the gold returned, was that of a child who becomes a treasure more precious than the gold. His love for her and trust for others is what is ironically brought back to him, which is in fact more valuable than gold.
I’ve come to love her as myself , I’ve had light enough to trusten by; and, now she says she’ll never leave me, I think I shall trusten till I die.
Another technique used by Eliot other than contrasts and symbolism is flashbacks which only occur to Silas in Chapter 12 when Eppie enters his life. Eppie’s affect on Silas’s memory is shown as he has a flashback of his old town and the ‘old streets’. Eppie has stirred Silas’s thought back to his past; a past where he relationship with god and others were good and alive/ Again Eliot is presenting this chapter as a powerful moment through the use of flashbacks.
In conclusion we have explored that Eppie entering Silas’s life is a significant twist in Silas’s life for the good, as she revives, restores and stirs things in his life that were once there but lost. Eliot presents this in many manners such as symbolism, contrast, imagery and flashbacks as we have seen.
