Silas marner in the light of biblical allusions and symbolisms
by Omar García
Subject: 19th Century English Literature (with teacher Susana Bustos)
In this essay, I will talk about biblical symbolisms in the novel “Silas Marner” (1861) by George Eliot. On the recognition of Mary Ann Evans’ evangelical background as a youngster, and her understanding of “religion as the form through which many people have, historically, expressed their best moral impulses” (Maitzen, 2012), I will discuss the events in the story’s paradigm considering the relevance of its biblical allusions (Eliot, 2006), their moral implications, and topics, in order to express throughout my personal point of view, and to describe what the story means to me.
First, it’s worth noticing that Eliot chose biblical names for the two main characters of this story: “Silas” and “Hephzibah” (shortened: Eppie). In connection with this, it’s interesting the fact that, like the biblical Silas in Acts 16, Marner is the object of false accusations that a crowd raises against him. Throughout the novel Eliot also mentions the Bible six times, she quotes once from the Psalms, and she incorporates or mentions several religious topics that are meant to be part of the context of the story.
In connection to the beginning of the story, we learn very early that Silas was part of “a narrow religious sect.” Nevertheless, the narrative makes it very clear that his mouth reflected a heart that was not fully persuaded of his belief. Totally unlike the biblical Silas, Marner had no firm convictions, which can be understood when we are informed that “one of the most frequent topics of conversation… salvation… Silas confessed that he could never arrive at anything higher than hope mingled with fear.” Such is the fear that overcomes his little hope as soon as William Dane spreads false report against him. Again, unlike the David and Jonathan in The Bible, Silas and William make no friendship covenant.
Notably, the moment the weaver renounces to his little faith, he also renounces to affective contact with people. It is foolish to lose faith in God just because of man’s actions, or because church fellows accuse oneself, but Silas is clearly shown to have been expecting the approval of man rather than God’s. Mistakenly, he can’t see the difference between men’s actions and God’s so he blasphemes as if his church’s accusation had been God’s. Afterwards, Eliot describes us how this “shaken trust in God and man” made him become an isolated and hopeless hermit in an unknown town so far. We are told that during that time he was “cut off from faith and love”, leading a solitary life, lacking any kind of lovely relationships and any type of brotherly bonds, as Eliot expresses: “his life narrowing and hardening itself more and more into a mere pulsation of desire and satisfaction that had no relation to any other being."
Isolated from social contact, Marner tirelessly begins to work in his loom. However religious he may had been, he is then seen as the very personification of the neglectful man in Matthew 6:19. He may be one of the best examples of someone who mistakenly stores up for himself treasures on earth, deceived by the false idea that money can be his “company.” Eager for money, Silas wandered from the faith and pierced himself with many griefs, remaining this way for fifteen years. When the thief breaks in and steals his gold, Silas’ world is turned upside down.
He finds himself in a hard position, a bad situation that at first seem to cause more suffering to Silas, but Eliot displays the theft as what actually leaves place for good things to begin to happen. After all, had it not been for the stealing, probably Silas would not have moved his thoughts to higher things than money. Had it not been for the stealing, probably the villagers in Raveloe hadn’t showed compassion to Silas. Had it not been for the stealing, probably the little girl Eppie wouldn’t have found Silas, or he wouldn’t have adopted her. The robbery is the beginning of a change that helps Silas to see the emptiness he had in materialism and his ephemeral joy in gold. Silas’ former love of money, the root of all evil, would be taken away, as he would clearly affirm in the endings: “it takes no hold of me now”.
All Silas did years before was to work for money, but when he’s stolen, Eliot shows that a door is opened. People began to communicate more with him because of his pitiful situation. It was, in Eliot’s words, “an incident… which seemed to open a possibility of some fellowship with his neighbours.” Eliot describes this as a “bud” or the “beginning of a growth”. Silas will be little by little part of a community again as his neighbours began to see him as a needed person. The best of his neighbors, Mr. Macey and Dolly, bring him food and try to console him.
All the villagers, of course, are different. Many are ready to fear or avoid outsiders, rather than to welcome them. Having been an outsider himself, there are those who slandered with his tongue against Silas. Many of them not only neglect to show hospitality to strangers, but also ignore about their inner struggles, their past, or their future. Yet, feeling very ready to judge, they raise speculations against Silas and later against the peddler. All those villagers personify those who bear false witness against their neighbors. Their irreverent babble and foolish talk leads people into more and more impiety. These pointless discussions reflect the truthful saying that “evil communications corrupt good morals.”
However, as Silas adopts Eppie, he finds more sympathy in the eyes of people. Dolly Winthrop invites him to church and is happy to make him company; she offers him her hand, asks her little boy to sing a religious and encouraging carol to Silas, and she gives him advice about how to raise the little girl. She is a woman who tries to carry Silas’ burdens though Silas is somewhat reluctant. Symbolically, Silas reconciles himself with humanity and with God, as he regains his belief on the assurance that “God gave Eppie to him because Godfrey turned his back upon her, and He looks upon her as Silas’.” Godfrey has to admit then: "everything comes to light,… when God Almighty wills it, our secrets are found out,” a phrase that echoes Luke 8:17.
Eppie’s name, rooted in the hebrew name 'Hephzibah', fulfills for Silas its literal translation: 'my delight is in her,' (Hutchinson: 1996:192). Noteworthy, Eliot uses Eppie and Silas’ baptism as a symbolism of a new life starting for them. Though he didn’t fully know what it meant, new life had begun for Silas Marner.
The conclusion of the story is rightly stated in Eliot words: Silas “brought a blessing on himself by acting like a father to a lone motherless child”. This allowed him to reconnect with humanity, to find a happy fellowship of “united people” in the end, and to somehow rediscover love. Silas Marner, thus, can be regarded as a novel of reconciliation and promotion of certain moral principles, which even Eliot, in her later humanist world-view, had to recognize as principles promoted by biblical teachings here discussed. “She always remained interested in religion,” (BHA, 2004) and through the incorporation of some of its meanings, Silas Marner contains the message that one should not give up on relationships just because some people failed us, that one should not refuge in material things to find ephemeral satisfaction; and that one can adopt little children like Eppie, with which one can find the long-lasting relationship of a father and a daughter. Indeed, something beautiful, though nothing new, in the light of the biblical teachings.
First, it’s worth noticing that Eliot chose biblical names for the two main characters of this story: “Silas” and “Hephzibah” (shortened: Eppie). In connection with this, it’s interesting the fact that, like the biblical Silas in Acts 16, Marner is the object of false accusations that a crowd raises against him. Throughout the novel Eliot also mentions the Bible six times, she quotes once from the Psalms, and she incorporates or mentions several religious topics that are meant to be part of the context of the story.
In connection to the beginning of the story, we learn very early that Silas was part of “a narrow religious sect.” Nevertheless, the narrative makes it very clear that his mouth reflected a heart that was not fully persuaded of his belief. Totally unlike the biblical Silas, Marner had no firm convictions, which can be understood when we are informed that “one of the most frequent topics of conversation… salvation… Silas confessed that he could never arrive at anything higher than hope mingled with fear.” Such is the fear that overcomes his little hope as soon as William Dane spreads false report against him. Again, unlike the David and Jonathan in The Bible, Silas and William make no friendship covenant.
Notably, the moment the weaver renounces to his little faith, he also renounces to affective contact with people. It is foolish to lose faith in God just because of man’s actions, or because church fellows accuse oneself, but Silas is clearly shown to have been expecting the approval of man rather than God’s. Mistakenly, he can’t see the difference between men’s actions and God’s so he blasphemes as if his church’s accusation had been God’s. Afterwards, Eliot describes us how this “shaken trust in God and man” made him become an isolated and hopeless hermit in an unknown town so far. We are told that during that time he was “cut off from faith and love”, leading a solitary life, lacking any kind of lovely relationships and any type of brotherly bonds, as Eliot expresses: “his life narrowing and hardening itself more and more into a mere pulsation of desire and satisfaction that had no relation to any other being."
Isolated from social contact, Marner tirelessly begins to work in his loom. However religious he may had been, he is then seen as the very personification of the neglectful man in Matthew 6:19. He may be one of the best examples of someone who mistakenly stores up for himself treasures on earth, deceived by the false idea that money can be his “company.” Eager for money, Silas wandered from the faith and pierced himself with many griefs, remaining this way for fifteen years. When the thief breaks in and steals his gold, Silas’ world is turned upside down.
He finds himself in a hard position, a bad situation that at first seem to cause more suffering to Silas, but Eliot displays the theft as what actually leaves place for good things to begin to happen. After all, had it not been for the stealing, probably Silas would not have moved his thoughts to higher things than money. Had it not been for the stealing, probably the villagers in Raveloe hadn’t showed compassion to Silas. Had it not been for the stealing, probably the little girl Eppie wouldn’t have found Silas, or he wouldn’t have adopted her. The robbery is the beginning of a change that helps Silas to see the emptiness he had in materialism and his ephemeral joy in gold. Silas’ former love of money, the root of all evil, would be taken away, as he would clearly affirm in the endings: “it takes no hold of me now”.
All Silas did years before was to work for money, but when he’s stolen, Eliot shows that a door is opened. People began to communicate more with him because of his pitiful situation. It was, in Eliot’s words, “an incident… which seemed to open a possibility of some fellowship with his neighbours.” Eliot describes this as a “bud” or the “beginning of a growth”. Silas will be little by little part of a community again as his neighbours began to see him as a needed person. The best of his neighbors, Mr. Macey and Dolly, bring him food and try to console him.
All the villagers, of course, are different. Many are ready to fear or avoid outsiders, rather than to welcome them. Having been an outsider himself, there are those who slandered with his tongue against Silas. Many of them not only neglect to show hospitality to strangers, but also ignore about their inner struggles, their past, or their future. Yet, feeling very ready to judge, they raise speculations against Silas and later against the peddler. All those villagers personify those who bear false witness against their neighbors. Their irreverent babble and foolish talk leads people into more and more impiety. These pointless discussions reflect the truthful saying that “evil communications corrupt good morals.”
However, as Silas adopts Eppie, he finds more sympathy in the eyes of people. Dolly Winthrop invites him to church and is happy to make him company; she offers him her hand, asks her little boy to sing a religious and encouraging carol to Silas, and she gives him advice about how to raise the little girl. She is a woman who tries to carry Silas’ burdens though Silas is somewhat reluctant. Symbolically, Silas reconciles himself with humanity and with God, as he regains his belief on the assurance that “God gave Eppie to him because Godfrey turned his back upon her, and He looks upon her as Silas’.” Godfrey has to admit then: "everything comes to light,… when God Almighty wills it, our secrets are found out,” a phrase that echoes Luke 8:17.
Eppie’s name, rooted in the hebrew name 'Hephzibah', fulfills for Silas its literal translation: 'my delight is in her,' (Hutchinson: 1996:192). Noteworthy, Eliot uses Eppie and Silas’ baptism as a symbolism of a new life starting for them. Though he didn’t fully know what it meant, new life had begun for Silas Marner.
The conclusion of the story is rightly stated in Eliot words: Silas “brought a blessing on himself by acting like a father to a lone motherless child”. This allowed him to reconnect with humanity, to find a happy fellowship of “united people” in the end, and to somehow rediscover love. Silas Marner, thus, can be regarded as a novel of reconciliation and promotion of certain moral principles, which even Eliot, in her later humanist world-view, had to recognize as principles promoted by biblical teachings here discussed. “She always remained interested in religion,” (BHA, 2004) and through the incorporation of some of its meanings, Silas Marner contains the message that one should not give up on relationships just because some people failed us, that one should not refuge in material things to find ephemeral satisfaction; and that one can adopt little children like Eppie, with which one can find the long-lasting relationship of a father and a daughter. Indeed, something beautiful, though nothing new, in the light of the biblical teachings.
References:
Books:
Hutchinson, Stuart (1996). George Eliot: Critical Assessments: Helm Information critical
assessments of writers in English. Volume 4; Volume 6. Helm Information.
ISBN: 9781873403396
Eliot, George (2006). Silas Marner: Literary Touchstone Edition. Prestwick House literary
touchstone classics. Prestwick House Inc. 1580493459
Electronic sources:
British Humanist Association (BHA), 2014. “George Eliot / Marian Evans (1819-1880)”
https://humanism.org.uk/humanism/the-humanist-tradition/19th-century-freethinkers/george-eliot/
Maitzen, Rohan. October 5th, 2012. Look No More Backward: George Eliot and Atheism. Los Angeles Review of Books. https://lareviewofbooks.org/essay/look-no-more-backward-george-eliot-and-atheism
Eliot, George (1861). Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe. October 10, 2008. The Project Gutenberg. [EBook #550]
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/550/550-h/550-h.htm
https://humanism.org.uk/humanism/the-humanist-tradition/19th-century-freethinkers/george-eliot/
Maitzen, Rohan. October 5th, 2012. Look No More Backward: George Eliot and Atheism. Los Angeles Review of Books. https://lareviewofbooks.org/essay/look-no-more-backward-george-eliot-and-atheism
Eliot, George (1861). Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe. October 10, 2008. The Project Gutenberg. [EBook #550]
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/550/550-h/550-h.htm
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