George Elliot's "Silas Marner"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains the message about suffering put forth in George Elliot's novel "Silas Marner". The paper explains that Elliot 's novel is about the horrible toll that suffering can exact on the individual and his personality-as well as the power of the positive experiences of kindness and love to reverse those effects and ultimately lead to redemption.

From the Paper:

"When the reader first encounters the character Silas Marner, one notes the sad history of the man. We see that Silas is not much more than a hermit, working endlessly in a village not his own, exiled as a result of false accusations in his past, and wounded by the loss of his love to his false friend, William Dane (also his accuser). Thus, disheartened by life, as well as having lost faith in the justice of God and Man, he turns to the meager existence of work and wealth alone as the bedrock of his life. In fact, one sees from the tremendous lack of joy he experiences even from work as an indication of his profound disenchantment with all aspects of human existence. As Elliot writes, "Formerly his heart had been as a locked casket with its treasure inside; but now the casket was empty, and the lock was broken.""

More papers on George Elliot's "Silas Marner":

• Book Review # 92185 : "'Silas Marner' by George Eliot"
• Analytical Essay # 65760 : "George Eliot's "Silas Marner"
• Analytical Essay # 125435 : "Aaron Winthrop in "Silas Marner"

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