In Eppie’s case I think that Eliot was trying to portray that you have to be rich to be the ‘ideal’ Victorian women. Even though Eppie is unsophisticated she holds all the qualities needed to be the ideal Victorian women. Her ‘peculiar’ and ‘perfect love’ shows her innocence. Her kind and compassionate feelings are shown when she offers to help Silas carry the stones when they are making the garden. She has ‘delicate prettiness’ and as ‘she seemed to be attired in pure white, and her hair looked like the dash of gold on a lily’ she looked angelic and her innocence and purity is shown again. She say’s, ‘you won’t be giving me away father… You’ll only be taking Aaron to be a son to you’ which shows that is reliant, loyal and faithfully to the men in her life which is essential in being the Ideal.
Al though Nancy and Eppie come from two different backgrounds they are similar in many ways. One of the most obvious similarities is their beauty, Nancy’s beauty is emphasised all the way through the novel. ‘Nancy Lammeters beauty’ is more mature and sophisticated where as Eppie’s is more innocent, pure beauty. Nancy is not always ‘free from self-consciousness’ as she is used to getting dressed up and going to big events and getting complimented but Eppie on the other hand is free from self-consciousness because of her background and her innocence. Nancy and Eppie are both reliant upon the men in her life and are loyal as well because Nancy supports her husband unconditionally when he tells her about Molly and Eppie she continues to be loving and loyal and a deep trust develops between them. The relationship between Nancy and Godfrey is similar to the relationship between Eppie and Silas through the women’s influence changing the lives of the men. Nancy helps Godfrey open up as Eppie does with Silas, Eppie Helps Silas to love life again and to become part of the community, where as Nancy’s love helps Godfrey to confess and because of that he sees her as an ideal wife.
Probably the most maternal figure in ‘Silas Marner’ is Dolly Winthrop. She holds Family and children as the most important thing to her as she introduces Aaron to Silas when his gold is stolen to help him recognise the goodness in the innocence of the child. Another way you feel her commitment to children and family is the love she offers Eppie and the support towards Silas through times of confusion and hurt. Such a close relationship develops between Eppie and Dolly as a result of Dolly’s motherly love towards Eppie. Dolly has traditional views on marriage in a way that she sees her husband as a patriarchal figure and even though she takes the submissive role in her relationship she isn’t afraid to speak openly about criticisms of her husband. She views her married life a lot like she views religion and everyday life, she has simplistic acceptance of the existence and wisdom of god not deeply knowing anything about it as she can’t read and doesn’t really understand the complicated sermons at church, she just accepts everything to be the way it is for a reason like she tolerates her husband. She recognises his faults but accepts them as a part of married life. She views men as ‘naturally troublesome’. Her priority lies in being supportive and raising a contented family. She naturally likes helping others and being charitable towards others.
Molly Farrow and Priscilla Lammeter are shown as the non-Ideals as they are an absolute contrast to Eppie and Nancy. Molly’s immorality manly takes the title of the Ideal Victorian women away from her as she is a home maker, she must have been beautiful once because of her getting married to Godfrey in the first place and because Eppie is beautiful. Priscilla however is probably the least Ideal out of all the characters, as she is Ugly and she has feminist views of men and marriage. Priscilla and Molly also contrast socially with the Novel’s ‘Ideal women’ Nancy and Eppie, as they all represent upper class, middle class and working class.
Priscilla Lammeter doesn’t conform to any of the societies Ideal; she is described as ‘too rough’ which shows her unattractiveness. She has no interest ‘opinion o ’the men’ as she finds them irritating, she says they drive her ‘past patience’. She has controversial views on men and marriage- she doesn’t want either, she is independent. Priscilla is outspoken whereas Victorian women were supposed to be reserved and demure. She criticises Nancy’s sympathy for Godfrey, she says, ‘they get one on to abuse their husbands then they turn round on one and praise’ em’ She is saying women are hypocritical. Her feminist views outcast her from the 19th Century, she is way ahead of her time.
Molly is not the Victorian ideal of women hood, as she doesn’t hold some of the qualities needed to be the ideal. She might once have contained these qualities before her secret marriage to Godfrey, which conforms to the Victorian Ideal but after he abandons her she turns to drugs and relies on them to help her get through which was totally unacceptable in the 19th Century. The effect of drugs and Godfrey turns her to be vengeful and bitter. She is able to blame for her condition as these might be true colours however Godfrey could also be to blame because she has relied on him through marriage and he has abandoned her to be a single mother. She takes care of the child, which is one principle of the Victorian Ideal.
A fair amount of different views on lives of Victorian women is revealed in ‘Silas Marner’. Eliot explores lives of ‘Ideal’ and ‘non-Ideal’ women in her Novel where the ideals are Eppie and Nancy Lammeter and the non-Ideals are Molly Farrow and Priscilla Lammeter. The novel explores Gender, and Stereotypes, she explores the rights of men and women and how people look at women and categorise them through stereotypes, in this case the Ideal and non-Ideal. The ideal women Nancy and Eppie are happy but Nancy is not as happy as she could be she has an empty space because of her morality, Whereas Eppie has followed a role all her life, first she was a daughter and then a wife, she is reliant on men all the way. The non-Ideals are different because Molly dies; she has a negative end but is still going to ‘change Destiny’. Priscilla is happy as she is control, she can speak her mind and has all her rights. Eliot in this novel I think is trying to say that their isn’t anything like an Ideal or a non Ideal women can be happy no matter how they are, their background, education or looks.
Faheem Ahmed 10T4
