George Eliot is credited for a style of writing that brings characters and settings vibrantly to life. Explain how she does this in 'Silas Marner', focussing on the story of Silas himself.

Dunstan Cass was the one who stole Silas’s gold. Silas left his door unlocked because he trusted that no one would be outside walking in the snowy, misty weather and therefore would not come in and steal his gold. However, Dunsey took advantage of Silas's trusting nature and shamelessly ran off with Silas's gold. Dunsey was responsible for more heartache and pain that Silas had to suffer once again.

Eliot shows compassion once more in her writing. Again she uses emotive language and we begin to feel sorry for Silas, once again, as the most important treasure in his life has now been taken away and he feels as if he has nothing in his life. The past and present circumstances that have occurred in his life throughout this book repeat the same pattern of bringing him nothing but pain and misery.

The people of Raveloe now started to accept Silas more. Silas is reassured that people do care for him, and this makes the reader more heartened. The case concerning the gold was not solved and Silas’s most significant possession still remained missing. The theft had not simply taken away the gold, but it has taken away Silas’s main purpose in life.

Up to now Silas had experienced nothing other than misfortune. He did not know his life was about to change drastically on the night of New Years Eve, which symbolised a new start. Molly Farren had been introduced briefly early in the book but in Chapter 12 she makes an appearance. Molly Farren is the wife of Godfrey Cass, but no one except Godfrey’s brother knows this. If this secret is revealed then Godfrey’s chance of becoming Nancy Lammeter’s husband will collapse, Godfrey’s father will disown him and everyone in the village would be outraged.

It was New Years Eve and a party was held at Squire Cass’s house for the people of Raveloe. Both Nancy and Godfrey were invited. This was Godfrey’s chance to flatter Nancy. On her way to the Squire's party, a drunken Molly Farren, Godfrey's wife, walked with their baby girl in her arms. She planed to crash the party and reveal that she is Godfrey's wife so that she could avenge Godfrey's desertion. Before she could make it to the Squire's, Molly fell asleep from the opium and fell onto the snow, the little girl escaping Molly's arms. The child followed the path of a bright light, all the way to Silas Marner's cottage and through the open door. Silas did not see the child enter because he suffered from cataleptic fits. When he regained consciousness, he saw something gold on the floor and thought that his gold had returned to him. However, he found out that the gold on his floor is not money, but the golden hair of a sleeping child. Silas managed to think beyond the beautiful sight of the little girl to go outside and see the dead body of Molly Farren.                        

Silas took the child with him to Squire Cass's house to fetch the doctor. Godfrey recognised the child in Silas's arms as his own. He feared that Molly was alive, but when he and the doctor rushed to Silas's cottage and found Molly's body, he saw that the woman Silas had found was indeed his wife, and that she was dead. The villagers were surprised by Silas's statement that he wanted to keep the child, but they felt as though they were now warmer towards him. Dolly Winthrop gave Silas old clothes of her youngest son Aaron and advised him on how to care for this little girl. Vowing that he will make sure that she is taken care of, Godfrey was happy to see that his child was content with Silas, and gave Silas money for the girl.        

This relates back to when Silas lost his faith and left Lantern Yard. His purpose was to collect gold. He added to his pile each time, and his gold meant everything to him. He knew if he lost his gold, he would feel like he’s lost everything. When his gold was stolen his purpose was taken away. The child places itself in the exact place where the gold once was. The child is symbolised as taking place of the gold. Imagery and symbolism of the gold is extra meaning of the Golden hair. He lost his faith and the little girl brought it back again. She represents faith. Silas named the girl Hephzibah, after his mother and sister, and called her Eppie for short. Raising Eppie brought Silas more joy and happiness than he could ever imagine. For the first time, Silas felt a shared love, a love that was deeper and more affectionate than his love for gold. She teaches him that there is goodness in this world, and Silas couldn't be happier than he was right then. Silas was kind to the villagers, who were kind and warm in return. Silas Marner ‘s isolation has now ended.

Throughout the play Silas Marner suffered from cataleptic fits that occurred on four occasions. The first was when he lived in Lantern Yard. Silas was in Church, in the congregation when he first had a cataleptic fit. The second was by the dying Deacon’s bedside. Silas thought he had gone to sleep, but in fact he had a fit. While he was unconscious from his cataleptic fit the Deacon died. This was when William Dane stole the Deacon’s gold, and put Silas in the frame. The third cataleptic fit was in Raveloe, Jem Rodney discovered him. The last cataleptic fit he had was when Eppie arrived. As he awoke from being unconscious he discovered her.  He never had a fit after the fourth one; the end of his isolationism can be linked to the end of his cataleptic fits.  

 “The gold had kept his thoughts in an ever-repeated circle; leading to nothing beyond itself (but Eppie) was an object of compacted changes and hopes that forced his thoughts onwards” This means that Eppie meant a lot more to Silas then any amount of gold, and Eppie made him see that there was more to life than money.

        Sixteen years passed had passed at the beginning of part two in the novel. Eppie was now a beautiful, sweet girl, who loved nature and animals. She and Silas had a very happy life together in Raveloe; Eppie had loved Silas as her father and couldn’t bear the thought of being separated from him. Eppie told her father that she would like to marry Aaron Winthrop, who had proposed to her, but only if Silas, was to live with them as well.

Godfrey Cass had been watching Eppie's welfare ever since she came to Raveloe. He was now married to Nancy Lammeter. He and Nancy were childless; their one child died in infancy. Godfrey was especially giving and considerate to Eppie and Silas. Godfrey had suggested adopting Eppie before, but Nancy had refused, on her belief that adopting would be against Providence.

When the Stone-pits were drained, Dunsey's skeleton was found with the gold he had stolen from Silas Marner. Godfrey finally confessed to Nancy that he had been married and that Eppie was his child. When he learnt that Dunsey's body had been found, he knew the truth would reveal itself eventually. A disappointed Nancy, fearful that she had been a horrid wife, told him he should have told her earlier, so that they could have had a child to raise. They agree to ask Eppie if she would like to live with them as their daughter. Eppie refused their offer. Both Eppie and Silas declared to Godfrey that Eppie's true paternity did not change the fact that Godfrey did not acknowledge her as his daughter sixteen years ago.

 Silas decided to return to Lantern Yard, to see the minister and try to clear his accused name. With Eppie accompanying him, Silas found a horrid, grim-looking town in place of the Lantern Yard he knew. This was when the Industrial Revolution was beginning to make the cities spread out into the countryside, and people were migrating to the towns for work. This way of life was fast changing and Eliot was interested in telling people this. To Silas’s Marner’s horror, in place of the chapel was a factory, and no one knows what happened to the chapel or the minister. Silas talked to Dolly about the disappointment of not finding the chapel and the minister and feared that his dark past might never be cleared. However, Silas agrees with Dolly in that there was goodness and right in this world, as long as he trusts.                         Eppie and Aaron were married on a beautiful day with their family present. Nancy's sister and father accompanied Eppie to her to the wedding, for Godfrey was suddenly out of town. The villagers agree that Silas had brought a blessing to himself by taking in a lone, abandoned child. Eppie and Aaron lived with Silas on his property, which had been enlarged by Godfrey.

After the wedding, Silas, Eppie and Aaron talk about making a garden for Eppie. The making of the garden symbolises the making of a new start.

I enjoyed this book very much. I have only read one other book written pre-twentieth century, which I also enjoyed reading. The events which occur are gripping, and there are sad and happy times but in all I very much enjoyed this book. Reading about a different time period is interesting, because it is tedious reading the same thing over. Overall this was a pleasant read.

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Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Eliot’s description of events is gripping and incorporates sad and happy times, which adds to the enjoyment of this novel. As the story develops, the moral values of honesty and kindness are taught and it’s different to other pre-twentieth century novels because it is an odd vision of the world to write about for those times.