Silas now has nothing to live for. Up to this moment we feel sorry for him but soon he is blessed. Before I believe villagers had right to be wary of this new anomalous character, but an introduction of a young girl called Eppie changed their thoughts and his mentality.
The Christmas and New Year's holidays are spent with joyous festivities for the townspeople. Squire Cass has thrown a lavish New Year's party for Raveloe.
But a drunken Molly Farren, Godfrey's wife walks with their baby girl in her arms. Her intention is to stop the festivities and reveal that she is Godfrey's wife so that she can avenge Godfrey's desertion. Before she can make it to the Squire's, Molly falls asleep from the opium and falls onto the snow, the little girl escaping Molly's arms. The child follows the path of a bright light, all the way to Silas Marner's cottage and through the open door. Silas does not see the child enter because he has a cataleptic fit. When he regains consciousness, he sees something gold on the floor and thinks that his gold has returned to him. However, he finds that the gold on his floor is not money, but the golden hair of a sleeping child. Silas manages to think beyond the beautiful sight of the little girl to go outside and see the dead body of Molly Farren.
Silas brings the child with him to Squire Cass's house to fetch the doctor. Godfrey recognises the child in Silas's arms as his own. He fears that Molly is alive, but when he and the doctor rush to Silas's cottage and finds Molly's body, he sees that the woman Silas had found is indeed his wife, and that she is dead.
The villagers are surprised by Silas's statement that he wants to keep the child, but they feel warmer toward him. Dolly Winthrop gives Silas old clothes of her youngest son Aaron and advises him on how to care for the little girl. Vowing that he will make sure that she is taken care of, Godfrey is happy to see that his child is content with Silas, and gives Silas money for the girl. Silas names the girl Hephzibah, after his mother and sister, and calls her Eppie for short. It is here that Eppie becomes significant to the novel.
You see here that before Silas even properly owned the child she already has effect on the people, so they are much friendlier toward him. But to Silas Eppie is a treasure. After losing all his money she is the golden treasure that replaces his stolen gold.
“Gold! -His own gold- brought back to him as
mysteriously as it had been taken away!”
And
“He leaned forward at last, and stretched forth his hand;
but instead of the hard coin with the familiar resisting outline,
his fingers encountered soft warm curls.”
And
“: It was a sleeping child.”
While she is a young child and growing he will not stray from her at all. Bringing up Eppie is a hard task but it makes him happy. Before the happiness of his gold was only materialistic but now he shares true happiness with Eppie.
“Unlike the gold which needed nothing, and must be
worshipped in locked solitude- which was hidden away from the daylight, was deaf to the song of birds, and started to no human tones.
And
“ Eppie was a creature of endless claims and
ever- growing desires, seeking and loving sunshine, and living sounds,
and living moments; making trial of everything, with
trust in new joy, and stirring human kindness in all eyes that looked on her.”
At a young age Eppie is very mischievous and will often playfully explore. She has a distinct love for the world and all its floral nature. You also see this when she grows up. You see that she is keen on having a garden made by her Silas and Aaron.
“…While Eppie toddled to pluck flowers
and make remarks to the winged that murmured happily
above the bright petals…”
She also projected a great love for Silas. She basically occupies his mind. The relationship between them is that of Eppie reawakening Silas into the world and the rest of world and Raveloe. Elliot describes Silas as a ‘blooming of a flower,” when Eppie has been an affect. In other words before Eppie, Silas was an unhappy hermit, this being described as the ugly bud of a flower. When Eppie starts to effect Silas he begins to bloom like a flower, in this case becoming more respected and loved. Eventually Silas’s inner beauty, the flower has been shown. This is final, when he and Eppie are strong in the community and Silas is happy. Also Eppie is somewhat of a distraction. Taking away the melancholy in losing the money. Silas worked and worked after the loss to replace the money and to take his mind of the robbery. But with Eppie he has no time to grieve or worry only time to spend time, give, share and be happy with Eppie. The gold makes him work harder and harder for only that little mundane reward at the end. But with Eppie he sees a reward when she picks flowers and frolics. Not only is Eppie the symbolic replacement of the gold . Theologically she is the force that pulls Silas out of his isolation and restores him to harmony with the human race, as well as with his own past. She is a godsend to Silas.
“The gold that had asked that he should sit weaving
longer and longer, deafened and blinded more and more to all
things except the monotony of his loom…
And
“But Eppie called him away from his weaving, and
made him think all its pauses a holiday.”
But with Eppie work was play and her joy was his joy.
“... And warming him into joy because she had joy.”
Not only does Eppie influence Silas’s mental state, working too hard after losing money, but also others around him. She effects his social life. People seem more talkative with him. The townsfolk and people strike up some conversation. When Silas first arrived in Raveloe people were wary of this new anomalous man with herbal knowledge. But Eppie shows a certain softness or sympathetic view over a man. The effect that a grown mans, looking after an orphaned child can have a sympathetic, yet kind view on the person. People aren’t ‘scared’ of him any more. They can feel rather congenial toward him.
“Hitherto he had been treated very much as if he had
been a useful gnome or brownie- a queer unaccountable
creature…”
But with the arrival of Eppie people communicated and were jovial round him.
“But now Silas met with open smiling faces and cheerful
questioning…Everywhere he must sit a little and talk about the child.”
At first children would come to hear the strange sound of the loom, but were then scared by Silas’s glaring face. But now he was a new man with Eppie. The effect that Eppie has on Silas is immense here. Children so innocent, when generally faced with Silas would be scared. But with Eppie the likeness of another child with him makes other children less wary of him, and more trusting.
“No child was afraid
of approaching Silas when Eppie was near him-.”
But now overall all people treated Silas a new man with Eppie by his side. Eppie has affected the whole of Raveloe. She can change people’s view on Silas and their relationship grows strong as he begins to grow stronger in the community.
“- There was no repulsion around him now,
either for young or old.”
Eppie is the person and the reason that reconnects him with the rest of the world.
“ The little child had come to link him once more with the whole
world.”
Conclusively think that the people of Raveloe had been justified in their views of Silas Marner. As a reader I felt sympathy for Silas but when in the characters view I don’t. It was common then, to believe in witch craft and such aberrant things so, people in their own way must of felt vigilant of him. But after the affect of Eppie people changed their views and were no longer wary of Silas Marner. I feel that Eppie brought Silas back into the bosom of Raveloe. At the beginning there was reason to be wary but Silas and Eppie grew and perspective changed and now a great deal of love is shared between Silas and Raveloe.
