Theme & Author's Purpose

I am on page 190 of Silas Marner by George Eliot-the purpose George Eliot had for writing this novel was never clearly stated but she did publish a multitude of her diaries and there were notes in them that indicated her rationale for writing the novel. The author herself grew up in the country and was forced to move to an urban setting to attend school and wrote many times in her diary about her longing for the countryside and its romantic and peaceful ways, therefore I think it is fair to assume that she missed home and writing this novel provided an outlet for that yearning and desire. Additionally, the author wrote of her love of exploring the "complexities of human relationships" which was evidently portrayed in the novel of Silas Marner and his difficulty integrating himself into society. Moreover, the main theme surrounding Silas Marner would have to be the vitality of faith and persistence of goals. Silas was so strong in his faith that he moved from his comfort zone and home to a new location to escape the controversy and scrutiny of the community but at the same time he wasn't bitter or angry about his situation but rather embraced the change and moved. He never lost his faith in God, even at his darkest times after his girlfriend left him for his enemy and that persistence of hope and his goals blessed him with an unforeseen change in his life that altered who he was. He was blessed with the opportunity of saving a little orphaned girl and raising her to be the pride of the community. She was the real reason Silas ever stepped out of his comfort zone and integrated himself into society. The author described this change in Silas by saying, "As the child’s mind was growing into knowledge, his mind was growing into memory: as her life unfolded, his soul, long stupefied in a cold narrow prison, was unfolding too, and trembling gradually into full consciousness." (183). The main theme of the novel was faith and hope and to never give up on either one of those things and those are the things that will bring you true happiness not an unhealthy obsession with money or a sheltered and reclusive lifestyle.

Literary Devices

I am on page 165 on Silas Marner by George Eliot-there are a multitude of literary devices used throughout the novel that impact the flow and comprehension of the plot. These literary devices enhance the characters and storyline in a unique and creative way. Two of the main literary devices in the novel are the constant use of foreshadowing and flashback. The novel itself is split into two halves each consisting either of a flashback of Silas's past that includes hints and bits of foreshadowing to allude to events that occur in the second half of the book containing the present day information. There is also an evident amount of symbolism throughout the course of the novel. The main symbol in the book is Silas's loom. Literally the loom is the source of Silas's income but on a deeper level the loom is symbolic of his obsession with money and physical deformities. He is bent over due to working so many hours for so many days and has poor eyesight. Additionally, the loom is a foreshadowing of the coming industrialization. Traditionally, work was done manually in these days but as the years pass the story begins to shift into the industrial revolution and is representative of how someone can become so insignificant, which is how Silas often felt. Finally, the most important symbolization of the loom is what it does, the loom is a machine that weaves fabrics which can be symbolic of how Silas weaved/integrated his way into the community with his new daughter and weaved her into the society as well. The narrator described Silas's obsession with money by saying, "...like the weaving and satisfaction of hunger, subsisting quite aloof from the life of belief and love from which he had been cut off." (149). Overall there are many helpful literary devices in the novel but the most prominent and vital were the author’s use of foreshadowing, flashback and symbolism to enhance the characters.  

Tone & Diction

I am on page 124 of Silas Marner by George Eliot-the diction throughout the novel is very different from the style of diction used in most novels today. The diction in the novel varied from character to narrator which is evident when reading and noticing that the narrator’s style of diction was more serious and formal where the characters use of diction was more informal. An example of this communication between characters is demonstrated by, “Confound you, hold your tongue!” said Godfrey, impetuously. “And take care to keep sober to-morrow, else you’ll get pitched on your head coming home, and Wildfire might be the worse for it.”
“Make your tender heart easy,” said Dunstan, opening the door. “You never knew me see double when I’d got a bargain to make; it ‘ud spoil the fun. Besides, whenever I fall, I’m warranted to fall on my legs.” (116). These quotes go perfectly with the flow and diction used throughout the course of the storyline and depicts the style of communication well.
In addition the tone throughout the novel revolved around morals and the unwillingness to compromise any morals or ethics for social acceptance and reveals an immense amount of sympathy for all characters involved. The tone can change to be a bit condescending at times mainly stays positive and focused on morals and sympathy for tragedies and hardships that have fallen upon the characters.

Structure & POV

I am on page 98 of Silas Marner by George Eliot-The point of view throughout the novel is 3rd person omniscient being able to give and portray the feelings, emotions and thoughts of all characters. The narrator also uses the singular "I" but never enters the story as a character. This is a beneficial point of view for this type of story because due to Silas's reclusive personality we as the audience would have a very limited view and understanding of the community and the plot as a whole. Thus this 3rd person omniscient allows for a complete understanding of all characters involved. In addition to the point of view the structure of the book is different from that of most novels. It is a two part novel consisting of one part as a flashback of the past and the second, occurring 16 years later, a present day storyline. This structure is also essential to the portrayal of the characters and plot because to fully understand why Silas is so guarded and the way he is the audience needs to be knowledgeable about his past and what made him the way he is. An example of the narrators point of view to show the feelings of the characters from an outside view is in saying, "This strangely novel situation of opening his trouble to his Raveloe neighbours, of sitting in the warmth of a hearth not his own, and feeling the presence of faces and voices which were his nearest promise of help, had doubtless its influence on Marner, in spite of his passionate preoccupation with his loss. Our consciousness rarely registers the beginning of a growth within us any more than without us: there have been many circulations of the sap before we detect the smallest sign of the bud." (79). Thus the audience is allowed a better understanding of Silas's integration into the new community of Raveloe and his presence from more than one side.  

Characterization

Characterization
I am on page 38 of Silas Marner by George Eliot-the main character in this book is Silas and can in the most blatant and concise way be summed up as passive. He is passive in almost every aspect of his life; throughout the novel thus far Silas has rarely acted upon others in any way. He prefers seclusion and his privacy. Silas is a weaver by trade and spends most of his days alone at the loom. Yet there is another aspect to Silas that is vital in understanding who he is and that is his devout faith and love of his religion. In his old town his closest friend, one of the only real people he ever let in defiantly betrayed him in more ways than one. His name was William Dane and he stole from the church and placed the taken goods in Silas's house and headed off an extreme search for the stolen goods. Inevitably placing Silias under the scrutiny of the congregation but to make things worse Silas was prone to convulsions and epileptic attacks but back in the days when this took place most people saw these "fits" as a sign and working of the devil. Being further shunned by the church for his propensities Silas stepped back and decided to focus on his work and newfound relationship with the woman he loved named Sarah. But in the midst off all of this drama Sarah left him and sent his life crashing into a seemingly never ending downward spiral. Less than a month after the end of their relationship Sarah was married to William Dane the man who was responsible for all of Silas's problems. Yet Silas never refuted or fought the accusations but was so strong in his faith saying, "You stole the money and you wove a plot to lay the sin at my door. But you may prosper, for all that: there is no just God that governs the earth righteously, but a God of lies, that bears witness against the innocent," (15). This is a major defining factor in who Silas is as a person because in refusing to plead for his innocence he trusts in God and believes that he will be freed from persecution when and how it is right.