George Eliot’s Silas Marner, “that charming minor master piece“ (in Eliot 252) as F. R. Lewis calls it, was published in 1861 by John Blackwood. Her publisher explains: “Silas Marner sprang from her childish recollection of a man with a stoop and an expression of face that led her to think that he was an alien from his fellows” (Eliot VII). This man was a weaver like Silas Marner. In making him the protagonist of her novel, George Eliot emphasizes his strangeness by adding short-sightedness and cataleptic fits to set him off from the people around him. The difficult process of this outsider’s integration into society is the theme of the novel...
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Lantern Yard
- Raveloe
- Conclusion
- Works Cited
- Works Consulted
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay aims to analyze George Eliot's novel Silas Marner, examining how the protagonist's life is influenced by his environment. The essay focuses on the contrasting communities of Lantern Yard and Raveloe, and how they shape Marner's development and integration into society.
- The impact of religious and social environments on individual identity
- The process of social integration and the role of fate and circumstance
- The contrasts between traditional and modern society
- The interplay between nature and human life
- The concept of "sublime prompting" as a driving force in character development
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter introduces Silas Marner, a weaver ostracized from his community due to a false accusation. The chapter highlights his alienation and the themes of faith, community, and social integration.
- Lantern Yard: This chapter focuses on the religious sect in Lantern Yard, its illiberal beliefs, and the impact on Marner's life. It examines the narrowness of the community and its emphasis on divine intervention.
- Raveloe: This chapter explores the contrasting community of Raveloe, its residents, and their relationship with Marner. It examines the villagers' prejudices and the gradual development of human connections between Marner and the community.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Key concepts explored in this analysis include social integration, religious fundamentalism, community, alienation, fate, circumstance, nature, humanism, and the influence of environment on individual life.
- Quote paper
- Kathrin Ehlen (Author), 2007, George Eliot’s "Silas Marner": How a Man’s Life is Influenced By his Environment , Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/173786
