Silas Marner

February, 2019

Silas Marner, written by George Eliot in 1861, tells a tale of mystery and adventure and intrigue. The book starts out with Silas living in a small town as a young man, and becomes accused of a crime that he most definitely did not commit. This drives him out of the town, and he settles in a village in England. The people take him for a strange man, so he lives just outside of town in a cottage, always working at his loom. Two rich brothers live in town with their father. The younger one squanders his wealth, and the older one lives a seemingly peaceable life. Secretly, the older brother has a drug addicted wife, and a child with the same woman. One night, the woman walks through town with the child in the snow, with the intent to reveal herself to all of town. Unfortunately, the drugs and the cold night combine to kill her, and the child wanders into Silas’ cottage. Silas takes the girl on as his own daughter, and raises her himself. She grows up into a beautiful young woman, but never knows who her true father is. Will he reveal himself and ruin his reputation, or will he simply watch his daughter from afar?

Throughout the book, themes that the author emphasizes are love, compassion and redemption. “When a man turns a blessing from his door, it falls to them as take it in.” “Every man's work, pursued steadily, tends to become an end in itself, and so to bridge over the loveless chasms of his life.” “Love once, love always”