Embittered by a false accusation, disappointed in friendship and love, the weaver Silas Marner retreats into a long twilight life alone with his loom. . . and his gold. Silas hoards a treasure that kills his spirit until fate steals it from him and replaces it with a golden-haired founding child. Where she came from, who her parents were, and who really stole the gold are the secrets that permeate this moving tale of guilt and innocence. A moral allegory of the redemptive power of love, it is also a finely drawn picture of early nineteenth-century England in the days when spinning wheels hummed busily in the farmhouses, and of a simple way of life that was soon to disappear.
Silas Marner is, plot-wise, an uncomplicated book. There are no unexpected twists, no extraneous characters or tales. When a chapter begins and a “mysterious” figure is introduced, the reader knows immediately who the character is and what his or her function will be. Silas Marner is not about action or being literarily clever (although it is very well-written). In her afterword in the Signet edition, Kathryn Huggins likens the book to a folktale; if one defines a folktale as a straightforward story with a message applicable to all listeners (or readers), I agree.
Silas Marner addresses what is important in life. Two main characters, Silas and Godfrey Cass, play the primary roles in revealing the secret. One is poor, and one is rich. One is older and unmarried; one is young and in love. Together they show that what Eliot is trying to convey is something everyone needs to hear, regardless of his or her personal characters. Godfrey and Silas both find redemption. They both reconcile with what they have done in the past. They both learn that relationships are far more important than money.
The book is not overly simple, however. The characters are not types, and the setting is not “someplace” far away. Silas Marner is movingly realistic, sometimes bleak and sometimes hopeful. It explores humans and their capacity, rather than boxing and attempting to explain far too much. This is definitely a classic worth reading.
This review was also posted at Pages Unbound Book Reviews.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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1 June, 2011:
Finished reading
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1 June, 2011:
Reviewed