Word Count: 1435The story of Silas Marner is a beautiful, eloquently told story which gives thereader a vived depiction of the period in which it takes place in a rustic villagein England in the 1800s. The story evokes many emotions from the reader as well as teaches some moral lessons about life which are timeless. The author’s overall theme is a powerful demonstration of the importance of friendship and love to one’s life and the devatating, dehumanizing effect the lack of friendship and love causes.
Silas Marner, The Weaver of Raveloe, by George Eliot, is a fictional novel of what becomes of this once respected and esteemed young man, a weaver by trade, after he is framed for a thft by his best friend who them marries his fiancee. It is a poignant story which vividly demostrates the impact the lack of love and friendship has on one’s life, and what becomes of Silas as a result of the injustices done to him. Silas Marner, by George Eliot, is a fictional account of a frinedless, reclusive weaver whose only purpose in life is to weave and hoard gold.
O once his hold is stolen, he feels totally lost without it. Then mysteriously, this beautiful golden haired baby girl comes into his life in its (the gold guineas) place which marks the “ rebirth”, the journely of Silas Marner back to humanity. This single event redeems his life through his love for the baby and his willingness to care for and take her as his own. The story evokes a lot of emotion from the reader in response to the total injustice of what happened to Silas. First, complete anger as well as sympathy, for the betrayal by his best frined by framing him for a theft and framing him to get his fiancee. As is this was not bad enough, he is deemed huilty by his town, so feels forced to leave. This event nearly destroyed Silas. He moves to a nearby village called Raveloe, where he isnot accepted because he is an outsider, therefore is not to be trusted.
“ and even a settler, if he came from distant parts hardly ever ceased to be viewed with a remnant of distrust,” (p. 2) One night after his gold had been stolen, Silas mistakes the golden-haired baby girl that crawled into his cottage for his stolen gold guines but soon realizes it is a baby girl. He decides to take care of her as his own child. Things begin to change in Silas’ life, and this is the turning point of his life.
The plot of the story is that Silas Marner, a weaver of linen by trade, is betrayed by his supposed best friend William Dane. He framed Silas for a theft which caused him to basically be driven out of his hometown, losing all that he loved. He was betrayed by his best friend, his friends, his church and his fiancee. He had lost everything including his hometown. He moves to a nearby town called Raveloe where he is looked upon as a strange man with peculiar “ fits” and unusual powers to heal and is basically feared as someonewho is of the occult. He becomes a lonely, reclusive miser who lives to work on his loom.
.. his entire life beomes an endless pursuit to just weave and hoard his gold guineas, it ws all he had. He spent his days just weaving his linen like he was machine.” Strangely, Marner’s face and figure shrank and bent themselves into a constant mechanical relation to the objects of his life,” (p. 18)” So this pattern would continue and for all the linen he would sell, he would keep hoarding the gold and spend almost nothing.
” (p. 18) The gold became the only special thing in his life. Until one night when his gold mysteriously disapperared. What could have happened but a robbery? And who was the thief? Dunstan Cass, the son of Squire Cass, the most important, respected and wealthy man in Raveloe.
But Silas has no idea who it was and neither does anyone else. On New Years Eve, he finds himseld at home that night away from the festivities at the Red House. He
