STAGE
4
Silas Marner
George Eliot
Introduction
This ungraded summary is for the teacher’s use only
and should not be given to students.
The story
Silas Marner, a weaver, comes to settle and work
in the village of Raveloe. The villagers are afraid of
him, and suspect him of possessing devilish powers,
which sometimes send him into a kind of trance or
fit, and which give him unusual knowledge of herbal
medicines. So Silas lives and works alone in his
Background to the story
cottage, with no friends or family. He originally came
The author is George Eliot, whose real name was Mary
from a large town, where there were a lot of weavers,
Ann, or Marian, Evans. She was born in 1819, and spent
so he was not considered strange. There he attended
her childhood on beautiful farmland in Warwickshire
chapel meetings regularly, but lost his faith in God
with her brothers and a sister. When her mother died,
when he was wrongly accused of stealing money.
she took charge of the family. She studied languages
When, as a result, his fiancée married his best friend,
(including Greek, Latin and Hebrew), literature and
Silas became very bitter, and decided to move to a
music, and after her father died, she travelled widely.
place where no one knew him. He leads a sad, lonely
For many years she lived with a writer, George Lewes,
life in Raveloe, with nothing to look forward to except
who encouraged her to write fiction, and her stories
counting his hard-earned money in the long, dark
were an immediate success. She took a man’s name,
evenings. His gold coins become his only reason for
because it was more acceptable to be a male author in
living.
the nineteenth century, and because she did not want
Squire Cass’s son Dunstan has tricked his elder
her Warwickshire neighbours to recognize themselves
brother Godfrey into foolishly marrying a village girl,
in her characters. She wrote several powerful and
Molly, in secret, and is blackmailing him. Godfrey no
moving novels, which were much admired by Queen
longer loves Molly, and wants to marry a gentleman’s
Victoria and Charles Dickens among others. She died
daughter, Nancy. He is worried the Squire will disinherit
in 1880.
him if Dunstan reveals the truth. Dunstan steals Silas’s
The story is set in the early nineteenth century,
money from the weaver’s cottage, and falls into the
when machines were coming into use to produce
quarry on his way home. Silas goes almost mad with
goods and materials, which had formerly been made
grief when he discovers his loss.
individually by hand. Weavers using large looms could
Meanwhile, Molly is determined to shame her
make a lot of money by working long hours, as the
husband in front of his family, but she dies in the snow
cloth they made was in great demand. However, these
on the way to the Casses’ house. Her small daughter
industrial changes were slow to reach the countryside,
finds her way into Silas’s cottage. The weaver decides
where farming went on in the same way as it had
to keep her, calling her Eppie, and he finds a new
done for centuries.
happiness with her. Godfrey is relieved that his first
wife is dead, but does not tell anyone who she is.
He and Nancy marry, but their only baby dies. After
sixteen years, Dunstan’s body and the gold are found
in the quarry. Godfrey finally tells Nancy the truth
about Molly, and together they ask Silas to let them
adopt Eppie, but Eppie refuses. She marries Aaron, a
local boy, and they look after Silas in his old age.
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STAGE
4
Silas Marner
Pre-reading activity
Match the words with the pictures
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
e Carrying the heavy bags, Dunstan stepped
forward into the darkness.
f Holding Nancy in his arms, Godfrey forgot all
his problems.
g Dunstan came close to Godfrey and smiled in
an evil way.
h The weaver sat down and told his story.
a Instead of hard, metal coins his fingers felt
soft, warm curls.
b ‘You’ve got a weak character, Godfrey,’ said
the Squire angrily.
c Silas and Eppie were sitting outside their
cottage.
d Silas liked holding the shining gold coins in his
hand.
To the teacher
Aim: To familiarize students with the setting
2
Time: 30 minutes
3
Where do you think it is happening?
What parts of the story can you guess from the
pictures and words?
Organization: Give one copy of the worksheet
to each student or each pair or group of students.
Ask students to put the pictures in a suitable order
Ask the students to match the picture with the
for telling a story. Groups should exchange their
correct caption.
opinions and story ideas. (Do not tell any group that
Then ask students to look again at the pictures
they are right or wrong about the actual plot of
above, and discuss:
the book.)
1
Key: 1d, 2g, 3e, 4h, 5b, 6f, 7a, 8c.
What is the date of the story?
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STAGE
4
Silas Marner
While reading activity
What’s going to happen next?
Which is the most likely future for each of these characters?
Silas
Has died, leaving Eppie
poor and alone.
Eppie has left him to marry
Dunstan Cass.
Is possessive about Eppie,
and doesn’t allow her any
freedom.
Has found his gold, is now rich, and has
bought the Casses’ house.
Is still weaving, so that he can pay for
Eppie to go to school.
Is now blind, and can’t see his beloved Eppie.
Your own idea.
Eppie
Has become a weaver like
Silas, and works seven
days a week.
Loves counting up the
money she earns, and
hiding it under the floor.
Is spoilt and selfish, because
Silas has never punished her.
Is in love with, and wants to marry, someone
from the village.
Is unhappy with her simple life, and wants to
become a lady.
Your own idea.
Godfrey
Is planning to kill Silas, so
that Eppie will come to live
with him.
Paid someone to kill
Dunstan, so that his
marriage to Molly would
remain a secret.
Is married to Nancy, but no
longer loves her.
Has a large family now, and has forgotten
Eppie.
Has lost all his money, and become as poor as
Silas and Eppie.
Has no children, and thinks it must be
Nancy’s fault.
Your own idea.
Aaron
Has been killed by
Dunstan, because they
both loved Eppie.
Would like to marry Eppie,
but is worried that he
doesn’t know who her real
father is.
Has grown up with Eppie and
has a brotherly feeling towards her.
Has been paid by Godfrey to kill Dunstan.
Silas taught him to weave, and he is now
a rich man.
Your own idea.
To the teacher
Where: At the end of Chapter 7
students to consider the various possibilities of what
Aim: To consolidate understanding of the characters,
could happen to the key characters in the sixteen-
and predict plot development
year gap between the end of Chapter 7 and the
Time: 30–40 minutes
beginning of Chapter 8. Students should choose their
Organization: Put students in small groups and
preferred outcome, and be prepared to justify their
hand out a copy of the worksheet to each group. Ask
choices.
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STAGE
4
Silas Marner
After reading activity
Snap! or Pelmanism
SET ONE
Raveloe
Sarah
Dolly Winthrop
Gold coins
Wildfire
Mr Macey
Weaving
Light Street
The Rainbow
The pedlar
Sally Oates
Eppie
A pocket-knife
Dunstan Cass
Silas’s door key
Mr Paston
Nancy Lammeter
Wild flowers
Godfrey Cass
William Dane
The old quarry
and plants
Molly
SET TWO
Silas used THIS to hang his meat from, over
SHE is Godfrey’s and Molly’s daughter.
the fire.
HE was supposed to be Silas’s best friend.
Silas came to work in THIS village.
Silas was once engaged to HER.
HE is the church clerk in Raveloe.
Silas lent THIS to William Dane.
Silas gave HER some medicine during
THIS is Silas’s work.
her serious illness.
SHE started drinking because she was unhappy.
The chapel that Silas used to go to was HERE.
Silas counted THESE at night.
HE was the chapel minister.
SHE is a pretty, intelligent girl, who
HE married his first wife in secret.
marries Godfrey.
HE liked gambling and spending money on
HE is a man who travels round the
horses and women.
country selling things.
SHE is a busy, hard-working woman,
Silas made medicines from THESE.
who enjoys helping her neighbours.
THIS is the public house in Raveloe.
Dunstan’s body was found HERE.
Godfrey wanted Dunstan to sell THIS.
To the teacher
Aim: To revise events and key facts of the narrative
corresponding cards are put down, one after the
Time: 30–40 minutes
other, the player who realizes it first shouts ‘Snap!’
Organization: Make a pack of 44 cards by cutting
and can pick up the whole pile of cards in the centre.
out and sticking each of the following words and
Play continues until one player holds all the cards and
sentences on a piece of card. The pack consists of
is therefore the winner.
two sets of 22 cards. The first set has characters
For PELMANISM, put all the cards face down on
or objects on the cards, and the second set has
the table, either in parallel rows (this makes it much
complete sentences with information from the story.
easier!) or at different angles to each other. Each
The aim is for students to match up the two sets of
player turns over two cards at a time. If the cards are
cards. The games are best played in groups of three
a matching pair, that player keeps both cards, and has
or four students; each group needs a complete pack
another turn. If they do not match, they are turned
of 44 cards.
over again, and the next person has a turn. Players
For SNAP! give the players equal numbers of cards,
try to remember where cards are, and the winner is
face down. Each player in turn lays one of their cards,
the one with the most pairs of cards at the end of
face up, on a pile in the centre of the table. If two
the game.
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