Primary 6
Al Karma Language School
English Department
Name: __________________
Class: ______________
In the early year of the nineteenth century, strange looking little men were
often seen on the country roads, usually with a heavy bag on their shoulders.
They were small and thin, with tired white faces, bent backs and round
shoulders. .
They were linen- weavers, taking the linen they had woven to the women in
the village. They were often shortsighted too, because they had to look so
closely at their work. To the villagers the weavers looked almost foreign, and
quiet frightening. Country people used to be very suspicious of all the
stangers and travelers. That's why the linen- weavers, who often moved from
towns to the country, were considered strangers and were sometimes lonely
as a result.
Silas Marner was a linen-weaver who lived in a small cottage near the
village of Raveloe. He had first come at Raveloe fifteen years before, as a
young man. He worked long hours at his loom every day– even on Sundays,
and had no friends or visitors. No one knew anything about his family. He
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was pale, with strange, staring eyes. He was sad and lonely. His only friends
were the bright gold coins that he earned for his weaving and kept hidden
under the floorboards. The Raveloe villagers believed that he had an almost
devilish power which he could use to harm them if he wanted, so they were
all afraid of him.
One of the villagers had had a strange experience with Silas. One evening
he had discovered the weaver resting on a field gate, his eyes open but
unseeing, and hid body cold and hard, like a dead man's. After a few
moments Silas appeared to wake up, said 'Good night' and walked away.
When this was discussed in the village. Mr Macey, the church clerk said
“That’s the devil’s work, believe me!” he thought that Silas didn’t have a fit
as he didn’t fall down, but believed that Silas’ soul flew out of his body
sometimes and that’s why he looked so strange. He believed so because Silas
didn’t go to church and was able to make Sally Oates better, when the doctor
himself could do no more for her. He believed it was the devil’s work.
Silas had come from a large town to the north of Raveloe. There he had
lived a very different life. He belonged to a religious group. They met every
Sunday at the chapel.
Mr. Paston, the minister, believed that in the moment when Silas was
absent from them, his soul was open to a possible message from God as he
believed that Silas was chosen by God.
On the other hand, William Dane, who was Silas’ best friend, disagreed with
Mr. Paston as he believed that it was more like the devil’s work than God’s .
William Dane, Silas’s best friend at chapel, was a serious young man who
was, some people thought, a little too sure of his own goodness and
cleverness. Silas, however, could see no fault in him, and trusted him
completely.
When Silas used to have a fit, William asked Silas to look deep into
himself and see if there was any evil hiding in his soul. Silas was hurt that his
friend doubted him.
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Silas became engaged to a young woman, Sarah, who belonged to the
same chapel. William joined them sometimes on their Sunday's walk.
Then William borrowed Silas’ knife and used it to kill the chapel leader and
stole the church money while Silas was sitting with him and was having a fit.
Then he put the empty bag of church money under Silas’ bed. By that
William made everybody, even Mr. Paston, believe that Silas’ was a
murderer and a thief. Silas was extremely hurt from William because he
betrayed him and made use of his weakness, his fit although Silas had once
trusted him.
Everybody accused Silas of murdering the chapel leader because Silas
was the only one in the chapel leader’s house at that night, Silas’ knife was
found at the dead man’s bedside and William found the missing bag of the
church money, empty under Silas’ bed. Finally they decided to draw lots, as
they thought that only God knew the answers, Silas was sure that God would
prove his honesty. The minister took one of the papers out of the covered
box. the lots said that Silas had stolen the money.
As a result, Silas was so hurt especially when Sarah broke up with him
and got married to William only a month later.
From now on, he would live in a dark, loveless, hopeless world. After the
disaster that Silas had experienced in the large town, Silas travelled to the
small village Raveloe where he shut himself away in his cottage. He didn’t
want to think about the disaster he had experienced. He couldn’t understand
why God had refused to help him. But now that his trust in God and his
friends had been broken, he didn’t feel strong enough to build up that trust
again, in a new church and with new friends.
In his childhood, Silas had been taught by his mother to make simple
medicines from wild flowers and plants. When Silas realized that Sally Oates
had all the signs of the illness which had killed his mother, he felt sorry for
her and prepared some medicine for her which made her feel much better.
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After that the villagers started visiting Silas to ask for help with their own
illnesses. But Silas was too honest to take their money and give them useless
medicine so he sent them away. The villagers became angry as they thought
that Silas was selfish and was refusing to help them. They blamed him for
accidents that happened to them and deaths in the village. So poor Silas's
kindness to Sally did not help him make friends in Raveloe.
The piles of gold coins in his cottage grew higher. He was delighted with
every new coin, but it made him want another. His gold became a habit, a
delight, a reason for living, almost a religion. He replaced God and people
with the gold coins that he earned from his weaving. The gold coins became
his friends, who made the cottage less lonely for him. He spent time with
them at night when he had finished his work. Like a thirsty man who needed
a drink, he took them out every evening to look at them, feel them and count
them. He was delighted with them.
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