Silas Marner

1. Silas Marner was set in the early years of the nineteenth century in the small fictional village of Raveloe on the English country side. Silas Marner's small stone cottage was in the area called the Stone Pits which was close to the village of Raveloe, but still far off enough to be separated from the community in some ways. The setting of this novel is important to the story, but doesn't completely decide the action of the plot. The time that it was set in has less to do with the story than does the place. This story could have as easily been written in our times, with the gold being large amounts of money in Silas's bank and the weaving being some addicting courperate job. Though, the fact that the money was never found until the Stone Pits were drained is more likely to happen in the early nineteenth century. The place is a much more important part of the setting. The small village and desolate cottage add greatly to the story's plot. The small town gossip plays a part in many different events in the story, as well as the friendlyness of the neighbors of such a village. For example, Dolly Winthrop helped Silas greatly with Eppie. The conflict of Silas with the village is very prevlaint throught the novel as well. The way you precive Silas partly come from how the town thinks of him. For example, at first they all think of him as a slightly crazy and aloof man who spins cloth well for them. This opinion changes as he loses his gold and consequently finds Eppie. If this novel were set in a large town the neighbors wouldn't pay nearly as much attention to the slightly weird weaver in the offskirts of the town, and the novel would change dramatically. The aloof setting of his cottage also plays an important part in the novel. It adds to the feeling of loneliness

in the start of the novel as Silas doesn't interact with people very often at all, and his only joy is counting his inanimate and unloving gold at night. Also, towards the end of the novel as Eppie is growing up the distance of the cottage gives her a speical air that isn't

in the common town girls who hear all the gossip and talk of the town people. It makes her life more simple, more beautiful and more happy because of this.

2. The novel's title, Silas Marner, is the main character. We are introduced to him as he is weaving on his loom in his small cottage on the Stone Pits. We first hear of how the townsfolk of Raveloe think of him: a strange man that provides them with nice linen and lives in his small cottage alone. His knowlage of herbs that heal and his occasional fits where he "goes out of his body" gives him an eiree air that makes them believe he is something sort of supernatural. They regard him with suspicion for the most part, and no one knows where he came from. Then we learn from his perspective. He is almost always alone in his cottage working the loom. Eventually he acquired

a bit of gold that he comes to treasure. He never spends any except on nesseisities of living, he treasures the rest and counts it at night. The love of his money comes to be the only source of joy in his life. At this point in the book is when we learn of how he got to be where he is.

He was a member of a religious sect in Lantern Yard. Lantern Yard was a small neighborhood in a large town that was closed off to the town. The head minister of Lantern Yard got sick and required constant watch. One night Silas and his friend were schedualed to watch him overnight. His friend never arrived. The next day the people of the chapel found that the head minister's bag of money was gone. They accused Silas of stealing it because in its place was his pocket knife. Silas denyed the claim and thought that God would clear him. Silas also remembered how the last time he saw his pocket knife he had lent it to his best friend. The chapel excommuinated him and this is when he traveled to Raveloe for the first time.

Once Silas's money is stolen, he is out of his mind. Then one night a baby crawls in from the snow onto his heath. He takes care of her as his own and he soon forgets his stolen money he once tresured so dearly. Even though rough and strange looking Silas is never crule or mean to anyone throughout the novel. His love of money was only came upon by the need to love something and to have some sort of purpouse. Silas loves Eppie more dearly than most fathers love their daughters and gives her a much better life even though they arent rich. One he finds Eppie he gets more involved with the community and has a much more fulfilled life.

Though, unlike most title characters, Silas is largely passive throughout the novel. When he is accused of robbery and thinks it was his friend, he says nothing and moves away. Almost every single major happening in the book was brought about by someone elses doing rather than