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Silas Marner Book Notes Summary

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by George Eliot
About 51 pages (15,277 words)
Silas Marner Summary

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Objects/Places

Raveloe: The name of the village where the novel is set. Upper-class members of society in Raveloe include Squire Cass's family, the Osgoods, the Kimbles, and the Lammeters; the working-class villagers include the Winthrops, Mr. Macey, Mr. Snell, and the butcher. The villagers generally enjoy themselves excessively; they often have parties and gather at the Rainbow.

The Stone-pits: The deep body of water next to Silas's cottage. The villagers try not to walk near the edge of the water, lest they might fall in and drown. Dunsey does, however, drown in the Stone-pits after he steals Silas's money. Sixteen years after Dunsey steals the money, Godfrey drains the Stone-pits for land and Dunsey's skeleton is found.

Lantern Yard: Silas's hometown. He was born here and he had a happy life, even once engaged. Although he was happy here, he is later forced to leave because he is falsely accused of stealing. Thirty years after he leaves Lantern Yard, Silas returns with Eppie to see if he can talk with the chapel minister and clear his name. The Lantern Yard Silas knew no longer exists; in its place is a grim, dirty factory with no chapel.

Silas's gold: The gold that Silas receives from his weaving. He hoards his pile of money and loves to look and touch his gold. It is his one companion in Raveloe. When his money is stolen, Silas is devastated and becomes even more isolated until he finds Eppie in his home. The little girl takes the place of the gold in Silas's heart. When Eppie is all grown up and the money is returned to him, Silas believes that Eppie has brought him more love and joy than the money could ever have given him.

Wildfire: Godfrey's beloved horse. He is forced to sell the horse when he has to pay up his father's money. Against Godfrey's wishes, Dunsey takes the horse to sell and finds a buyer, but kills it accidentally on a stake before he can get the money.

Godfrey's whip: Dunsey carries Godfrey's whip with him when he is walking back to Raveloe from the horse hunt. The whip gives him a powerful feeling. The whip has Godfrey's name engraved on it. Later, when Dunsey's body is found in the Stone-pits, the villagers also find Godfrey's whip.

The Rainbow: The local pub in Raveloe, owned by Mr. Snell. The working-class men gather here often to talk with each other and gossip about the high-society class of Raveloe. Silas comes here to tell the villagers that his gold has been stolen.

The tinderbox: The villagers find a tinderbox near Silas's cottage and believe that the robber who'd taken Silas's gold must have left the box behind. Mr. Snell recalls that a peddler had recently visited Raveloe, carrying a tinderbox.

Dolly's lard-cakes: Dolly brings Silas some lardcakes she'd made. They have the initials I.H.S. on them. Although Dolly herself cannot read what the letters say, she knows that the letters are associated with the church, and that fact alone is good enough for her. Silas recognizes the letters but does not comprehend that they might symbolize the church.

Eppie's garden: Eppie asks Silas if they can have a garden in their yard. Aaron offers to help them build the garden, as he is a gardener and can get soil from the Red House. At the end of the novel, Eppie and Silas have a beautiful garden on the land that Godfrey has given them.

Silas's knowledge of herbs: Silas inherits his mother's knowledge of medicinal herbs. When he saves Sally Oates's life by administering a medicine made from an unusual herb, the townspeople question if he is devil-sent.

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