A Child More Than All Other Gifts
Literature coursework Sadiya Chowdhury
“A child more than all other gifts
That earth can offer to do a declining man
Brings hope with it and forward looking thoughts”
William Wordsworth
Q:What does the novel Silas Marner have to say about the relationship between parents and their children?
Silas Marner was written by GeorgeElliotin 1861.George Elliotdedicated her story to her beloved husband GeorgeHenry .Elliot was inspired by William Wordsworth poem to write this novel.
Silas marner is about a lonely weaver who isolates himself from the society. Due to being wrongly accused by his best friend WilliamDane of stealing money from thechurch. So he loses faith in people and the church. He leaves lantern yard and moves to a small villageof Ravoloe. There he sets up as a weaver. He sits in his cottage all day and counting his precious gold by night. A day comes that his gold is not there anymore. It has been stolen by one of the vilagers.Now his life is even emptier than before.
“A golden haired”
Replaces his gold.
“Gold! His own gold brought back to him as mysteriously as it had been taken away”
The child who is named Eppie by Silas .she changes Silas life completely .he is far richer now that he has the love of a daughter than he ever was with his piles of gold.
Silas decides to keep Eppie as no one in the community claims her as their daughter. Not even Godfrey being her own father.
“Silas marner determinism to keep the tramp child was matter of hardly less suprise and iterated talk of the village then robbery of his money”
People talked about Silas because he kept Eppie as his daughter.
“No child was afraid of approaching Silas when Eppie was near him there was no repluism around him now either for young or old”
Nobody was sacred of Silas anymore.now he is capable of looking after a child so he won’t harm anyone. The relation between Silas and Eppie proves that a child can change a parent’s life.
In the story when Dolly Winthrop held Eppie in her lap .Eppie kept on looking back at marner.
“She’s fondest o’ you she wants to go o’ your lap”
This shows that Eppie has a strong relation with marner. Although she is a baby she recognises her father. She has good bond with him.
Silas shows and tender towards Eppie .althoughEppie isn’t his real daughter but he loves her more than anything in this world. Not only has he showed love towards her. He also is harsh, so Eppie could learn not to do the wrong things. Hedoes not feel comfortable giving her such punishments because his love for her comes in the way. One incident he locks her in the coal hole.
“He put her into a coal hole and held the door closed”
He didn’t want to punish Eppie but he had this shows he cares for her.
Silas was stolen of his wealth but in return he found Eppie sleeping were he had placed his gold. He is a good father as he accepts the child as a gift but Silas Marner is not the natural father of Eppie.
"But I've a claim on you, Eppie -- the strongest of all claims.”
Eppie is the biological child of Godfrey Cass and Molly Farren, Godfrey’s secret wife. The gold no longer has its powerful hold on Silas that it used to have. In conclusion, I think that because Godfrey lacked in maternal influence he became a bad father just like Squire Cass. However, Silas Marner is a good father as he accepted the child as a gift but is not the biological father. A good father is open faced, good-natured, honest and not selfish. Fatherhood is more than blood; it is a carefully built relationship that cannot be given or stolen like gold.
Saying that Eppie is offered wealth and an upper class life but on page 206 she says
“I should have no delight in life anymore if I was forced to go away from my father.”
She is saying that money cannot replace the love she feels for Silas. Eliot uses the money image when Godfrey realises he cannot buy back Eppie when he says on page
“There’s debts we can pay like money debts, by paying extra for the years that have slipped by. While I’ve been putting off, the trees have been growing- it’s too late now.”
We see that Godfrey has now learned to take responsibility for his actions. Eliot structures the whole novel around money and it being a corrupting influence. She also presents Godfrey, Marner, Eppie and Dunstan with moral tests which are failed by Dunstan and Godfrey therefore resulting them in being punished while Marner and Eppie being rewarded for passing their moral tests.
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