Silas Marner: Plot Summary (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Silas Marner: Plot Summary

George Eliot wrote Silas Marner in 1860 and the novel was published in 1861. She started writing it while she was researching another novel, a work of historical fiction called Romola set in 15th-century Florence. Eliot’s research into religious beliefs, legends and myths influenced her writing of Silas Marner. She wanted to write “another English story”, like her first two successful novels, Adam Bede and The Mill on the Floss. Eliot planned “a sort of legendary tale”, but she also wanted to depict English rural life at the turn of the nineteenth century in a realistic way. 

The novel is split into two parts. Part One tells the story of Silas Marner, the weaver, his arrival in the village of Raveloe, his sad history and his isolation, the theft of his gold and his adoption of Eppie. The story of Godfrey Cass’ secret marriage to Eppie’s mother, his brother Dunstan’s theft of Marner’s money and Godfrey’s relationship with Nancy Lammeter is interwoven with Silas Marner’s history. 

Part Two, set sixteen years later, relates the consequences of people’s actions. Silas Marner comes to terms with his past suffering and has become part of the community of Raveloe, accepted and respected by his neighbours. His gold is discovered with Dunstan’s body in the drained stone-pit and Godfrey confesses to Nancy, now his wife. Eppie refuses Godfrey and Nancy’s offer of adoption and marries Aaron Winthrop. The final scene depicts Eppie’s wedding day and the joyous homecoming to the cottage where Silas, Eppie and Aaron will live together. 

Chapter-by-chapter plot summary

Part One

Chapter 1

• Silas Marner works as a weaver in his isolated cottage near a deserted stone-pit, where he has been living for the last fifteen years

• The villagers are suspicious of him because of his unknown origins, his unusual appearance, his trade and his epilepsy, but he is tolerated for his fine linen-weaving

• Silas’ backstory is told: as a young man living in an urban religious community, he was framed for theft by his friend, William Dane

• With his faith in God and other people destroyed, Silas left his community in despair, and settled in Raveloe

Chapter 2

• The differences between Lantern Yard and Raveloe prevent Silas from connecting with his new community’s way of life or religious beliefs

• Isolated, he weaves and when he is paid in gold, he begins to compulsively hoard his money 

• Silas makes a herbal remedy for Sally Oates, which attracts unwanted attention from other villagers

• When he refuses to sell them “charms” or “cures”, their fear of him increases and makes “his isolation more complete”

• Silas’ life revolves around weaving during the day and counting his gold at night

Chapter 3

• Squire Cass, a widower, is the most important landowner in Raveloe

• His two eldest sons, Godfrey and Dunstan, have “turned out rather ill”

• Godfrey, who is in love with Nancy Lammeter, has secretly married an unsuitable woman of a lower class, which he regrets bitterly

• Dunstan blackmails him about his secret marriage, threatening to tell their father

• Dunstan persuades Godfrey to let him sell his horse, Wildfire, to replace the money Godfrey has paid him, which was taken from estate rents

Chapter 4

• On the way to sell Wildfire, Dunstan remembers the rumours that Silas has “a great deal of money hidden somewhere”

• He resolves to persuade him to lend it to him

• Instead of selling the horse, Dunstan kills it with his reckless riding, and on the way home he finds Silas’ cottage empty and steals his money

Chapter 5

• Returning home, Silas discovers the theft of his gold

• At first, he cannot believe the money has gone and wonders whether it has been taken by one of the villagers or some supernatural entity

• Silas rushes to the village pub, the Rainbow, to report the theft and get help

Chapter 6

• The Rainbow is full of villagers arguing about livestock, discussing the histories of village families and debating their religious traditions

• They argue about a local haunting known as “Cliff’s Holiday”, which Mr Macey, the parish clerk, believes in and Master Dowlas, the farrier, does not

Chapter 7

• Silas appears in the pub to tell them he has been robbed and they think he is a ghost

• Silas suspects Jem Rodney, the mole-catcher, of stealing the money and begs him to return it

• However, Jem has been in the pub all evening and Silas feels ashamed of casting suspicion on him without evidence

• The villagers debate who has stolen the money

• Master Kench, the constable, is ill, so after much further debate Mr Snell, the landlord of the Rainbow, and Mr Dowlas, the farrier, accompany Silas home

Chapter 8

• The next morning a tinder-box is found near Silas’ cottage

• Some villagers believe it is connected with the robbery, some think that Silas has made the whole thing up and others believe in a supernatural explanation

• Mr Crackenthorp, the rector, is in charge of the investigation

• Mr Snell connects the tinder-box with a travelling pedlar and wild rumours spread about the pedlar’s appearance

• Godfrey Cass goes to Batherley to find out if Dunstan has sold the horse and finds out it has died, so he resolves to tell his father that he has spent the rent money himself

• Godfrey considers telling his father about his secret marriage, but is afraid of creating a “hopeless barrier” between himself and Nancy

Chapter 9

• Squire Cass, a man with a violent temper, enjoys his position of authority in the parish

• Godfrey tells his father that Wildfire has died and he loaned the rent money to Dunstan

• Squire Cass asks why Godfrey has not asked Nancy to marry him yet, and tells him to sell Dunstan’s horse to make up the lost rent money

• Godfrey hopes that “some throw of fortune’s dice” will help his situation

Chapter 10

• People search for the pedlar, but nobody thinks Dunstan’s disappearance is suspicious or connected with the theft of Silas’ gold

• Silas grieves the loss of his money, which has made his life feel meaningless

• The Raveloe villagers start to regard him with sympathy

• Dolly Winthrop, a sympathetic neighbour, visits Silas with her youngest son, Aaron, and tries to persuade him to go to church

• He refuses and spends Christmas Day alone

• On New Year’s Eve, everyone in Raveloe and Tarley (the neighbouring village) attend Squire Cass’ party at the Red House

• Godfrey looks forward to seeing Nancy, although he is anxious that his father will bring up the subject of marriage and put him in a difficult position

Chapter 11

• Nancy and her sister, Priscilla, arrive for Squire Cass’ New Year’s Eve party

• Nancy is in love with Godfrey and dreams of marrying him, but she disapproves of his irresponsible behaviour, even though she does not know the worst about him

• Godfrey talks to Nancy, who maintains a distant demeanour towards him

Chapter 12

• Godfrey’s wife, Molly Farren, walks towards the Red House in the snow, carrying her child 

• She plans to tell everyone about Godfrey’s marriage in revenge for his neglect of her

• Molly takes her last grain of opium and falls asleep in the snow 

• Attracted by a flickering light, the child goes into Silas’ cottage and falls asleep in front of the fire

• When Silas returns, he sees the child’s blond curls reflecting the firelight and thinks his gold has been mysteriously returned to him

• Silas goes outside and discovers her mother’s body

Chapter 13

• Silas appears at the doorway of the hall during the party with the child in his arms

• Godfrey recognises the child as his and is horrified

• Silas asks for the doctor, although he thinks the woman is dead, while Godfrey is terrified she might not be dead

• Mrs Kimble, the doctor’s wife, offers to take the child, but Silas insists “It’s come to me - I’ve a right to it”

• Godfrey sees his wife, dead, in Silas’ cottage and, when his child does not recognise him, he makes no indication that she is his daughter

• Silas repeats his insistence that he keeps the child and Godfrey gives him half a guinea to buy clothes for her

• Godfrey returns to the party, determined to persuade Nancy to marry him

Chapter 14

• Molly is buried in Raveloe 

• Dolly teaches Silas how to wash and dress the little girl, and Silas tells her he wants to learn to look after her himself

• Silas does not tell Dolly that he suspects he had been “in one of his trances” when the child got into his cottage

• Dolly persuades Silas to go to church to have the child christened

• Silas decides to call her Hepzibah (Eppie) after his mother and sister

• People in the village become friendlier towards Silas, especially when he is with Eppie

Chapter 15

• Godfrey watches Eppie being cared for by Silas and convinces himself that she is happy 

• Godfrey pursues Nancy and dreams of a future when they are married and have their own children

• He persuades himself that he will not forget his daughter and that he will see she is well provided for

Part Two

Chapter 16

• Part Two opens “sixteen years after Silas Marner had found his new treasure on the hearth” 

• The villagers come out of church, including Godfrey and Nancy, who are now married, and Silas Marner with eighteen-year-old Eppie

• Aaron Winthrop, who is now working as a gardener, walks with them and offers to dig a garden at the cottage

• The cottage has been improved and extended, partly through Godfrey’s generosity, which the villagers admire him for

• Silas is “regarded as an exceptional person” who is entitled to more “neighbourly help” than anyone else in Raveloe

• Silas reflects on the way he has adapted to the ways of his neighbours and on the religious faith he used to have at Lantern Yard

• Eppie and Silas go for a walk and Eppie notices how much the water level has dropped in the stone-pit 

• Eppie tells Silas that Aaron wants to marry her and reassures him that she won’t leave him on his own

Chapter 17

• Nancy’s sister Priscilla and her father are visiting her at the Red House

• Priscilla criticises Godfrey for his disappointment that they are childless and Nancy defends him

• Alone, Nancy reflects on her childlessness and her anxiety about refusing to adopt Eppie when Godfrey wanted to, four years previously

• Godfrey has not felt able to tell Nancy the truth about his first marriage and his fatherhood of Eppie

Chapter 18

• When Godfrey returns, he tells Nancy that Dunstan’s skeleton has been found in the dry stone-pit and that “Dunstan was the man that robbed Silas Marner”

• Godfrey confesses the truth about his dead wife and his daughter, Eppie

• Nancy is full of regret as she would have agreed to adopting her

• They agree that it is Godfrey’s duty to acknowledge Eppie and they plan to adopt her

Chapter 19

• Silas and Eppie look at the recovered gold on the table, but Silas does not feel the same way about it

• Godfrey and Nancy arrive with their offer to adopt Eppie, which she refuses, even after Godfrey reveals he is her father

• Silas argues for his right to be Eppie’s father over Godfrey’s “natural claim” on her

• Eppie confirms that she has not “got any father but one” and that she has agreed to marry Aaron, who will help look after her father

Chapter 20

• Godfrey and Nancy agree to keep the truth hidden from everyone 

• Godfrey recognises his mistake in not acknowledging Eppie and sees sorrow as a “punishment”

Chapter 21

• Silas and Eppie plan to visit his “old country” in Lantern Yard, to find out if Silas has been cleared of the accusation of robbery

• When they arrive, Lantern Yard has disappeared and the area has become industrialised

• On returning home, Silas tells Dolly that Raveloe is his only home now

Conclusion

• Eppie and Aaron are married in the spring

• The wedding feast is to be held at the Rainbow, where the villagers discuss “Silas Marner’s strange history” 

• Silas, Eppie, Aaron and Dolly walk towards the cottage

• Eppie exclaims that nobody could be happier than they are

Source:

Eliot, George (1996). Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe, ed. David Carroll. Penguin.