Another character who did not serve his duty is a brother in the Cass family, Dunstan Cass who is an irresponsible character. He blackmails his brother for money, which his brother does not have: ‘I tell you I have no money: I can get no money’ (Godfrey speaking)
‘Borrow of old Kimble’ (Dunstan speaking)
‘I tell you, he won’t lend me any more, and I shan’t ask him’ (Godfrey speaking)
‘Well, then, sell Wildfire’ (Dunstan speaking).
Dunstan is a thief and has no respect; this is recognisable as Dunstan knows that Godfrey loves his horse, Wildfire, very much. Yet he is still asks him to sell his pride possession. Also, Dunstan offers to sell Wildfire for Godfrey. During this process, Dunstan manages to carelessly get Wildfire killed. On top of this he does not feel sorry for his terrible deed. This shows his irresponsible selfish character. When he does not return with the money from selling Wildfire he realises that he needs to find a way of getting this money. He decides that he is going to steal from Silas Marner. This is a careless action, as he is neglecting his duty by ruining the reputation of his exceedingly honourable family.
Last but most definitely not least, Godfrey Cass, this character has many duties for a large number of people. Unlike his brother, Godfrey does not totally neglect his duty. Godfrey’s main duty is towards his family, which includes the Squire Cass (Godfrey’s father), Dunstan Cass (Godfrey’s brother), Nancy (Godfrey’s wife) Molly (Godfrey’s ex–wife) and Eppie (Godfrey’s daughter).
The way in which Godfrey does not serve his duty to his daughter is significant. From the moment Godfrey was introduced in the novel it was shown that he was an irresponsible character. This is because his own brother had resorted to blackmailing him after discovering that his brother had a secret wife and child.
Godfrey had a duty to Molly and his daughter Eppie. After marrying Molly, he obviously had to take care of her and provide her with the things she needed. When Molly and Godfrey had their child, Godfrey did not help to take care of the child. He would pay visits occasionally to give Molly money. However, he did not take any responsibility towards the child. This shows how Godfrey did not show any responsibility towards his daughter and wife.
However, Godfrey did show some sort of responsibility towards his second wife, Nancy. He did this by doing the opposite of what he did to Molly, as he provided for her and cared for her. When he was with Nancy he neglected his duty for his daughter, Eppie. He did this as he was scared of losing his wife.
It is wrong of Godfrey to keep something like this from his wife, especially after finding out that Nancy would have accepted the baby and would do as much for it as a mother: ‘And – O, Godfrey – if we’d had her from the first, if you’d taken to her as you ought, she’d have loved me for her mother – and you’d have been happier with me: I could have bore my little baby dying, and our life might have been more like what we used to think it ‘ud be.’ Now, Godfrey has caused suffering whilst neglecting his duty.
GODFREY’S DUTY TO SUQIRE CASS AND DUNSEY.
Moving on to the characters who have served their duty, one of the main characters from this category is Silas Marner. This man had had a tough life from Lantern Yard. Firstly he had lost his good friend and wife, together with this he had lost faith in God, this lead to his departure from this village to Raveloe. In Raveloe, Silas Marner was treated with suspicion as a result of his fits. He would work as a weaver and earn a high amount of money. When Dunstan stole this money it was as if Silas had lost a part of himself. However, receiving Eppie was like regaining his gold. Therefore, Silas was not totally mistreated by God.
When Silas received Eppie, he served his duty from the moment he saw her. We can see this as Silas took her to the party, which was where most of the villagers were, to try and find help for her. He took care of her until she grew up into a mature young lady. Eppie also did the same for her father, when she grew up to an age where she had to take care of Silas Marner due to his old age; she did what she could for him. In their own ways they tried to make one another happy.
Dolly Winthrop is one of the characters who did not have a vital duty towards anybody except her family. However, she made it her duty to help Silas and Eppie and served this duty to her ability. Although she didn’t have to explain how to be a good parent to Silas Marner she still took it into her responsibility to help him bring Eppie up.
Now that we have explored though the characters who have served their duty and those who haven’t, we can see that the characters that fulfilled their duty have been rewarded, and those who haven’t fulfilled their duty have been punished.
Godfrey Cass didn’t respect or take responsibility for his first wife and child; as a result he could not have children with his second wife, with whom he served his duty. Godfrey is one of the characters who has neglected his duty and has been punished for it.
Silas and Eppie are two of the main characters who have served their duty. Therefore, they have ended up sharing joy happily ever after just like a fairytale. Silas has also received happiness by being accepted by the local community after fifteen years. At first he was thought to have the devil inside him. Nevertheless as time went by the villagers began to accept him.
The fairytale theme is ended when Nancy’s character comes in. This is because she is one of the characters who has served her duty but has been punished. This is not really her fault, but it can be considered to be Godfrey’s fault.
In conclusion, it can be said that duty is a highly relevant theme in the novel Silas Marner. After presenting all the characters and exploring whether they have served their duty or not, it can be seen that those who honour their duty are rewarded and those who neglect their duty are punished. It is also recognisable that Eliot has wished to show the theme of duty and its significance right from the beginning of the novel. It is also right to say that the novel is like a fable. This is because the characters that fulfil their duty are rewarded and those who do not fulfil their duty are punished. However, using Nancy’s character we can see that not everyone gets what they deserve, as Nancy served her duty yet she was punished.