“Silas Marner”, written by George Eliot deals with the story of the weaver who lost his faith in God and his eventual road towards the redemption of God. The novel is weaved with morality and other socio-cultural backdrop of the Victorian era. The novel subtly depicts the Victorian society and other issues regarding the rigidity of child development. The novel evokes the theme of social realism , loss of faith , isolation , hypocrisy of upper class society, superstitions , rapid growth of urbanization and others.
The theme of social realism dominates the novel throughout the play. It is an implication towards the Victorian society and the lifestyle of the age. Eliot clearly stated about the lifestyle of Silas Marner who was a weaver and lived an isolated life in Raveloe and the people of England believed that the weavers have the supernatural abilities and knows the magic of herbs. Marner was a weaver and he was known to cure his cataleptic disease with his magical herbs which reflects the social realism and the belief of the Victorian era.
However, the people of England during the Victorian era had the notion of weavers as someone who is completely distrusted and eccentric towards the urban life. The certain beliefs occurs due to their isolated lifestyle and complete detachment from the society. Marner as a character institutes the same notion of Victorian belief because he was betrayed by his own friend William Dane in Lantern Yard accusing him of murder and a theft. It led Marner to have a faith crisis and urban lifestyle which he disconnected for many years and lived in isolation.
In addition to this, the another of aspect of social realism is the impact of Darwin’s Theory “On the origin of Species“. It led to the chaotic condition of Victorian compromise and it also became easier for people to lose faith in God. Marner completely lost his faith in God after the betrayal in Lantern Yard and declared that “there is no just God that governs the earth righteously, but a God of lies, that bears witness against the innocent”. The lines is suggestive of Marner’s faith crisis as his faith was shaken and compromised to live with the injustice or move on by disconnecting himself from God and the society.
Moreover, the novel throws insight into the social reality of superstitious beliefs. The villagers of Raveloe has a notion about Marner having some supernatural powers and presentably Jem Rodney highlighted about Marner’s cataleptic condition which he found out to be odd. The villagers considered him to be associated with the occult and rumours sprang about him as a man who knows the herbal arts of magic to cure diseases which he learned from his mother. It clearly shines a light upon the social superstitious notions about the weavers and the people’s perception about them .
Eliot had also depicted the “Rainbow taverns” in the novel. It exemplifies the Victorian realism of inns where people gather around in a miscellaneous groups and celebrate while enjoying , dancing , drinking and gossips about the matters in the society. Mr. Macey talks about the family of Lammeters who came to the north and bought the property of Warrens and further dives deep into the story where he mentions the haunting of the stable from the previous owner Mr. Cliff who spend long nights cracking his whip in the stable. This shows the daily routine of the taverns of the Victorian society where people are engaged with the matters of the society as well as a discussion on people coming from the urban areas settling in their community.
However, the Victorian society was a class conscious society. Eliot showcases the hypocrisy of the upper class society and the family of Squire Cass. They were considered to be the richest family in Raveloe but the children of Squire Cass namely Dunstan and Godfrey lived a sophisticated lifestyle. Godfrey was a coward character in the novel who meditates on his past mistakes and tries to make amends to it. He committed an adultery by secretly marrying off to Molly Farren with a child without the knowledge of his father. Dunstan is a gambler , drunkard and a thief who spends the money extravagantly and blackmails his brother Godfrey. He eventually stole Marner’s money and disappeared until it was realized that he fell into the basement in Marner’s house revealing his dead in the end of the novel.
The Victorian era was an era of rigidity and strictness in terms of child development and morality. The spirit of Puritan ideology correlates with the Victorian set of ideals. The novel depicts Mrs.Dolly Winthrop strict adherence to Puritan morality where she rejects Marner’s chosen name “Hephzibah” which was his mother’s name for Mrs. Winthrop sees it as not Christian. It also shows the strict morality of Biblical approach for giving a baby name. Furthermore, she also suggested that Eppie should be punished as she grow older which also reflects the Victorian attitude towards the child development and shows the strict rigidity but Marner decides to raise Eppie without being punished.
Lastly, the expansion and the growth of urbanization is also captured in the novel. Eppie and Marner went back to Lantern Yard to see whether the accusation is cleared or still persists, they see that the place has changed and he was able to see a huge factory that has been built upon the spot when Marner pass by the Lantern yard of old community’s stead. Marner decided to go around and ask everyone about Lantern Yard and Mr. Paston but nobody remembers the existence of it . It delineates the growth of urban expansion of Victorian era and the gradual engulfment of rapid development.
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