How the Character of Silas Marner has Changed Throughout George Eliot's Novel

How the Character of Silas Marner has Changed Throughout George Eliot's Novel

George Eliot, (1819-1880), was the pseudonym of Mary Anne Evans, she

English novelist, whose novels, with their profound feeling and broad

intellectual range, raised her immediately to the first rank of

English writers. She changed her name to George Elliot because women

were not looked upon as writers. When George Eliot wrote her novels

she wrote them with the interest in showing the importance of being in

touch with our emotions and our past lives, and how being part of a

community is a crucial factor in this.

The novel focuses on the development of Silas Marner, a weaver,

through his life, that uses his character to show the importance of

accessing our feelings and being part of a community. Silas is a

member if a religious community. At the beginning of the novel Silas

gives most of his money to charitable causes. At this point of the

novel Silas is shown as a kind man because he agrees to help to look

after a church elder. While he is looking after the Senior Deacon, he

fell in to an epileptic fit, which the community thought happened

because his soul left his body to see God.

While he was in the fit the money that the elder had, was stolen and

while him was in the fit, William Dane, his trusted friend, was

supposed to take his chore over but he did not. When Silas came out of

this trance, he found the Senor Deacon dead and it seemed he was dead

for some time. After this Silas is called to come in front of the

church elders because they had found his knife at the deacons bedside

where the stolen money was.

Silas said that he was innocent and t...

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...s ability to trust in God and other people, "I think I shall trusten

till I die.". This is important because it shows that by Eppie, Silas'

feeling have changed from when he first came to Raveloe. They have

changed from when he could not trust to now.

The novel shows that Silas' feeling change a lot in the novel. At

first, he is a very trusting man who believes in God. However, all of

this is lost when he is falsely accused of robbery. When he comes to

Raveloe, he isolates himself until Eppie comes along and brings him

back to life by her learning and her joy. At the end of the novel, we

see that Silas is now able to trust people, he believes in God and

that he is part of the community. This is what all of George Elliot's

books are saying, that we should be part of the community and be in

touch with our inner selves.