Questions and Answers for Silas Marner
Silas Marner
What is Silas' vocation in Silas Marner by George Eliot?
Silas Marner was a weaver. Weavers were significant in England because the advent of the power loom at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution is representative of the transformation the rise of...
Silas Marner
In Silas Marner, how does life change for Silas because of Eppie?
Silas Marner begins with a quotation from Wordsworth as the epigraph: A child, more than all other giftsThat earth can offer to declining man,Brings hope with it, and forward-looking thoughts....
Silas Marner
What suggestion was offered to Silas for the recovery of his lost gold?
Gold means everything to Silas Marner. He loves acquiring it, touching it, and hoarding it. It has become a substitute for the meaningful human relationships his life so patently lacks. So we can...
Silas Marner
Contrast Silas' life in Lantern Yard with that in Raveloe in Silas Marner.
Silas was an active member of the town of Lantern Yard. His life, as part 1 of the novel states, had “movement, mental activity, and close fellowship”. This is important to point out because...
Silas Marner
Why does George Eliot use irony in Silas Marner? What is her reason for using irony?
While there may be various types of irony in Elliot's Silas Marner, Elliot emphasizes situational irony. Situational irony is defined as situations in which events occur that seem oddly appropriate...
Silas Marner
In what ways is George Eliot's Silas Marner a Victorian novel?
According to one description, Victorian literature is typified by “idealized portraits of difficult lives in which hard work, perseverance, love and luck” prevail over hardship and struggle. The...
Silas Marner
Who is the Cass family in Silas Marner?
The Cass family is one of the most prominent, wealthy families in Raveloe and are revered throughout their society. Squire Cass is the head of the household and is considered Raveloe's greatest...
Silas Marner
What are three specific lessons taught in Silas Marner by George Eliot, in detail?
One lesson in Silas Marner is that people are often accused unfairly simply because they are different. For example, Silas Marner has a "cataleptic fit" during church, and his friend William says,...
Silas Marner
What is the role of money and gold in the life of Silas in the book Silas Marner?
Gold and money are the substitutes for love and companionship in the life of Silas Marner. Silas was once a relatively happy man. He was well-known in his town of Lantern Yard, had a strong...
Silas Marner
Why did Silas move to Raveloe in Silas Marner?
Silas Marner moves to Raveloe in shame after being falsely accused of stealing from his church. When Silas moves to Raveloe, he leaves behind a full life in Lantern Yard and a community who once...
Silas Marner
Recount the incident in Lantern Yard that changed Silas' life in Silas Marner.
Lantern Yard is Silas Marner's hometown. There, he was considered a fine, upstanding member of the local community. A devout, regular churchgoer, Silas is believed by the local people to be filled...
Silas Marner
Discuss the importance of Eppie in Silas Marner's life in George Eliot's novel Silas Marner.
When Eppie comes into his life, Silas Marner is saved from total despair and given purpose to his life. Before the pretty little Eppie crawled into his dismal cottage, Silas Marner was a man who...
Silas Marner
How would you describe the village of Raveloe, the setting for Silas Marner?
Raveloe is described directly and indirectly in chapter 1. It is first depicted as a place "where many of the old echoes lingered, undrowned by new voices" This is an indication that the town has...
Silas Marner
In Silas Marner, what is Silas' reaction upon finding the child?
This section of the novel is actually deeply symbolically revealing about Silas's character and likewise the child that he finds. He discovers the child on his doorstep in Chapter 12. We are told...
Silas Marner
What affect does Eppie have on Silas' life in Silas Marner?
From the first moment when Silas discovered Eppie on his hearth, and he confused her with his gold, it is clear that Eppie becomes as important (if not more) to Silas as his gold had been. Note how...
Silas Marner
What are the cultural aspects in Silas Marner? Would basically be what Gerge Eliot tells us about culture in her book...
The cultural aspects in this novel have to do with early 19th century England. In villages like the fictional Raveloe, people lived rural lives that were pretty much self-suffcient. As the...
Silas Marner
What are the differences between Silas at Lantern Yard and Silas at Raveloe?
Silas's life in Lantern Yard before he came to the outskirts of Raveloe is described as being full of "movement" and "mental activity." Silas Marner was a faithful man, and he had many friends and...
Silas Marner
What were Silas's actions after finding his gold missing?
Upon finding out that his gold was missing, Silas had a series of reactions that became a chain of events which led to Silas's ultimate breakdown. Interestingly, this horrible moment was also the...
Silas Marner
Discuss the theme of redemption and regeneration in the novel Silas Marner.
The action in George Eliot’s realistic novel Silas Marner takes place early in the nineteenth century. Protagonist Silas is a linen weaver by trade. He is a simple and religious person. The...
Silas Marner
What is the significance of the two thefts in Silas Marner?
The two thefts in Silas Marner hold a lot of significance to the novel. Each of the thefts helped propel Silas's life, transform it, and then re-mold it for good. It is as if each theft is actually...
Silas Marner
Write a short note on the role of chance and coincidence in the novel Silas Marner.
Chance plays a significant role in Silas Marner. Crucially, it is chance that changes Silas's life. In order to determine who was guilty of stealing the bag of church money, the church's...
Silas Marner
How are two sons of Squire Cass different in Silas Marner?
The two sons of Squire Cass, Godfrey and Dunstan (Dunsey) are known by way of their father, who is a respectable and relatively wealthy man in comparison with the rest of the people of Raveloe. As...
Silas Marner
Discuss the role of Eppie in the novel Silas Marner.
In George Eliot's novel Silas Marner, Eppie is the child of Godfrey Cass and Molly Farren. Already, just by looking at her parents, we see how Eppie fits a specific role. Remember, Molly is poor,...
Silas Marner
What discovery does Silas make at the end of the chapter in Silas Marner?
Since the question does not indicate which chapter is referenced, I will discuss the events surrounding Silas's discovery of Godfrey's child, Eppie. After discovering that Eppie's mother is dead,...
Silas Marner
Describe the religious life of Silas Marner in Lantern Yard.
George Eliot's narrative describes a time before the spinning jenny of the Industrial Revolution replaced individual weavers. In fact, the weaver was an important citizen of communities as it was...
Silas Marner
Write a short note on Godfrey Cass in Silas Marner.
Godfrey Cass in Silas Marner is the eldest son and heir of Squire Cass, the most important man in Raveloe. Unfortunately, while not an evil person, Godfrey is a selfish, weak-willed man who does...
Silas Marner
What happens with Dunstan and Wildfire in Chapter 4 in Silas Marner?
When Dunstan takes Wildfire to sell it, wildfire is killed and Dunstan decides to rob Silas. Dunstan is a selfish brat. He takes the horse Wildfire to sell because the family needs money. He...
Silas Marner
Examine the role of chance and coincidence in the novel Silas Marner.
Coincidence, or chance, is a key driver of the plot in this novel. Some instances of chance are outlined below: It is chance that sends the good-hearted Silas into exile from his religious...
Silas Marner
What is the setting of Silas Marner?
Having moved from the lovely countryside of England to London, where she encountered rejection by Victorian society because of her living openly with a married man, George Eliot, née Mary Anne...
Silas Marner
What kind of place is the Rainbow Inn in Silas Marner?
The Rainbow Inn, a village inn and tavern, is the social center for both the more affluent residents of Raveloe as well as for others. After he discovers that his gold is missing, Silas Marner...
Silas Marner
Do you think that regeneration or redemption is the main theme of Silas Marner?
One could certainly argue that redemption and regeneration are important themes in George Eliot’s Silas Marner. This applies first to Silas’s journey in the text. A bitter, miserly old weaver,...
Silas Marner
In Silas Marner, how does Dunstan justify to himself stealing Silas's gold?
Dunstan Cass is depicted as a drunken, selfish man, who has spent a significant amount of money that belongs to his father. When Godfrey insists that Dunstan come up with money to avoid their...
Silas Marner
What life lessons can we learn from the novel Silas Marner?
When making text-to-self and text-to-world connections, it is almost inevitable to experience the life of the main character vicariously, and connect our lives to the myriad of life lessons that...
Silas Marner
What sort of moral philosophy does Silas Marner present in George Eliot's novel Silas Marner?
Overall, the character of Silas demonstrates, through his vicissitudes, a series of moral philosophies. First, life is never certain. No matter how well we do unto others, or how righteous our...
Silas Marner
How does Silas Marner live in Raveloe?
After Silas is wrongly accused of stealing money, betrayed by his closest friend, William Dane, he leaves his hometown of Lantern Yard and travels to the small, close-knit village of Raveloe. In...
Silas Marner
What is the significance of the epigraph of the novel Silas Marner by George Eliot?
The epigraph at the beginning of Silas Marner, written by Wordsworth, reads as follows: A child, more than all other gifts That earth can offer to declining man, Brings hope with it, and...
Silas Marner
Who is lucky and unlucky in Silas Marner?
Silas, Eppie, and Aaron are lucky in this novel. Molly Farren is unlucky. Molly is unlucky because she has secretly married Godfrey, who wants to marry Nancy. As Molly, an opium addict, is en route...
Silas Marner
Describe relationship between Silas and William Dane in Silas Marner?
Before Silas Marner moved to the outskirts of Raveloe, he initially considered William Dane to be his closest friend and the two men were inseparable. Silas Marner and William Dane's friendship was...
Silas Marner
How does George Eliot make Silas Marner an interesting novel?
George Eliot, the nom de plume of Mary Ann Evans, has, indeed, created an interesting novel in Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe. For it touches the hearts of her readers and piques their...
Silas Marner
How is Silas regarded by the people of Raveloe?
Silas is regarded with a mixture of awe, suspicion, and curiosity by the people of Raveloe. He isn't the kind of person you see every day in this neck of the woods. Raveloe is the kind of place...
Silas Marner
In Silas Marner chapter 11, who was at the New Year's party?
The New Year's party at the Red House is hosted by the Squire Cass. His son Godfrey Cass helps Nancy Lammeter down from her carriage (much to her dismay, as she is trying to avoid his advances)....
Silas Marner
In Silas Marner, what is the most important internal conflict presented in the beginning of the story? One that...
The most important internal conflict Silas Marner faces at the beginning of the novel stems from several external conflicts. First, consider the background story given in Chapter 1 about Silas'...
Silas Marner
Describe the changes that have taken place in the Red House in Silas Marner.
I assume you are referring to the changes in the Red House in Book II, once Godfrey Cass has married Nancy Lammeter and sixteen years have passed. Of course, Book II details some of the series of...
Silas Marner
What is revealed about Silas' nature by the brown pot incident in Silas Marner?
Silas is the owner of a brown earthen pot. It may not seem much, but to Silas it's a very precious possession indeed. He's had it for twelve years, and it's stood in the same spot all that time....
Silas Marner
Why did George Eliot write "Silas Marner"?
You might want to approach this question by thinking about what themes the novel tries to communicate. Certainly this story operates as a kind of fable about the redemptive power of love as we see...
Silas Marner
In Silas Marner, what is Silas' vocation?
This question can be answered with reference to the second paragraph of Chapter 1. Having introduced the setting and the time period within which the story was set, the narrator then introduces the...
Silas Marner
How are the Osgoods related to the Lammeters in Silas Marner?
The Osgoods are in-laws to the Lammeters. In Chapter 6, Mr. Macey tells the landlord of the Rainbow Inn that Mr. Lammeter courted and married Mr. Osgood's sister in Raveloe years ago. Since Mr....
Silas Marner
Examine the powerful transformation of Silas Marner's character in the novel by George Eliot.
In his youth, Silas Marner must leave what he thought was a close, protected life in his religious community. Suffering from betrayal and reversal of fortune, he feels compelled to run away from...
Silas Marner
From what physical handicap does Silas suffer in Silas Marner?
I don't know that I would necessarily call it a "handicap," but the problem that Silas has is that he is sort of "hunched over," if that makes sense. He was a weaver by profession and therefore...
Silas Marner
How does Eliot present the effects of ‘class’ in the community in Chapter 11 at the New Year’s Eve dance at The Red...
The Red House is an obvious symbol of class difference in Silas Marner. Godfrey is the victim of class because he marries a woman of lower class and then cannot marry the woman he wants. There are...
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