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Silas Marner Research Paper

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To what extent has Silas Marner’s life been destroyed by what happened to him in Lantern Yard?
After being betrayed and framed by his best friend, Silas is declared guilty of stealing from the deacon. With his life shattered and his heart broken, Silas leaves Lantern Yard and to the city of Raveloe to lead a new and bleak life. It is clear that the betrayal has changed Silas Marner but I will be investigating to what extent his life been destroyed by what happened.
The core of Silas Marner’s past life in Lantern Yard was centred on religion – he was described to be a “young man of exemplary life and ardent faith”. The use of the word “ardent” is significant as it emphasises Silas’ fervent faith in God, it can connote that even in the most difficult …show more content…

When calamity strikes Marner again in Raveloe, the readers wonder who Silas will turn to now that he is alone. When Silas Marner cannot find his gold he quickly becomes desperate and “when there was no other place to be searched he kneeled down again” – instinctively, without a second thought Silas Marner does what he feels to be natural; he kneels down as in prostration and he seeks the guidance of God unconsciously. This can have happened as a result of habit but George Elliot states that Silas has a “shaken trust in God and man” which can allude to the fact that his faith is not broken but temporarily out of focus so it won’t be long before it is restored. Silas’ belief in God may not be as strong as it used to be, “the light of his faith quite put out”, but like a candle, the flame can be lit and burn again so there is still hope for …show more content…

It is clear that Silas Marner is a good and just person and if he were to let anyone in, he would have many friends. The theft of Silas Marner’s gold can be seen as a blessing in disguise because for the first time in fifteen years he is forced to engage with the people of Raveloe in a personal matter. Whereas the people of Raveloe have not always been open-minded towards him, Silas Marner remains optimistic and still believes that society is fair. He believes that the “great people in the village… will deliver up the stolen money” which juxtaposes his old routine of relying first and foremost on God to make things right. By accepting that his fellow villagers have the ability to get him out of this mess, Silas Marner attitude to society has changed in the fact that he isn’t terrified by the idea of trust someone once again. This is a huge milestone in the novel, and as he “turned into the bright bar” we can infer that these are the first steps into his future and away from the pains that have tainted his

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