Some of the Victorian values that would have influenced George Eliot are the traditional family values and the role of women in families and society. Women were expected to stay at home and look after the family. They were not expected to work or do anything to displease their husbands. At the time, George Eliot was writing her book, the industrial revolution was also taking place and economic and class values were changing. England was going through a series of tumultuous cultural, social and economic transformations.
This could be reflected in the seemingly robotic work Silas does. He weaves continually only to save every penny into a box under his floorboards for him to count and worship.
Silas first sees Eppie asleep by his fire and he sees not a child but his stolen gold and he goes to crouch over it and stroke it.
“Gold, his own gold… He felt his heart begin to beat violently
The child had wandered in when her mother, Molly Farran died outside in the snow while Silas was passing a cataleptic fit. He did not see the child until he went back inside. He moved down to touch it and came into contact with the soft curls and
“It stirred fibres that had never been moved in Raveloe – old
quivering of tenderness.”
He pressed the child to himself and took care of it so it grew up knowing the truth but accepting it.
His reasons for keeping her were because he thought she was a gift from God. When he thought he had his money back, he was overjoyed, but to find a real, live child looking up at him full of contentment must be a gift from God. One moment from his past that stirs memories in him is the death of his younger sister. When Eppie first appears, he believes that Eppie is his long lost sister, come back to him.
Godfrey and the doctors try to take Eppie away but Silas is possessive and will not give up the child. This leads us to understand that he has been betrayed before and taking his new treasure away would only open old wounds and make him more of a recluse than ever.
They grow up together and she transforms his life.
“It was a bright autumn Sunday, sixteen years after Silas Marner had
Found his new treasure on the hearth.”
He starts to visit the village and although he continues his weaving he becomes more popular with the people of Raveloe. Especially Dolly Winthrop, who supplied the material for his weaving. Eppie grows up very happy around Silas and turns his reclusive life into the fairytale “happily ever after.” His loneliness disintegrates with Eppie and the fact that she is not his natural child bothers neither Eppie nor Silas. She knows the truth but accepts that it is part of her past and lives now only for the present and future. The facts about her mother do not matter and neither of them are bothered by the truth of Godfrey being her father because they are oblivious.
His attempts to discipline her fail miserably but she learns not to displease him. He goes to Dolly Winthrop for help and she suggests a short slap but Silas could not force himself to apply that to Eppie. So he ties her to a chair, only for her to cut herself away to run off again. He locks her in the coalhole and from that day on, she never angers him. If Silas sees her rope cut, he calls her and her forlorn little voice cries out from the coalhole and he lets her out.
Silas and Eppie have mountainous amounts of respect for each other. This is evident in scenes such as when Godfrey and Nancy come to their cottage and try to claim Eppie. When Eppie herself is forced do decide whether she should go and live with her wealthy, upper - class birth father or Silas, Silas does nothing to stand in her way;
"Eppie, my child, speak. I wont stand in your way. Thank Mr and Mrs Cass.”
Silas obviously wants Eppie to stay with him and she chooses to continue living with him rather than live in the Red House with her biological father.
Another parent – child relationship is one between Dolly Winthrop and her son Aaron. This is the ideal relationship between parents and children. At one point, Silas is invited into the house and Dolly gives him cakes and asks Aaron to sing. Aaron imitates the general feeling of the village towards Silas and hides behind his mother.
“Aaron needed all his adventurous curiosity to embolden him against the
Possibility that the big-eyed weaver might do him some bodily harm.”
Dolly is the only one who shows genuine friendship towards Silas although even she has no idea of his past.
“Then bethinking herself of Silas’ advent from an unknown country.”
However, as the story continues, the relationship between Silas and Eppie, and Dolly and Aaron develops. Eppie begins to find an interest in Aaron as they grow up together and when she wants a garden to be dug, she hints to Aaron and insists that Silas do nothing to strain himself.
“I knew Aaron would dig it for us, I knew that very well.”
The theme of duty is very profound in the novel and this is shown by the way the children turn out. Silas has a fantastic child, Eppie, because he is kind and devoted and unselfish. Dolly has a brilliant son who turns out to be a very gentlemanly young man. She always looked after him and was kind natured and good. The relationship between Squire Cass and his children was different however. He was obsessed with money and busied himself with ripping people off. In return his children were weak and selfish: Godfrey and downright bad: Dunstan.
In chapter three of the novel, Godfrey and Dunstan argue and Dunstan begins to show his evil nature:
“I might tell the squire how his handsome son was married to
That nice young woman, Molly Farran.”
The squire is also weak and is enraged easily.
“The Squire’s life was quite as idle as his son’s.”
And he blames Godrey for all the family’s misfortunes.
This reflects the fairytale features of the story of Silas Marner. In the novel, there are the villains, the “goodies” and at the end, everyone deserves what they get. Squire Cass ends up with a dead son and another son unable to have children. Godfrey is left miserable and childless. Eppie and Silas live happily ever after. Eppie marries Aaron and Silas is reunited with his former treasure: the money that was stolen, although it no longer has such an effect on him.. Molly Farran dies from her addiction to opium and Dunstan Cass’ punishment for stealing, blackmailing and lying is to die, drowned in the lake.
The relationship between Dolly and Aaron is similar to Silas’ and Eppie’s in the ways that both do their duties and are kind and devoted to the children. Eppie and Silas, however, have a lot more to overcome than Dolly and Aaron because they have to make up for not being related and then they have to look after each other in a way that Dolly and Aaron would not understand. When Godfrey comes to claim Eppie, Silas and Eppie cross a huge boundary that they need to cross to completely stabilize the bond between them and make them Father and Daughter whether they are related or not.
The relationship between the Squire and his children differs greatly. They are the “baddies” of the story and are punished accordingly. The squire is uncaring with his offspring and takes great offence at their money problems, blaming them for all the misfortunes of the family.
According to the quotation by William Wordsworth in the title to the essay, a child is meant to bring forward looking thoughts and hope to a declining man. I think that the way the ideas are portrayed in the novel, George Eliot does agree to this statement. When Silas is “blessed” with Eppie, his original self is brought back and comes out of his misery and dejectedness. His money takes less of a hand in controlling his life and his priorities change to looking after “his new treasure”, Eppie. Another place where the quote is shown is the feelings towards Eppie from Godfrey. Although he does not take her, I feel that if she had agreed to live with him then his life would have been transformed like Silas’. Had Eppie gone to live at the Red House, Nancy would not have been so miserable at loosing a child and being unable to give birth after that. They would have had Eppie and they would have benefited from her company as much as Silas would have.
However, there are exceptions to this. Molly Farran, after having Eppie, continues to take the opium and declines until her death. Also, the Squire’s children did not bring him any joy although we are not clear as to whether he was a declining man when they born.