Having lost his faith in God, Silas leads a life of despair and torment in Raveloe, until, one day he loses his money, which due to its ability to not let him down, he adored. “The sight of the empty hole made his heart leap violently, but the belief that his gold was gone could not come at once- only terror, and the egger effort to put an end to the terror.” To him, the stealing of the money is unjust until he finds “… a sleeping child- a round, fair thing, with soft yellow rings all over its head.” He finds this gift in his cottage, which he first believes is gold “… brought back to him as mysteriously as it had been taken away!”
His period of anguish is destroyed by the arrival of Eppie, which can be considered as compensation, not only for the robbery but also for the framing by his friend in Lantern Yard. Eppie reminds him of how he loved his family, and gives him other pleasures apart from money, bringing light into his life, symbolized by her “soft yellow rings” of hair. When he gives his heart to Eppie, he is rewarded with her love and companionship. She never betrays his trust, and they have a close father- daughter relationship. “Oh, Daddy!’ she begun, when they were in privacy, clasping and squeezing Silas’ arm, and skipping round to give him an energetic kiss.” This gives Silas security and support, with his trust restored by her, as he grows older, and he quickly learns to live without his money. The robbery transforms Silas, because, although at the time the action was wrong and undue, he becomes a kind loving character, with other pleasures excluding the money. He seeks help for the child and uses Mrs. Winthrop’s advice that he“… must bring her up like christened folk’s children, and take her to church, and let her learn her catechize.” This open mind could be considered to have been influenced by Mrs. Winthrop’s contemporary open ideas, and so he begins to think of others around him.
When Silas revisits Lantern Yard with Eppie, he discovers that it has been destroyed, and in its place a factory boasting mechanical and rigid rules, not unlike the original occupancy, is put in its place. He is unable, as he says- “… to make ‘em know I was innocent o’ the robbery. And Mr. Paston was a man with a deal o’ light- I want to speak to him about the drawing o’ the lots. And I should like to talk to him about the religion o’ this country-side, for I partly think he doesn’t know of it.” This leaves Silas with an unfinished story, powerless to find out if he was found not guilty of the crime and letting his mind rest. Silas may have felt, however, many different things, including jealousy, fury or regret, and in contrast, contentment with the result if he had found the result. Therefore, perhaps, it is best that he does not know, because it is the past, yet it is unfair that Silas is unable to move on.
Godfrey makes a vast mistake in marrying Molly, a drug addict and alcoholic. As a young and silly man he is seduced by her, but he is punished for this one foolish act, for the rest of his life. When Molly dies, Eppie is given the chance of a much improved life in the hands of Silas, better than the one she may have received in the care of Molly. Godfrey could be judged as a weak man, who allows Dunstan to blackmail him, which is the first reprimand given to Godfrey, because of his imprudent, shameful marriage. Dunstan is, however, later punished when he falls into the stone pit, which is a dark and enclosed area, symbolizing a place of death or hell. He deserves this as he is nice to nobody and regularly drinks, so there is nothing redeeming in his character.
Godfrey is punished for concealing his marriage and the identity of Eppie as his daughter. “I wanted to pass for childless once, Nancy, I shall pass as childless now, against my will.” This is done by denying him of Eppie for a second time, which is justified due to him denying his daughter initially. This also means that he has no heirs as Nancy, his wife, is childless, and it could be contemplated that she is being punished by this for her rigid character and views. “It’s natural he should be disappointed at not having any children: everyman likes to have somebody to work for.” However, Godfrey does receive some compensation for the suffering his misfortunes, brought about by himself, have caused him. This is in the form of Nancy, who describes Godfrey as “….the best of husbands.” Except for the dismay of having no children, they have a happy and loving marriage together.
It is clear that Eppie would have been very unhappy living in the Red House, for she says herself that “…I wasn’t brought up to be a lady, and I can’t turn my mind to it. I like the working folks, and their houses and their ways.” It seems fair that she marries Aaron, and is able to reward herself for transforming Silas from a miser to a open minded, caring person.
I would agree with the statement that there is a feeling that justice has been done, that the bad have been punished and the good rewarded at the end of the book due to Silas’ discovery of Eppie who with her kind affection towards him, changes him to become more happy and open minded rewarding him for the unjust acts that occur to him. Dunstan’s death is a punishment for his blackmailing of his older brother, and Godfrey receives penalties for concealing the truth from his wife and father. Each character learns from their mistakes that they make, such as Godfrey learns to understand that he should tell his wife his secrets. “Everything comes to light, Nancy, sooner or later. When God Almighty wills it, our secrets are found out.” This shows a development of personality in all characters of the book, as they understand and learn from their wrong doings or receive their rewards.
WORD COUNT: 1341
Kathryn Woodley 10C Mrs Ward 10.2