Silas Marner Flashcards
Character: Silas Marner
Thesis: Eliot portrays Marner as an old weaver who has
lost connection with society, but then finds it
due to a special arrival.
Quotes:
- “his heart had been as a locked casket with its
treasure inside; but now the casket was empty, and
the lock was broken”
- “Gold!—his own gold—brought back to him as
mysteriously as it had been taken away!”
- “the child was come instead of the gold—that the gold
had turned into the child.”
- “I can’t part with it, I can’t let it go…It’s come to me -
I’ve a right to keep it”
Theme: Faith
Thesis: Eliot displays Faith as an ever changing state of
mind that can alter in a second.
Character: Godfrey Cass
Thesis: Eliot presents Godfrey as the most noble and handsome man in the village however he hides his secrets in the shadows.
Quotes:
- “with a sense of relief and gladness”
- “she has thriven as well as a child can do with the
weaver”
- “When God Almighty wills it, all secrets come out”
Theme: Morality
Thesis: Eliot presents a world in which a characters’
personality determines their fate.
Character: Eppie
Thesis: Eliot displays Eppie as a beautiful young girl
who is a symbol of society for Marner.
Quotes:
- “I can’t think o’ no happiness without him”
- “she has thriven as well as a child can do with the
weaver”
- “The gold had turned into the child”
Theme: Fear of the unknown
Thesis: Eliot presents fear as what characterises the
attitudes of people.
Represented by the stone pits near Marner’s house.
Character: Nancy Lammeter
Thesis: Eliot presents Nancy as an elegant woman who
is committed to Godfrey; even his past
mistakes.
Quotes:
- “It wouldn’t be right to want to force her to come to us
against her will”
- “Everything comes to light, Nancy, sooner or later. When God Almighty wills it, our secrets are found out.”
- “It’s part of my punishment, Nancy, for my daughter to dislike me.”
Theme: Limits of the human knowledge
Thesis: Eliot displays the limits of human knowledge as
inexplicable good or bad fortune that is not
affected by a persons choices or actions.
Character: Dunstan Cass
Thesis: Eliot portrays Dunstan as a devious and
manipulative man who prioritises drinking and
gambling.
Quotes:
- “I might tell the Squire how his handsome son was
married to that nice young woman […] and I should
slip into your place as comfortable as could be”
- “Where is the money?”
- “might turn out to be a sowing of something worse
than wild oats”
Theme: The individual and society
Thesis: Eliot presents society through the differences
between Lantern Yard and Raveloe as well as
Marner’s connection to the people in these
villages.
Character: Dolly Winthrop
Thesis: Eliot depicts Dolly as a kind, open-heated and
wise woman and mother who is a persistent
friend to Marner every time.
Quotes:
- “it’s niver too late to turn over a new leaf”
- ””
- ””
Character: Squire Cass
Thesis: Eliot portrays the Squire as the most prominent
man in the village who holds great authority
and is not one to disagree with.
Quotes:
- ””
- ””
- ””
Character: Molly Farren
Thesis: Eliot presents Molly as a woman troubled by
the neglect of her husband and her use of
opium.
Quotes:
- "the demon Opium to whom she was enslaved, body
and soul,"
- ""
- ""
Sarah
Thesis: Eliot displays Sarah as a loving fiancé to Marner
until he is framed for robbing the church.
Quotes:
- ””
- ””
- ””
William Dane
Thesis: Eliot presents William as deceitful man and
friend to Marner by framing him in the interests
of marrying his fiancé.
Quotes:
- ””
- ””
- ””
