Silas Marner by George Eliot - Notes

Silas Marner by George Eliot - Notes

Summary:

1) Marner's Mean Mate:

Silas Marner, a weaver, is a member of a small Calvinist congregation in Lantern Yard, a slum street in an unnamed city in Northern England. He is falsely accused of stealing the congregation's funds while watching over the very ill deacon of the group. Two clues are given against Silas: a pocket-knife and the discovery of the bag formerly containing the money in his own house. There is a strong suggestion that Silas' best friend, William Dane, has framed him, since Silas had lent his pocket-knife to William a short while before. Silas is proclaimed guilty. The woman he was to marry casts him off, and later marries William Dane. With his life shatteredand his heart broken, he leaves Lantern Yard and the city.

2) Lonesome Living

Marner heads south to the Midlands and settles near the village of Raveloe, where he lives as a recluse, lapsing into bouts of catalepsy, and existing only for work and the gold he has hoarded from his earnings.

3) Dunstan's Deed

The gold is stolen by Dunstan ('Dunsey') Cass, the dissolute younger son of Squire Cass the town's leading landowner. Silas sinks into a deep gloom, despite the villagers' attempts to aid him. Dunsey disappears, but little is made of this not unusual behaviour, and no association is made between him and the theft.

4) Cass Conceals

Godfrey Cass, Dunsey's elder brother,also harbours a secret. He is married to, but estranged from, Molly Farren, an opium-addicted woman of low birth. This secret threatens to destroy Godfrey's blooming relationship with Nancy, a young woman of higher social and moral standing. On a winter's night, Molly tries to make her way into town with her two-year-old child, to prove that she is Godfrey's wife and ruin him. On the way she takes opium, becomes disorientated and sits down to rest in the snow, child in arm. The child wanders from her mother's still body into Silas' house. Upon discovering the child, Silas follows her tracks in the snow and discovers the woman dead. Godfrey also arrives at the scene, but resolves to tell no one that she was his wife.

5) Child's Charm

Silas decides to keep the child and names her Eppie, after his deceased mother and his sister, Hephzibah. Eppie changes Silas' life completely. Silas has been robbed of his material gold, but has it returned to him symbolically in the form of golden-haired Eppie. Godfrey Cass is now free to marry Nancy, but continues to conceal the existence of his first marriage —and child—from her. He continues to aid Marner, however, in caring for Eppie with occasional financial gifts. More practical help and support in bringing up a child is given by Dolly Winthrop, a kindly neighbour of Marner's. Dolly's help and advice help Marner not only to bring up Eppie but also to integrate into village society.

6) Daughter's Denial

Sixteen years pass, and Eppie grows up to be the pride of the town. She has a strong bond with Silas, who through her has found inclusion and purpose in life. Meanwhile, Godfrey and Nancy mourn their own childlessstate. Eventually, the skeleton of Dunstan Cass—still clutching Silas' gold—is found at the bottom of the stone quarry near Silas' home, and the money is duly returned to Silas. Shocked by this revelation, and coming to the realization of his own conscience, Godfrey confesses to Nancy that Molly was his first wife and that Eppie is his child. They hopeto raise her as a gentleman's daughter, which for Eppie would mean forsaking Silas. Eppie politely refuses, saying, "I can't think o' no happiness without him."

7) Merry Marriage

Silas is never able to clear up the details of the robbery that caused his exile from Lantern Yard, as his old neighbourhood has been "swept away" and replaced by a large factory. No one seems to know what happened to Lantern Yard's inhabitants. However, Silas contentedly resigns himself to the fact that he now leads a happier existence among his family and friends. In the end, Eppie marries a local boy, Aaron, son of Marner's helpful neighbour Dolly. Aaron and Eppie move into Silas' new house, courtesy of Godfrey. Silas' actions through the years in caring for Eppie have provided joy for everyone and the extended family celebrates its happiness.

Characters:

1) Silas Marner – a weaver

2) Godfrey Cass – eldest son of the Squire Cass

3) Dunstan Cass – Godfrey's greedy brother

4) Molly Farren – Godfrey's first (and secret) wife

5) Eppie – daughter of Molly and Godfrey

6) Nancy Cass (née Lammeter)– Godfrey Cass' second wife

7) Aaron Winthrop – son of Dolly, whomarries Eppie at the end of the novel.

8) Dolly Winthrop – mother to Aaron; godmother to Eppie. Sympathetic to Silas.

9) William Dane – Silas’ former best friend, who marries Silas’ fiancée Sarah

10) Sarah – Silas' fiancée who marries William Dane.

About the Author:

1) Person's name

Mary Anne Evans, her pen name - George Eliot

2) Life period

22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880 (aged 61)

3) Nationality

English

4) Designation

Novelist

5) Speciality

She is one of the leading writers of the Victorian era.

6) Period in Literature

Victorian era

7) Notable works

Adam Bede( 1859 ),

The Mill on the Floss ( 1860 ),

Silas Marner ( 1861 ),

Middlemarch ( 1871 –72),

Daniel Deronda ( 1876 )

SOURCE: Edited Wikipedia content