The novel, Silas Marner, by George Eliot tells the narrative of a alone adult male who isolates himself from the remainder of the universe, and must happen love and compassion in an orphaned babe miss, left at his doorsill. Social category struggles take topographic point throughout the novel, due to its focal point on two characters on the antonyms of the societal spectrum, Godfrey Cass and Silas Marner. Godfrey Cass, the boy of the small town ‘s Squire, represents the higher category, while Silas Marner, a hapless and alone weaver, characterizes the lower category. Many other back uping characters, such as Dustan Cass and Dolly Winthrop besides help understand how each category thinks. Silas Marner focuses on the hierarchy system in order to understand their behaviours, their mentality of life, and the life styles of each side of the societal categories.
The reader can supervise the Cass household and Silas Marner to understand behaviours that their several societal categories have. Godfrey and Dunstan Cass tend to move heedlessly with their actions, because they have ever lived with luxury and have experienced no adversities. For illustration, Godfrey in secret married a bibulous lady named Molly Farren, who embarrassed him so much that he left her due to her opium dependence. Dunstan Cass, a spoilt, irresponsible, drunkard, ever hunted for merriment, and he even black mailed his brother for money when he said, “ I might state the squire how his fine-looking boy was married to that nice immature adult female, Molly Farren, and was really unhappy because he could n’t populate with his bibulous married woman, and I should steal into your topographic point every bit comfy as could be ” ( Eliot 30 ) . Even Godfrey acted selfish when he abandoned his married woman every bit shortly as he saw a better adult female, and subsequently he even tried to take away Eppie from Silas merely so that he could hold his ain kid. These actions show that the upper category people have a wont of believing merely about their reputes and their pleasance without sing the injury it may make to others. Silas Marner, nevertheless, had a avaricious personality in the beginning, but merely because his small town rejected him, and he had no 1 else. He shows off his caring side when he foremost meets Eppie as a babe, as he says, “ She ‘d take it all for merriment, ” he observed to Dolly, “ if I did n’t ache her, and that I ca n’t make Mrs. Winthrop ” ( Eliot 150 ) . All his actions and feelings towards Eppie show that Silas Marner has a lovingness personality. Mrs. Winthrop besides has compassionate qualities, as she helps Silas take attention of his babe and attempts to assist him whenever she can, since, “ The good wholesome adult female could barely neglect to hold her head drawn strongly towards Silas Marner, now that he appeared in the visible radiation of a sick person ” ( Eliot 99 ) . The actions and behaviours of these provincials show that they have no ownerships, so they take pride in their compassion. This shows that the hapless low category people have the ability to appreciate what they have, whereas the spoilt higher category people have no boundaries for their ceaseless desires.
Silas Marner and Godfrey Cass both have different mentalities towards life, because of the events that occur due to their societal rank. Since Godfrey has established himself as a well-thought-of person, he cares more about his repute than anything else. His mentality towards life is that he must ever delight his male parent and increase him reputation so that he does non hold to populate and do his ain money. He thinks that he has a fantastic life, but merely if he gets what he wants. If he does non obtain what he wants, he goes through great adversities to accomplish it. For illustration, when he wanted a kid he got covetous that Silas had a better relation with his kid, Eppie, than he did, so he tried to follow her, non sing that, “ aˆ¦Silas would instead portion with his life than with Eppie ” ( Eliot 195 ) . He merely tried to convert himself that he would acquire what he wanted since, “ the weaver would wish the best to the kid he has taken so much problem with, and would be glad that such good luck should go on to heraˆ¦ ” ( Eliot 195 ) . Silas Marner, nevertheless, does non hold any ownerships or money, so he does non desire to lose his most prized ownership: his girl. Silas had two mentalities on life in the book, one in the beginning, which merely focused on greed and selfishness, like Godfrey, and another after he meets Eppie. Becoming a male parent gave him something to care about and made him bury about his wealth, since he merely focused on the public assistance of his babe. His mentality on life after Eppie became that he would make whatever possible to delight his girl, and he shed all his selfishness, greed, and loneliness all because of Eppie. Therefore, the greed and selfishness that is attained in the higher category causes a negative mentality towards life.
Silas and Godfrey have really different life styles because of their economical and societal position. Populating criterions non merely include the province of their places and accoutrements, but besides how good they can populate with their household. Godfrey lives in a sign of the zodiac with his male parent and his brothers, and does non hold to work because his male parent provides for his nutrient and shelter. He as everything, but he does non hold a close relationship with his household, since, “ Everyone breakfasted at a different hr in the ruddy houseaˆ¦ , ” ( Eliot 83 ) . This shows that the Cass household are non near plenty to hold breakfast at the same clip, since they can non acquire along with each other, and the Squire Cass frightens the kids given that Godfrey says that, “ aˆ¦ his male parent ‘s indulgence had non been kindness ” ( Eliot 88 ) . Therefore, the Cass household has first-class life criterions, but can non populate with each other because of hatred and anger towards each other. Silas, nevertheless, lives in poorness because he lost all his money. He has a atrocious life style, and works difficult to back up himself and Eppie. He has a fantastic relationship with Eppie and his neighbours, like Mrs. Winthrop, so much so that Eppie refuses to go forth him when Godfrey offers to follow her. While the old facets sometimes contradicted their arrangement in the societal hierarchy, their life styles decidedly reflect their societal rank. However, their societal life styles do non reflect their life criterions, because they have excessively many or excessively less material ownerships. Therefore, their life criterions resemble a portion of their making for their societal category, but their ranking does non explicate the sum of love that they have for their household.
Silas Marner teaches the reader that one can non achieve felicity through their ownerships, and that household values are much better to hold. Silas Marner ‘s behaviours make him a good individual because he cares more about his friends and household than material ownerships, since does non hold excessively many properties. He besides has a different mentality to life than Godfrey, because he believes in compassion and love, whereas Godfrey thinks that his universe will stop if his repute is ruined. Finally, Silas Marner lives in horrid life conditions because of his low societal category and his deficiency of money, but is closer to his household than Godfrey as he is non distracted by money and pleasance. Silas Marner exposes the writer ‘s religious consumption on life, and teaches the reader how to win and be happy in life.
