Silas Marner by George Eliot Book Analysis

Silas Marner is about a man and his journey through life in 19th century England. However, what many readers fail to realize is the effect his mental condition has on his character. It is not explicitly stated, but we can gather he has catalepsy, a form of epilepsy. The disease causes him to have seizures, fits, and corrupted judgment throughout the book.  The plot, without his physical state, might have been much different.   The people of Raveloe and Lantern Yard came to their conclusions about him, as there was limited knowledge of these types of diseases.

We start in chapter one with the line, “Marner was highly thought of in that little hidden world,...peculiar interest had been centred in him ever since he had fallen, at a prayer-meeting, into a mysterious rigidity and suspension of consciousness,..yet it was believed by himself and others that its effect was seen in an accession of light and fervour.” (Eliot 5) The people of the religious community here thought of him more highly as they believed the Lord favored him and was working with him. The people here were a tight-knit Calvinist community, which further supports how the community thought of Silas. This state, however, does not last long for Silas as we read about his betrayal and framing, and the abandonment of his wife. Further, Silas leaves out of grief and anger to start a new life in the nearby town of Raveloe.

Silas, lost without his structured community life, now lives as an outcast weaver in Raveloe, who is suspected for his uncanny weaving technique and ability to heal “unnaturally.” It would be reasonable to argue his catalepsy and strict religious background may have made him less sociable. Silas began to drown any feelings he had into his work, and lived only for the gold he was rapidly collecting. “So, year after year, Silas Marner had lived in this solitude, his guineas rising in the iron pot, and his life narrowing and hardening itself more and more into a mere pulsation of desire and satisfaction that had no relation to any other being.” (Eliot 15) He grows an extreme attachment to his gold, and this shows when his gold is stolen later in the book.

My last example supporting how affected Silas’s character was by his state, is his reaction when he discovers Eppie. Molly on her New Year’s journey to confront Godfrey, dies from an overdose, leaving Eppie alone to die. Or so we think. As it happens Eppie walks right through the front door of Silas’s house and sits on the mantle by the blazing fire for warmth.  “Slowly the demon was working his will, and cold and weariness were his helpers. Soon she felt nothing but a supreme immediate longing that curtained off all futurity—the longing to lie down and sleep…. But the complete torpor came at last: the fingers lost their tension, the arms unbent; then the little head fell away from the bosom, and the blue eyes opened wide on the cold starlight….in an instant the child had slipped on all-fours,...toddled on to the open door of Silas Marner’s cottage, and right up to the warm hearth,” (Eliot 91)  When Silas comes home, he thinks he spots the pile of missing gold, only to realize it’s a child asleep by the fire. “The heap of gold seemed to glow and get larger beneath his agitated gaze. He leaned forward at last, and stretched forth his hand; but instead of the hard coin with the familiar resisting outline, his fingers encountered soft warm curls.”(Eliot 93).

To conclude those were just some of the examples of the ways Silas Marner’s health condition played a role in the book, and his character.  Without this added perspective, we might not have understood the plot as well or as deeply. We also would not have the classic work we appreciate today. Now I hope you all consider what I have said, and can use it to apply to your comprehension of the book.