" Silas Marner : The Weaver of Raveloe " is a third novel by Mary Ann Evans known by her pen name " George Eliot ". It was published in 1861. It is an outwardly simple tale of a liner weaver, Silas Marner. It is noted for its strong realism and its sophisticated treatment of variety of issues ranging from religion to industrialization to community. The novel was written in nineteenth century when there was a craze of novels.
About Author
The writer of the novel "Mary Anne Evans" who knows by her pen name "George Eliot" was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian Era. She was born on 22 November 1819 and died in 22 December 1880. She was one of the women novelists of the 19th century.
George Eliot's mind was well above the ordinary in its bent for religious and philosophical speculations. " Adam Bede " (1859) was her first novel, which presents an excellent picture of English country life. Her other works are The Mill on the Floss (1860), Silas Marner, Romolo, Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda, which begin a new phase in her writing. In Middlemarch, she studied deeply the complex picture of the life of a small town.
Plot Summary
The novel, Silas Marner, tells the story of a lonely man who isolates himself from the rest of the world and must find love and compassion in an orphan baby girl left at his doorstep.
The novel is set in the early years of the 19th century when Silas Marner lives in Lantern Yard where he is a member of a small Calvinist congregation. In this congregation, he is falsely accused of stealing congregation's fund because of his friend William Dane and there are also two evidences which indicate Silas as a guilty person. His engagement with his fiance breaks and the woman marries his friend, William instead. Because of this incident, Silas loses his trust in God and leaves Lantern Yard for a rural area, Raveloe, where he is unknown.
In Raveloe, Silas lives isolated and alone as a weaver. He devotes himself to his work of weaving and earns a lot of gold coins from his hardship. But, one night, Danstun Cass steals his gold, an irrepressible younger son of Squire Cass, leading landowner of the town. This robbery sakes Silas and he gets depressed.
Godfrey Cass, Danstun Cass's elder brother also has a secret. He is married to a lower class opium addicted woman named Molly Farren. On a winter night, Molly goes to Squire Cass's New Year's Eve party with her two years old daughter to announce that she is Godfrey's wife but on the way, she collapses in the snow and dies. Her daughter wanders into Silas' cottage. Silas thinks that he found this golden hair baby girl instead of his robbed gold. He brings up her as her daughter and named Eppie.
After Molly's death Godfrey marries to a young middle class woman named Nancy Lammeter with whom he is in love but still he continues to hide the fact of his previous marriage and child from her. Godfrey helps Silas Marner by giving him financial gifts in caring for Eppei. Dolly Winthrop, Silas' neighbor also provides practical help and support in bringing up the child. Because of Eppei Silas' life is completely changed, he connects with the people of his society through this child and begins to go Church again with Eppei. His trust is restored in God because of Eppei.
Sixteen years have passed and Eppei grows up. She has a strong bond with Silas and both have a happy life. Meanwhile, Godfrey and Nancy are disappointed with their childless state and want to adopt a child but Nancy considers that if God has given him this fate then they can't go against God to adopt a child. But when Danstan's dead body is found with Silas' gold then Godfrey confesses Nancy that Molly was his wife and Eppei is his own daughter. After this confession, both decides to adopt Eppei but Eppei politely but firmly refuses their offer.
Silas and Eppei revisit Lantern Yard and tries to discover that he was really cleared off theft but Lantern Yard is completely changed and replaced by a large factory. No one knows that what happened to Lantern Yard. Silas returns to Reveloe and leads a happy life among his self made family and friends. At the end, Eppei marries to a local boy with whom she grows up named Aaron Winthrop, Dolly Winthrop's son and they live with Silas Marner in his cottage which is now improved with Godfrey's help and has a beautiful garden also as Eppei wanted. At the end, Eppei considers that they are the happiest people of the world.
The novel is set in the early years of the 19th century when Silas Marner lives in Lantern Yard where he is a member of a small Calvinist congregation. In this congregation, he is falsely accused of stealing congregation's fund because of his friend William Dane and there are also two evidences which indicate Silas as a guilty person. His engagement with his fiance breaks and the woman marries his friend, William instead. Because of this incident, Silas loses his trust in God and leaves Lantern Yard for a rural area, Raveloe, where he is unknown.
In Raveloe, Silas lives isolated and alone as a weaver. He devotes himself to his work of weaving and earns a lot of gold coins from his hardship. But, one night, Danstun Cass steals his gold, an irrepressible younger son of Squire Cass, leading landowner of the town. This robbery sakes Silas and he gets depressed.
Godfrey Cass, Danstun Cass's elder brother also has a secret. He is married to a lower class opium addicted woman named Molly Farren. On a winter night, Molly goes to Squire Cass's New Year's Eve party with her two years old daughter to announce that she is Godfrey's wife but on the way, she collapses in the snow and dies. Her daughter wanders into Silas' cottage. Silas thinks that he found this golden hair baby girl instead of his robbed gold. He brings up her as her daughter and named Eppie.
After Molly's death Godfrey marries to a young middle class woman named Nancy Lammeter with whom he is in love but still he continues to hide the fact of his previous marriage and child from her. Godfrey helps Silas Marner by giving him financial gifts in caring for Eppei. Dolly Winthrop, Silas' neighbor also provides practical help and support in bringing up the child. Because of Eppei Silas' life is completely changed, he connects with the people of his society through this child and begins to go Church again with Eppei. His trust is restored in God because of Eppei.
Sixteen years have passed and Eppei grows up. She has a strong bond with Silas and both have a happy life. Meanwhile, Godfrey and Nancy are disappointed with their childless state and want to adopt a child but Nancy considers that if God has given him this fate then they can't go against God to adopt a child. But when Danstan's dead body is found with Silas' gold then Godfrey confesses Nancy that Molly was his wife and Eppei is his own daughter. After this confession, both decides to adopt Eppei but Eppei politely but firmly refuses their offer.
Silas and Eppei revisit Lantern Yard and tries to discover that he was really cleared off theft but Lantern Yard is completely changed and replaced by a large factory. No one knows that what happened to Lantern Yard. Silas returns to Reveloe and leads a happy life among his self made family and friends. At the end, Eppei marries to a local boy with whom she grows up named Aaron Winthrop, Dolly Winthrop's son and they live with Silas Marner in his cottage which is now improved with Godfrey's help and has a beautiful garden also as Eppei wanted. At the end, Eppei considers that they are the happiest people of the world.
Awesome
ReplyDelete