Silas Marner is a novel set in the early years of the 19th century written by George Eliot. Silas Marner, a weaver, is framed by his friend William as a thief. The congregation decides to draw lots to determine Marner’s fate. Marner is convinced that God will demonstrate his innocence only to find that the lots declare his guilt. Having lost his faith, Marner flees Lantern Yard. For fifteen years, Marner lived in Raveloe, withdrawn from the community, but making a fair sum of money from his constant weaving work. He is fascinated by the gold he earns and the gold takes the place in his heart of any human affection. One foggy night, Silas' two bags of gold are stolen by Dunstan. Silas fell into a deep depression again and sighed that God was unfair to him. But when Godfrey Cass and Molly’s daughter wanders into Silas’s house, Silas keeps the child and names her Eppie. Eppie changes Silas' life completely. Silas has been robbed of his gold but thinks that he has it returned to him symbolically in the form of the golden-haired child. Sixteen years pass and Eppie grows up and refuses her father Godfrey's request to claim her back and chooses to stay with Silas. In the end, Eppie marries Dolly's son Aaron, and they move into Silas' house. Silas' actions through the years in caring for Eppie have apparently provided joy for everyone, and the extended family celebrates its happiness.
In each loss, there is a gain, as in every gain there is a loss. Cass is a character in the gray zone of ambiguity between black and white. He is kind, considerate, and law-abiding. But when he abandoned his wife and his daughter Eppie, he made a selfish and wrong decision. Although Godfrey married his lifelong lover Nancy, his happiness was incomplete because he and Nancy had no children. So he has been immersed in deep repentance and self-blame. Although Godfrey later repented, Epie chose to ignore Godfrey's attempt to adopt her, Godfrey also paid the price with his life to make up for his mistakes at that time and repent forever. This is also reflected in Silas Marner's life's changing and ups and downs. At first, Marner had a good life, but all the good things were suddenly broken. He fled the sad place in a hurry but was excluded from the society of the lantern market. He worked hard, but the fruits of his hard work were stolen. But after being robbed, Marner still keeps the girl and feeds her. He changed from an isolated weaver to a loving father. He was looking for what his adopted daughter needed to love him. By taking care of Eppie, Marner adapted to Raveloe society and gained the customs and beliefs of a new home. Isn't this a kind of compensation from heaven? Therefore, life gains or losses are the results of your decisions and choices.
There are cycles of cause and effect, good people are rewarded with a happy life, but evil people are paid with punishment. Dunstan is the best explanation for this. He stole money from the mariner’s home, hoping to fly away and become rich. But the end that greeted him was death. If you can’t control your evil minds and put them into action. The only thing you’ll get at last is to pay for what you have done, just like Dunstan in the story. And what about Silas Marner? The first half of his life was full of ups and downs. His peaceful life was broken by his close friends, the gold saved by his hard work was stolen by Dunstan, and his faith was doubted and shaken. After all the struggling parts, hope and love finally come into his life. With the help of Dolly, Silas feeds up Eppie, and with Eppie and Dolly’s accompany, Silas Marner rebuilds his faith and good things come to him one by one. He takes back the gold stolen by Dunstan and Eppie refuses Godfrey and stays with Silas Marner. At the end of the story, Silas makes up his own family, he lives with his wife, Eppie, and Eppie’s husband. He believed that this is the best gift from God. His good deeds finally won him a good return.
People should uphold their faith and beliefs in good times or bad, whether poor or rich. Religion, in various forms, plays an important role in Silas Marner’s whole life. During his life in Lantern Yard, he trusts in God. But Silas loses faith in human beings, the religious clergy, and God, unable to prove his innocence when he was betrayed by his friend William Dane and finally accused of the thief. He left there sadly and shook his faith for the first time in his life. He did not think that God and religion were trustworthy. Then, for fifteen years, Silas’s gold serves as a substitute for his lost faith. Silas loves his gold, works for it, and even comes to love the faces engraved on the coins as if they were his friends. But when his gold was stolen, he was once again extremely depressed, felt the injustice of his fate, and could not find the goal of his life again. Once Eppie enters his life, Silas Marner regains the ability to love and trust. During Eppie's growth, Silas increasingly feels that Eppie needs him, and he also needs Eppie as well. In addition, Dolly also offers help and friendship to Silas Marner. Eppie and Dolly reassembled the broken life of Silas. Let Salis regain his faith. He lives for the people he loves, not for God and gold.
In conclusion, George Eliot showed us his attitude to morality and religion in the process of his novel. Silas Marner maintained his belief in the existence of God even though he was betrayed by his friend. Although he once wavered and doubted, when Molly knocked on his door at midnight and asked for help. He adopted her daughter and buried her body. I think his morality and faith are also a self-requirement to Silas himself. He hoped and required himself to be a kind and helpful person to help people when he could. In some ways, religion is a noble pursuit of the human spirit. Although Silas doubted his faith when he was most frustrated in his life, he was still a kind man. He never lost his moral bottom line although he was framed. He worked hard to earn gold, but he was never greedy. He never gives up his faith and his noble pursuit of sincerity and kindness. The hardships of life did not change Silas' good character, and his good deeds finally ushered in a happy rest of his life. This may not be God's gift to him, but his good deeds of adopting Eppie and his faith in being good to others brought him a good end.
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