(full name)
Ms. W.
9th grade English
2/17/23
The progression of Silas Marner
Silas Marner is a novel written in the mid-19th century by George Eliot. It tells the story of a man named Silas Marner from when he is excommunicated from church to when his adoptive daughter Eppie is married. As one could imagine, a lot happens between these two events, with over 30 years passing between the damning of the church to Eppie’s marriage, resulting in Silas’ character changing dramatically over the course of the book.
Silas’ character at the beginning of the book shows him as quite the reclusive man. He mostly keeps to himself, not ever attempting to make friends. However, he does go to church, with the book stating that “Marner was highly thought of in that little hidden world, known to itself as the church assembling in Lantern Yard…” Many churchgoers believe that Silas’ cataleptic seizures are actually Silas’ soul leaving his body to communicate with spirits - just another little quirk of Silas’s. However, everything changed when his best friend, William Dane, betrays Silas and gets him cast out of church.
When William Dane betrays Silas by framing him for a crime he didn’t commit, Silas moves to Raveloe, where he is confused, less sane, and less happy. At first he tries to help out by curing a sick neighbor with a plant remedy like his mother taught him, however when people start to come to him asking for cures, and Silas refuses, this gives him a bad reputation, making him lonelier than even in Lantern Yard. Initially his job is his only solace, however as he continues to work, he begins to hoard his money, building a sort of affection for it. “He handled them, he counted them, till their form and colour were like the satisfaction of a thirst to him; but it was only in the night, when his work was done, that he drew them out to enjoy their companionship. He had taken up bricks in his floor underneath his loom, and here he had made a hole in which he set the iron pot that contained his guineas and silver coins, covering the bricks with sand whenever he replaced them.” It’s easy to see that Silas is a broken man at this point.
Once Silas is robbed, he is broken completely, barely even possessing the will to live anymore. The good news is that the villagers like Silas now, believing that he couldn’t be dangerous if he’s this helpless. They take pity on him and give him gifts and advice. “The repulsion Marner had always created in his neighbours was partly dissipated by the new light in which this misfortune had shown him… This change to kindlier feeling was shown in various ways… Neighbours who had nothing but verbal consolation to give showed a disposition not only to greet Silas and discuss his misfortune at some length when they encountered him in the village, but also to take the trouble of calling at his cottage…” The bad news is he is fully miserable, numbly continuing his weaving when he isn’t being consoled by neighbors or standing outside his door, hoping for his money to come back. However, instead of money, he finds something far more valuable that makes him truly happy.
Once Silas has Eppie, he is happy and content. He becomes very attached to Eppie, not even wanting to punish her, while becoming unattached to his money, even when it comes back to him. Eppie also helps Silas to truly connect with the other villagers. Previously, Silas hardly cared about the other villagers, with the gold “(keeping) his thoughts inward.” However, now that Eppie’s around, Silas is more interested in conversation with the other villagers. It’s a lot more genuine and mutualistic. “...as her life unfolded, his soul, long stupefied in a cold narrow prison, was unfolding too, and trembling gradually into full consciousness.”
As Silas’s life unfolds, he becomes a very different person. From betrayal by a childhood friend, to raising a child, a lot happens to him over the course of 30 years. However, while it does have its ups and downs, Silas’s life ultimately turns out quite nicely.