Silas Marner Study Guide
Chapter 1
Vocabulary
accession – an increase
ardent – passionate, intense
ascertaining – finding, identifying
averred – strongly claimed
benignity – kindness
bequest – a gift
blasphemy – impiety, heresy
brawny – muscular
chary – cautious
colloquies – everyday conversations
conception – an idea
conjuring – magic
culpable – guilty
efficacy – effectiveness
exhorted – strongly encouraged
fervid – devout, earnest
imperativeness – insistence
impetuously – hastily, carelessly
impressible – open, receptive, impressionable
incorporated – mixed, combined, merged
indispensable – vital, needed
intermittent – irregular
jarred – disagreed
pallid – pale
perpetual – constant
phantasm – a delusion
protuberant – protruding, sticking out
provident – thrifty, frugal
queries – questions
rectory – a parish priest’s house
render – to give
repugnance – disgust, repulsion, distaste
resurgent – a reappearance
sanctioned – approved
singularities – differences
stile – a ladder across a fence that enables people to go from one field to another
unexampled – unique
unwonted – exceptional
vestry – a church meeting room
wry – twisted
1. The story, published in 1861, relates events taking place in some earlier time. In what time period would you place the action of this
story?
2. What people are described as “alien-looking men,” and why are they thus described?
3. Why are the weaver and visiting peddlers thought to be possibly in league with the Evil One, the devil?
4. As the story opens, how long has Silas Marner been in the town of Raveloe, where has he come from, and how is he viewed by the
inhabitants of the town?
5. In addition to his reclusive nature and occupation, why else is it thought that he may be aligned with the devil?
6. We are told that “Marner’s inward life had been a history and a metamorphosis.” What has his life been filled with before he comes
to Raveloe?
7. What happens that changes Marner’s life?
8. Before the robbery, how has his “friend” William Dane turned Marner’s fiancée and some others against Silas?
9. When Silas says that he is innocent and that Dane is the last one to have seen the knife that is used to pry open the drawer, how is
Marner’s guilt proven? What does this method suggest?
10. A month later when Silas’ fiancée marries Dane, Silas leaves Lantern Yard. Describe the kind of person Silas has become when he
leaves Lantern Yard.
Chapter 2
Vocabulary
abstractions – intangible concepts
amulet – an object used as a charm against evil, a charm
benumbed – cold, frozen
discourse – a discussion
dispensations – commands and orders of a religious system
divinities – higher powers, gods
erudite – scholarly, brainy, cultured
hedgerows – a row of brushed forming a hedge
inanity – meaninglessness, absurdity
incipient – developing, beginning
loam – a mixture of sand, clay, silt, and organic matter used to grow seeds
physic – medicine
pulsation – a rhythm, beating
revelry – entertainment, celebration
sullenness – grouchiness, a bad mood
unpropitious – hostile, unfriendly
unremittingly – without stopping, ceaseless, continually
1. In the first two paragraphs of this chapter, what contrast is drawn?
2. Do you notice that God is referred to in both Chapters 1 and 2 but rarely by name? What are some of the terms used?
3. In Raveloe, Silas throws himself into his work. What is he, as he weaves, compared to? What literary term is employed?
4. Why has he “reduced his life to the unquestioning activity of a spinning insect”?
5. After he has been paid by Mrs. Osgood, how do we see that Silas’ view of money has changed?
6. When Silas helps Sally Oates, he has a good feeling and thinks perhaps he might rejoin humankind. How does this reaction of the
people of the village drive him even deeper into himself?
7. Why does Silas not take the opportunity to pretend to have magical powers and sell the people magic tokens and potions?
8. We are told that as more money comes in, Silas spends less because he has become a true miser. Although he hides his money, why
is it said to be unlikely that any local will rob him?
9. The first two chapters are told in a flashback. How does this technique work in Silas Marner?
10. At the end of Chapter 2, what indicates that the action is moving into the present time?
Chapter 3
Vocabulary
annulling – destroying
arrears – an unpaid debt
chines – meat that contains part of the backbone
contingent – conditional
cupidity – greed, desire
distrain – to seize (property in order to make the person pay his debt)
fetters – bonds, chains
gratuitously – pointlessly
hallowing – holy, revered
husbandry – farming
incalculable – immeasurable
irresolution – uncertainly, indecision
laudanum – an opiate
multitudinous – many different
oblivious – unaware
orts – scraps
pathos – an emotion, feeling
pillions – extra padding (for a rider behind the saddle)
placably – tolerantly
pliant – flexible, malleable
prosaic – boring, mundane
recommence – to re-start
rumination – mediation, reflection, pondering
tacit – silent, implied, unspoken
trumps – advantages
unctuous – fatty, oily
vicinage – an area
wainscoted – expensively wood paneled
1. The author opens this chapter by describing the lives of Squire Cass and the other wealthy landowners in the area. What seems
noteworthy about their lives?
2. We are told that because the Squire’s wife died long ago, the two boys have been raised without the wholesome influence of a
mother. As a result, how have they turned out?
3. How is Dunstan Cass presented, and how does he get his brother to supply the rent money for an unreliable tenant?
4. Godfrey, realizing that the money has to be paid or his father will be told of the situation, considers telling his father the whole
story. What keeps him from doing so?
5. If their father throws Godfrey out, will Dunstan’s position within the family improve?
6. Who is Nancy Lammeter, and what do we know about her?
7. What does Dunstan suggest that they do in order to get the money to pay their father?
Chapter 4
Vocabulary
cajoling – coaxing, convincing
coppice – a group of small trees or shrubs
divined – knew, discerned, figured out
felicitous – well-timed; agreeable
jacks – devices used to turn the spit over a fire
loom – a device used to make thread or yarn into cloth
surplus – extra, left-over
treadles – pedals
unprecedented – different, unheard of
1. As Dunstan rides to the hunt, he passes Silas’s cottage. The idea comes to him that Godfrey might borrow the money from Silas
and, thereby, not have to sell the horse. Why does he reject this idea?
2. Three times in this chapter, Dunstan refers to himself as “a lucky fellow.” After the accident with the horse, why does he still think
of himself as lucky? What does this say about him?
3. Although Bryce offers 120 pounds for the horse, why does the sale never go through?
4. As he walks toward his home, what does Dunstan plan to boast about to the crowd that hangs out in the Rainbow Inn?
5. What leads Dunstan to Silas’ door?
6. At the end of this chapter, what does Dunstan take when he leaves Silas’ house?
Chapter 5
Vocabulary
condescension – disdain, superiority
contemptuous – arrogant, insulting
conviviality – companionship, good-fellowship
dissipated – broken up, separated
imminent – near, coming soon
presentiment – fear, expectation
prostration – submission, compliance, surrender
retarding – stopping, hindering
superfluous – extra, excessive
wrought – worked
1. How is the fact that Silas has left his house unlocked while running an errand made believable?
2. Paraphrase the following: “The lapse of time during which a given event has not happened is, in this logic of habit, constantly
alleged as a reason why the event should never happen, even when the lapse of time is precisely the added condition which makes the
event imminent.”
3. What sometimes makes the author’s long abstract passages easier to decode?
4. What is Silas’ first reaction when he discovers his loss? Why is he comforted when he comes to believe a thief took the money?
5. Why does Silas run to the Rainbow Inn?
Chapter 6
Vocabulary
analogical – a statement based on a comparison or analogy
candor – straightforward honesty
conciliatory – peace-making, calming
epigram – a witty comment, joke
farrier – a blacksmith
fustian – a type of coarse cotton/linen material
jocose – jolly, humorous, comical
lief – willingly, readily
piquant – appealing, interesting
precedent – prior examples or decision
propriety – appropriateness, correctness
rector – a clergyman, parish priest
requisition – in need
throstle – a type of songbird (thrush)
wheelwright – a person who builds and repairs wheels
1. Little happens to advance the plot in this chapter. Why do you suppose the author includes it?
Chapter 7
Vocabulary
adjuring – questioning
apparition – a ghost
compunction – regret, uneasiness
disincline – unwilling
indisposed – unwilling
oracular – wise, prophetic
par – an average, norm
pregnant – meaningful, significant
preternatural – unusual, supernatural
resolutely – deliberately, intentionally
superlatively – very, highly, especially
surplice – a robe (worn in church services)
torpid – dormant, inactive
transient – temporary, changing
1. What is the first reaction of those in the inn when they see Silas in the doorway?
2. Silas first accuses Jem Rodney of stealing his gold. Why does he later apologize to Jem after Mr. Macey’s comment?
3. What might the following comment, particularly the portion after the colon, foreshadow? (particularly, the last sentence)
“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.”
4. How does this chapter end?
Chapter 8
Vocabulary
ascertained – determined
boded – predicted
clairvoyant – a psychic
eliciting – drawing out
glazier – a person who cuts and fits glass for windows and doors
impious – unholy
implacable – merciless, inflexible
impregnated – filled, loaded
irresolution – indecision
malignity – cruelty, ill will
pretenses – tricks, deceits
repudiated – rejected
surmise – an assumption
tinder box – a metal box that holds materials for starting a fire
1. Why, on the night of the party, is Godfrey not surprised that Dunstan has not come home?
2. Why is the peddler suspected of being a thief?
3. What opinion does Godfrey hold about the theft?
4. After a couple of days pass, where does Godfrey think Dunstan may be?
5. After resolving to go to Batherley, how does Godfrey find out what happened to Wildfire?
6. Before he goes to bed that evening, what does Godfrey resolve?
7. In the morning what change of mind takes place?
Chapter 9
Vocabulary
acuteness – sharpness, clarity, insight
calculable – predictable
deprecated – condemned, belittled
duplicity – deception
eatables – food
entail – a legal inheritance to the next male heir
errant – wrong
evasion – avoidance
gentilities – sophistication, refinement
homage – to honor, show loyalty
inversion – a reversal
lieve – to prefer
mitigated – eased, calmed
ostler – a caretaker of horses
ponderous – awkward, clumsy, heavy
presupposition – an assumption, belief
prevarication – lying
prudence – practicality; wisdom
slovenly – dirty, messy, sloppy
unmodified – unchanged, unaffected
1. How does the Squire behave towards his sons?
2. Why is the Squire upset that peace is talked about in the paper?
3. Why do you suppose it is mentioned that the squire gives his dog as much meat for breakfast as a poor man may have for his
holiday dinner?
4. Godfrey, not having any other out, is forced to tell his father about the missing 100pounds rent. What is his father’s reaction?
5. Whom does the father blame for the fact that Godfrey is “a shilly-shally fellow”?
6. What blame does Godfrey lay at his father’s feet?
7. In the last paragraph of this chapter, the author discusses chance and fortune. What is her point?
Chapter 10
Vocabulary
adulterated – contaminated, changed for the worse
appropriating – acquiring, taking, claiming
capacious – broad, open
cessation – an ending
collateral – additional
comporting – behaving
deride – to insult, mock
diffidence – hesitance, reluctance
discriminated – distinct, different
discursive – rambling
dubiety – uncertainly
egoism – self-centeredness
exhortation – advice, encouragement
explicable – explainable
imperceptibly – unnoticeably
importunate – harassing, troublesome
injurious – hurtful, damaging
irascibility – irritability
paltry – cheap, low-class
pettitoes – pig’s feet (as food)
preëminently – most outstandingly, predominantly
prescriptive – accepted
requisite – required
rivulet – stream
scrupulous – careful, precise
susceptible – subject, vulnerable
venerable – aged, honored, respected
vixenish – argumentative
wall-eyed – eyes going different direction
1. Why is the connection not made between the robbery and Dunstan’s absence?
2. What effect has the robbery had on Silas?
3. What effect has the robbery had on Silas’ neighbors?
4. For what reason does the author say the following: “...one reason why we are seldom able to comfort our neighbors with our words
is that our good will gets adulterated, in spite of ourselves, before it can pass our lips.”
5. What do both Mr. Macey and Mrs. Winthrop suggest would be a big help for Silas?
6. In what way may they be correct?
7. Why is Silas unable to comprehend what his comforters are saying?
8. The author tells us that Silas has changed since he was a young man. What does the quote below imply about Silas at this point?
“Nobody...knew that he was the same Silas Marner who had once loved his fellow with tender love and trusted in an unseen
goodness.”
9. Why is New Year’s Day a big day at the Cass house?
10. The conversation which takes place in Godfrey’s mind with Anxiety reveals the troubling thoughts he has. When Anxiety says,
“But money is wanted in another quarter,” to whom or what could the comment refer?
Chapter 11
Vocabulary
aberration – difference; departure
adroit – skilled
apothecaries – pharmacists
bate – to give away
carping – complaining, disapproving, fretting
charter – a document creating and establishing the rules of a town
coiffure – a hairstyle
colic – an abdominal pain
complacent – indifferent
deference – courtesy
disavowed – claimed
exiguity – a lack, deficiency
facsimile – a reproduction, copy
fallible – imperfect
formidable – tremendous
grimace – a painful look
hale – healthy
impious – disrespectful
incongruous – irregular, inconsistent
indiscriminately – randomly
induced – tempted, convinced
inherently – basically, mostly, essentially
insensible – unaffected, indifferent, unconcerned
inspirit – to liven, refresh, awaken
irreligion – irreverence, dishonor, hostility toward religion
judicious – careful, cautious
levity – absurdity, frivolity
memento – a reminder
nattiness – neatness
patronage – support
patronizing – favoring, indulging from a position of superiority
pettishly – with ill-temper
precedence – a priority, first place, first turn
rayed – spread, shone, beamed
scarify – to scratch, rip
sodger – soldier
solicitously – attentively, carefully
tit for tat – one act for another
tucker – a piece of lace worn about neck and shoulders
variegated – streaked with different colors
veracity – honesty
vindication – explanation, defense
vivacious – lively
vouchsafed – given, granted, secured
1. Why is Nancy upset by the marked attention Godfrey shows her?
2. For what reason, even though he is the son of a squire, will she not agree to marry him?
3. What contrast is drawn between the two Gunn sisters and Nancy?
4. What do we know of Nancy’s sister Priscilla?
5. How do we learn that Nancy does have strong feelings for Godfrey?
6. When the Squire links the names of Godfrey and Nancy romantically, what do we learn about Mr. Lammeter’s view of the
relationship?
7. Some of the townsfolk are permitted to sit on the sidelines and watch the dancing. What do we learn is Mr. Macey’s opinion of
Godfrey?
Chapter 12
Vocabulary
conjectures – conclusions, guesses, assumptions
degradation – shame
futurity – future events or possibilities
indolence – laziness
presiding – ruling
self-reproving – self-disgust, acknowledging one’s guilt
torpor – unconsciousness
vindictiveness – desire for revenge
1. Why has Molly chosen this night to come and confront Godfrey?
2. Molly blames Godfrey for her wretched condition, but what is Molly’s real problem?
3. How does the young child end up sitting in Silas’ house in front of the fire?
4. What is Silas’ reaction when he sees the blonde hair of the child?
Chapter 13
Vocabulary
advent – an entrance
duplicity – deceit
eglantine – a type of rose with bright pink blossoms
emaciated – skeleton-like, wasted
façade – a false appearance, false-front
freaks – unusual behaviors
lithe – flexible, graceful
placably – tolerantly
profligacy – corruption, evil
renunciation – relinquishment, giving up, self-denial
subterfuge – an excuse, deception
unmeritorious – undeserving, without worth
vagrant – a delinquent, beggar
volatile – inconsistent, unstable, temperamental
whist – a card game
1. As Godfrey stands admiring Nancy from a distance, we are told that his eyes “encountered an object as startling…as if it had been
an apparition from the dead.” How do we know that the sentence refers to the appearance of the child and not Silas?
2. If someone had looked at him, how would he have given himself away?
3. What is Godfrey’s biggest terror at the moment about the woman in the snow?
4. Godfrey, wearing only his thin shoes, goes to fetch Mrs. Winthrop. As they walk to Silas’ cottage, Dolly says that Godfrey has a
good heart. We are told that Godfrey weighs his alternatives. What are his alternatives, and how do we know which alternative he will
choose?
5. Before leaving, why does Godfrey take one quick look at the dead woman?
6. The narrator tells us that in sixteen years Godfrey will tell the full story of that night and reveal his secret. Why do you suppose he
will do that so much later?
7. Why does Silas think he has a right to keep the child?
Chapter 14
Vocabulary
aberration – an abnormality, difference, irregularity
articulate – able to be understood
attendant – accompanying
communion – an association, intimacy
compacted – filled tightly
contention – a disagreement, argument
conveyed – communicated
derived – learned, obtained, procured
descrying – seeing, finding, discovering
disposition – an inclination, tendency
docilely – humbly, submissively
dormant – sleeping, inactive
effectual – effective, useful
enfeebled – run down, weak
imperatively – immediately, insistently, urgently
iterated – repeated
moithered – confused
novelty – a surprise, new idea/event
penal –corrective, disciplinary
perturbed – worried, nervous, anxious
propensities – inclinations to act in a certain way
propitiatory – appeasing, placating
stupefied – frozen, numbed, inactive
traversed – crossed
vicariously – indirectly experienced
1. We are told that the death of Molly brings changes in many lives. What changes occur in Silas’ life as a result of taking in Eppie?
2. What is the reason for the changed attitude of the people toward Silas?
3. Although Dolly helps Silas quite a bit, why is Silas reluctant to let Dolly do too much?
4. What is Silas’ reaction when Dolly suggests that the child be christened?
5. Does getting involved with the church make Silas more religious?
6. A comparison is made between Silas’ gold and Eppie. What is the point of this comparison?
7. Paraphrase the following passage in your own words. “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.”
8. Why does the author devote so much time to Silas’ attempt to discipline Eppie?
Chapter 15
Vocabulary
incurring – stirring up, calling upon oneself
jocosely – humorously
1. Godfrey, on occasion, gives Silas money for Eppie, but he does not do a great deal for her. What holds him back from doing more
for her? What does he promise himself in this regard?
2. The author then alludes to a once famous tale about a person who has a ring that pricks his finger whenever he neglects his duty to
pursue his desires. Paraphrase the author’s comment in this passage: “I wonder if it pricked very hard when he set out on the chase, or
whether it pricked but lightly then and only pierced to the quick when the chase had long been ended, and hope, folding her wings,
looked backward and became regret?”
3. What is the point of the ring story? What might it foreshadow?
4. At the end of this chapter, we are told that Godfrey thinks of his future life with Nancy and their children. Then, he remembers the
other child, Eppie. Some critics think this last sentence is said sarcastically by the author. What is your opinion; is it sarcastic or not?
Chapter 16
Vocabulary
cadence – a rhythm
chastise – to correct, beat down, punish
cogent – forceful, strong
coquetries – flirtations, teasing
desisting – stopping, pausing
emphatically – decisively
fervor – intensity
fetishism – attachment to, high regard for
fustian – a cotton and linen blend
half-abstractedly – preoccupied
ingenuously – honestly, willingly, frankly
invariable – normal, unavoidable
parried – deflected, avoided
recurred – came back to, returned to
remonstrate – to challenge, dispute
reticence – a restraint, hesitance
roguish – coy, playful
rove – to wander
rusticity – countrified, provincial, rural
sages – wise people
sanctioned – approved
unvitiated – pure
vainly – uselessly, unsuccessfully
veracious – honest, truthful
vexed – angered, upset, irritated
1. Chapter 16 opens Part II of the novel sixteen years later. Why do you suppose it opens with a church scene?
2. We are told that Godfrey has not changed much in features, but of Nancy we are told “The firm yet placid mouth, the clear,
veracious glance of the brown eyes speak now of a nature that has been tested and has kept its highest qualities.” What does that
sentence suggest?
3. When we see Silas and Eppie come out of church, what contrast is drawn between them?
4. Eppie is the blossom of youth, and from her conversation with Silas, we learn she wants to plant a garden. We then learn that Aaron
Winthrop, whose occupation is that of gardener, wants to marry Eppie. What is Silas’ response to that information?
5. What has Godfrey’s relationship with Silas and Eppie been over the years?
6. Flower, insect, and animal imagery are used frequently in this novel. What is the point in the description of the dog and cats in the
house?
7. Change is mentioned a great deal in this chapter. What is the one thing that Silas will not change in the house? What does it
represent to Silas, and what is it a symbol of for the author?
8. In what way has Silas changed outwardly, but not necessarily inwardly?
9. What does the comment below by Dolly mean? But what lies upo’ your mind—it’s this, Master Marner: as, if them above had done
the right thing by you, they’d never ha’ let you be turned out for a wicked thief when you was innocent.
10. What answer does Dolly come up with to the question of evil?
11. What is Silas’ response?
12. To what does the author attribute Eppie’s delicate nature?
13. When Silas asks Eppie if she wants to marry Aaron, what does Eppie answer? How would you characterize Eppie’s feelings for
Aaron?
Chapter 17
Vocabulary
adherence – acceptance, obedience
averse – disinclined, reluctant
blighting – destructive
calamities – disasters, catastrophes
effaced – erased
elude – to avoid
eminently – extremely
epoch – an era, period of time
fallacy – an error, wrong concept
filial – relating to children
fleckered – flecked, spotted, speckled
gig – a carriage
impetuously – impatiently
incitement – encouragement
injunction – a request, instruction
irreparable – irretrievable, permanent
peremptory – dictatorial
privation – a hardship
rectitude – correctness
remonstrances – protests
scruple – a qualm
scrutinize – to examine
singular – odd, curious
solicited – enticed
soliloquy – a mental conversation
tenacity – a resolve, firmness; strength
transported – deported (sent to another country for crimes)
unobtrusive – not obvious; inconspicuous
unvaryingly – consistently
1. All the action in this chapter takes place in the Cass house. What changes have taken place in this house?
2. How has Mr. Lammeter changed?
3. Has Priscilla changed? Does she seem bitter towards men?
4. What has been the cause of some tension in the Cass household? Why has Nancy objected to Godfrey’s request of adopting Eppie?
5. What do we learn of the couple’s own attempt to have children? How does Godfrey view the situation?
6. In his plans to adopt Eppie, Godfrey still is not going to reveal that he is her father. What makes him think he can disrupt Silas and
Eppie’s life whenever he chooses?
7. Nancy realizes how empty life seems to Godfrey because he has no child. She believes that the reason for Godfrey’s unhappiness is
her refusal to adopt a child. Explain Eliot’s following comment in this context. I suppose it is the way with all men and women who
reach middle age without the clear perception that life never can be thoroughly joyous; under the vague dullness of the gray hours,
dissatisfaction seeks a definite object, and finds it in the privation of an untried good.
8. This chapter ends on an ominous note. What has the maid told us is happening outside?
Chapter 18
Vocabulary
augured – predicted, foretold
comparative – relative
exerted – tried, put forth
indignation – righteous anger, crossness
refrained – stopped, quit
suspended – stopped momentarily
1. When Godfrey comes home, what news does he give Nancy?
2. Why does Godfrey then go on and reveal his secret marriage and his relationship to Eppie?
3. In the earlier chapters, Godfrey hopes for the best; that is, he hopes that chance and fortune will come through for him and save the
day. Now, however, he seems to believe that not chance nor fortune, but God’s will acts on our lives. How do you account for this
change in thinking?
4. Godfrey expects Nancy to be very upset with him and possibly leave the house and go to her father’s house. How does she respond?
5. If they had adopted Eppie when she was four, what turn would the plot have taken? Given the possible scenarios, is the author
making some comment on life and a person’s destiny?
Chapter 19
Vocabulary
banished – cast out
beholden – indebted
cleave – to cling
definiteness – assuredness, confidence
florid – ruddy, healthy-looking
obliged – obligated
penitence – remorse, regret
ponderingly – thoughtfully
previsions – guesses
proposition – a plan, suggestion
transfiguration – a change
1. In this chapter, as she does elsewhere, the author shows herself to be a keen observer and commentator on people and their
behavior. In the first paragraph, what situation is she commenting on?
2. What does Eppie believe would have happened to her if Silas had not taken her in as a child?
3. Having gotten his money back, does Silas believe he will once again be a miser?
4. Godfrey decides that it is best not to mention right away that he is Eppie’s father. How does Godfrey approach the topic of
adoption?
5. When Eppie mentions the only need they have is for a garden, why do you suppose Nancy promptly mentions her own garden?
6. After Eppie turns down the adoption offer, Godfrey blurts out the truth; she is his natural daughter. What line of reasoning does he
then pursue to convince Silas to give up Eppie?
7. When Silas leaves the decision to Eppie, what is her response? Do you find her answer believable? Given the opportunity in front of
her, do you think she makes a wise choice?
Chapter 20
Vocabulary
industrious – diligent, focused
repose – to rest
shirked – avoided
1. As you read this chapter, what is your feeling about Godfrey?
2. Why does Godfrey decide not to make public the fact that he is Eppie’s father? How does Nancy feel about his decision?
3. In making a closure on that part of Godfrey’s life, how may it change his future?
4. How does he view Eppie’s rejection of him?
Chapter 21
Vocabulary
agitation – an annoyance
attendant – present
certitude – an assurance, truth
stifled – suffocated (closed in without fresh air)
trusten – trust
1. Why does Silas want to return to Lantern Yard?
2. Although eager to make the trip, what is Eppie’s reaction to the city?
3. When they get to the Lantern Yard section of the city, what is Silas’ reaction to the old neighborhood?
4. In the last part of this chapter, Dolly and Silas talk about the dark and the light. What do the dark and the light refer to?
Conclusion
Vocabulary
lichen-tinted – moss-colored
premeditated – pre-planned
quavered – shaky, wavering
sentiment – an opinion, outlook
1. For Eppie’s wedding, Godfrey adds a room to Silas’ house; he also buys Eppie’s wedding dress and pays for the wedding feast to be
held at the Rainbow. Given these facts, on the day of the wedding, why is he out of town? Why do you suppose he cannot make the
wedding?
2. In the final scene, Aaron, Eppie, Silas, and Dolly have walked back to the cottage before going to the Rainbow. Ben Winthrop has
stopped off at the Rainbow where everyone will meet later. Considering Eppie’s last line, what do you suppose Eliot is suggesting?