Student Question
Are the characters Godfrey and Eppie in Silas Marner static or dynamic, round or flat?
Quick answer:
In Silas Marner, Godfrey is a static and round character, while Eppie is static and flat. Godfrey remains morally inconsistent throughout the novel, displaying occasional goodness but never fully evolving, which makes him static. However, his multifaceted personality and internal conflicts suggest he is round. Eppie, on the other hand, remains consistently good-natured and positive, with little internal conflict or development, making her a flat character.
I would agree with you that Godfrey and Eppie are both static characters. While some may argue for Godfrey to be dynamic since he does, in the end, claim Eppie, I feel that that situation is actually further evidence of Godfrey as a static character. Throughout the novel, Godfrey is inconsistent in morals and deeds; he has glimmers of "goodness" but never overcomes the battle. In this way, the inconsistency of good decisions characterize Godfrey throughout the novel, making him static. Eppie is also static. She is good-natured and positive throughout the novel.
I would argue that Godfrey is round, but Eppie is flat. Godfrey does have many dimension to his personality, and we see internal and external development of his character (though he does not change consistently enough to call him dynamic). Eppie's character is only superficially developed. With the exception of choosing between Marner and Godfrey, we see no real conflict within Eppie, and even in this one instance, Eppie acts exactly as we would predict her to. For these reasons, I would label her flat.
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