Relationship between Silas Marner and Eppie

Silas Marner is one of the best novels of George Eliot. The central character of this novel is Silas Marner, and various events of his life are portrayed here. This novel demands the readers’ attention for multiple reasons, and it has become one of the classics in English literature. However, the aspect that attracts readers the most is the beautiful relationship between Silas Marner and his adopted daughter, Eppie. Silas Marner found Eppie by chance, and it can be said that she appeared in his life suddenly. After that, he raised her with care and love.

Eppie’s biological father is Godfrey Cass, who belongs to an aristocratic family. He secretly married Molly Farren, a woman from the lower class of society and also a drug addict. A child was born from this secret marriage, and that child was Eppie. After Eppie’s mother died, it can be said that Eppie appeared at Silas’ doorstep. So, Silas named her Eppie. In this way, Silas found her.

Silas Marner was a benevolent father, and he made an impossible task possible. Very few men can raise a child because we know that the task of raising children is primarily considered to be the responsibility of mothers. The same applies to all animals, meaning mothers raise the children. On the other hand, Silas Marner did not have a wife, and he had to struggle a lot to raise Eppie. He took care of Eppie from her childhood, and we can understand very well that he never avoided his duties. With endless patience, he raised and nurtured Eppie, and later, Eppie grew into a fine young woman who was admired by everyone. Seeing that Eppie had grown into a fine young woman, Godfrey Cass became restless to take her back into his life. At the same time, when Godfrey Cass’ second wife, Nancy Cass, saw that Eppie was a good girl, she did not object to taking her. The full credit for Eppie becoming such a good young lady goes to Silas Marner. It must be said that Silas Marner truly made the impossible task of raising a child alone possible. Eppie is a good girl. Even though she does not have a mother, she has still grown up to be a good young lady. At the same time, she loves her father with all her heart. Later, when she comes to know that Silas Marner is not her biological father and that her real father is Godfrey Cass, who is rich and wants to take her back into his life, she still does not abandon Silas Marner. Yet, if she had abandoned Silas Marner at that time, no one would have blamed her because she had found her biological father, and going to one’s real father is not blameworthy. Moreover, if she had gone to Godfrey Cass, she would have received many privileges. Instead, she chose to live a simple life. Another admirable quality of Eppie is that she was determined to marry Aaron Winthrop and did so at the end of the novel. Although Aaron Winthrop came from an ordinary family, Eppie did not show any disregard for this.

Throughout the novel, we can see that Silas Marner and Eppie have a very close relationship, and such a beautiful bond is rarely seen between a father and daughter. Both of them benefited from this relationship. Silas Marner had lost everything in his life, but in this one area, he found victory. By raising Eppie, he was able to overcome his loneliness and become a happier person. On the other hand, Eppie was an unfortunate child whose mother was a drug addict and whose father abandoned her right after her birth. So, even though Eppie was unfortunate, she still found shelter, happiness, and love in life. She was not to blame for her birth. Her mother suffered the consequences of her addiction, and her real father, Godfrey Cass, was also punished for neglecting her. However, despite such an unfortunate background, Eppie chose the right path and lived her life as an obedient daughter to Silas Marner. That is why she is truly happy.

What we see from the father-daughter relationship between Silas Marner and Eppie is that if people are truly genuine and honest at heart, they are never alone. They can form relationships with others, and those relationships can become even stronger and more beautiful than real-life biological family bonds. So, although there was no biological connection between Eppie and Silas Marner, their relationship as father and daughter was stronger and more genuine than many biological father-daughter relationships, and it brought happiness to both of them.

Industrial Revolution in Silas Marner

Silas Marner is one of the best novels written by George Eliot. In this novel, we can see that Silas Marner is an ordinary weaver. He used to live in a village. He experiences various events in his life. In all these events, he sometimes suffers in life and sometimes becomes happy. The novel primarily portrays all these aspects of his life. Here, we can see the social situation of the early nineteenth century. 

Silas Marner used to live in a small town in Northern England, which was probably not very much different from a village. A false accusation of theft was brought against him, and as a result, he was forced to leave the area. Then, through various ups and downs, he found an orphaned child whom he raised as his own, and his life became beautiful again around that little girl.

This novel was written at a time when the Industrial Revolution was just beginning in England. As a result, several significant changes took place in society and the economy of England. When we talk about the Industrial Revolution, we often think about economics, trade, and politics, but George Eliot focused more on the lives of ordinary people. As a result of the Industrial Revolution, what happened at that time was that many people were migrating from villages to cities in droves in the hope of getting a job. They used to work in agriculture before, and they did not earn much from it. Sometimes, crops would be damaged by natural disasters, and they would face losses. Sometimes, the price of crops would be very low. Because of all these reasons, what happened was that when the Industrial Revolution came, they started crowding into urban areas, leaving agricultural work. As a result, new small towns started to develop in England. So, that was a very unstable time. On one hand, rural English life was coming to an end, and on the other hand, urban England was flourishing. This was the situation at that time.

As a result of the Industrial Revolution, many people started dreaming of getting rich quickly. It seemed that moving to the city would bring wealth. Just like in our time, we often hear that money ‘flies in the sky’ in Dhaka, and if you come to Dhaka, you just have to catch it. Many people in rural Bangladesh hear and believe such things. They come to Dhaka with big dreams but end up pulling rickshaws or living in slums. We often hear these stories from others or from relatives in the village. We can see this kind of problem in both Dunstan Cass and Godfrey Cass in different ways. Dunstan Cass runs away with Silas Marner’s gold in the hope of making money.

On the other hand, Godfrey Cass secretly marries a girl who belongs to a poor family. He keeps his marriage a secret, and they have a child named Eppie. The unrest between them symbolizes the Industrial Revolution in one way. During the time of the industrial revolution, many people wanted to become rich in just this way. They wanted to become wealthy and make money at any cost—through trickery, manipulation, or cunning. As a result, many people were harmed. For example, Silas Marner’s gold was stolen, and Godfrey Cass’ first and secret wife, Molly Farren, eventually died, leaving Eppie to grow up as an orphan. In this way, a kind of unrest was going on at that time, which is reflected in this novel.

As a result of the Industrial Revolution, people used to live in overcrowded conditions in those newly developed towns. In many cases, these towns did not have many facilities. They were somewhat similar to the slums we see in present-day Bangladesh. Towards the end of the novel, Silas Marner and his daughter possibly form an idea about city life based on these observations.

One negative side of the Industrial Revolution was that people began to value money more, and moral values declined. That is why we see that Silas Marner’s friend brought a false accusation of theft against him. As a result, Silas Marner was forced to leave his community. His best friend even married his fiancée. In this way, Silas Marner lost everything. Unfortunately, in this way, there was indeed a decline in morality, and it seemed that England was undergoing social deterioration. However, this kind of social degradation can happen in any situation, and it is neither impossible nor unrealistic.

It may be difficult to fully understand how much George Eliot was influenced by the Industrial Revolution when writing Silas Marner, but it seems that she was probably not very much in favor of it. 

William Wordsworth’s relationship with nature

William Wordsworth is regarded as one of the top three poets in English literature, along with William Shakespeare and John Milton. He is the pioneer and founder of the Romantic Movement in English literature. Few poets have devoted their lives so entirely to the promotion of poetry. Wordsworth is particularly renowned for emphasizing the significance of nature in his works. To him, nature did not merely represent the natural world but much more than that.

Wordsworth’s poetry is significant because it presents a constant portrayal of nature. Nature is not just a part of life but has its own existence and life. Nature is not just trees, water, and picturesque landscapes, but also has a spirit and an existence of its own, apart from human beings. Wordsworth believes that people should not forget this aspect of nature and should communicate with it by considering it as their own counterpart.

We all know that nature can inspire poet to write poetry. However, Wordsworth believes that nature can have a highly active influence on a poet’s life rather than having a passive one. According to him, it can help to create powerful emotions in the mind of a poet and when the poet think of it can create powerful poetry. Wordsworth believes that it has happened to him that after experiencing a beautiful event or scene in nature, he returned home, recollected the emotion in tranquility and composed very good poems. In fact, Wordsworth thinks that nature can play a very active role throughout the entire poetic process.

Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey” is an excellent poem that mainly deals with memory and nature. This poem is a reflection of the change of emotion in the poet. Five years ago, he visited the place, and he visited there again. He notices a significant change between these two visits. When he first visited, he experienced and made some wonderful memories in his youth. He did not think much about the relationship between humans and nature; rather, he just experienced and enjoyed the beauty of nature in that place. However, after five years, he comes to understand that there is a certain kind of bond and emotion attached to the place in his mind. He is also aware that during his current visit, he will discover new aspects upon seeing the place again. He has described things in a very simple yet beautiful manner and believes that people should foster a relationship with nature.

Wordsworth’s poem “It is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free” is a remarkable piece of poetry. In fact, it is a sonnet and perhaps the best sonnet written by him. It is an emotional poem in which he reflects on nature in a very calm and peaceful manner. It was a beautiful evening, and the place was very quiet and peaceful, like a nun. The poet realizes that the beauty of the place evokes a sense of heavenly bliss in his mind, and he perceives nature as divine. In this poem, the poet finds a relationship between nature and God, and he believes that nature is an essential component of God.

Wordsworth brought a new trend to poetry and had a significant influence on the Romantic poets who followed. While some of them appreciated his ideas, others did not. Byron, Shelley, and Keats were among the other Romantic poets who contributed their own styles. Coleridge, a close friend of Wordsworth, also differed with him regarding the role of nature in both human life and poetry. However, it is undeniable that William Wordsworth was a pioneer in emphasizing the role of nature in both human life and poetic expression.