Silas Marner

Silas Marner

A groundhog emerges from its dark and dreary hole to begin the season, but if he sees his shadow he will run and hide again. In the case of Silas Marner in the book Silas Marner by George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans), Silas is not brought out of the hole by the season. He is brought out of his dark and lonely past filled with work and hoarding by Eppie, the addicts daughter with beautiful golden curls. When he sees his shadow of social interaction, he does not run back into the hole, but he faces his fears and is again welcomed into society once more. Silas Marner is a dynamic character that is changed by several events in his life including his exile from Lantern Yard, his precious gold being stolen, and the arrival of Eppie into his life.

The first life changing event for Silas Marner was being exiled from Lantern Yard, and this sent him into a life of loneliness, despair, and little wants. Once Silas arrived in Raveloe, he only spoke to others if he was delivering linens to them, and this created a lonely life filled with the need for companion ship. He secluded himself from the rest of society because he was hurt when “the lots declared that Silas Marner was guilty” for an act for which he did not do (9). Also, “his life had reduced itself to the functions of weaving and hoarding” which did not allow for him to socially interact with others (15). This created a rift between him and society. Next, he became despaired after he was betrayed by God, the same one he relied on all these years, and the only thing he ever hoped to do hoard more gold. When he was in Lantern Yard he was let down by God when Silas said, “God will clear me”, but in fact he was punished anyway for William’s deeds (8). This created a sense of hate from God, so Silas went to hide in Raveloe “where he felt hidden even from the heavens by the screening trees and hedgerows” (10).Lastly, Silas began to gather less for his own wants, but he did not share his gains from this with others...