How Does George Eliot Portray Wealth in Silas Marner
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- Category: English: Creative Writing
- Date Submitted: 04/28/2016 01:41 PM
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How does George Eliot present money and wealth in Silas Marner?
George Eliot presents money and wealth in Silas Marner as something which is a prized possession and as if there is nothing better. There are many situations throughout the novel where this is revealed. However closer to the end of the novel there comes a turning point on the point about wealth and money when they realise it’s not all about money.
One of the ways George shows the importance of money is when he says “And [he] had lost his money too, so as he had nothing but what he worked for week by week, and when the weaving was going down too—for there was less and less flax spun—and Master Marner was none so young.” This quote is an example of George Eliot's historical precision. That throw-away line, "there was less and less flax spun," keys into a big historical change: the Industrial Revolution, which is basically outsourcing Silas's job. In the cities, factories are churning out cheap fabric that makes his loom irrelevant.
Another point about wealth mentioned in the novel is when they are trying to get Eppie (Godfrey’s child) but in this case it is not an obsession of wealth at hand or its importance. “It's natural he should be disappointed at not having any children: every man likes to have somebody to work for and lay by for, and he always counted so on making a fuss with 'em when they were little.” From this we can understand Nancy excuses Godfrey's disappointment in not having children because, she says, men like to have somebody to accumulate wealth for (to "lay by"). There are some similarities here between Nancy's conception of wealth and Silas's—neither sees it as useful for what it can buy in the present—but the difference is that Silas accumulates wealth simply to have it; Nancy thinks that men like to acquire wealth so they can take care of their children. No word on what women like to do with money.
There comes a point where we realise that Silas is not about wealth and money....
George Eliot presents money and wealth in Silas Marner as something which is a prized possession and as if there is nothing better. There are many situations throughout the novel where this is revealed. However closer to the end of the novel there comes a turning point on the point about wealth and money when they realise it’s not all about money.
One of the ways George shows the importance of money is when he says “And [he] had lost his money too, so as he had nothing but what he worked for week by week, and when the weaving was going down too—for there was less and less flax spun—and Master Marner was none so young.” This quote is an example of George Eliot's historical precision. That throw-away line, "there was less and less flax spun," keys into a big historical change: the Industrial Revolution, which is basically outsourcing Silas's job. In the cities, factories are churning out cheap fabric that makes his loom irrelevant.
Another point about wealth mentioned in the novel is when they are trying to get Eppie (Godfrey’s child) but in this case it is not an obsession of wealth at hand or its importance. “It's natural he should be disappointed at not having any children: every man likes to have somebody to work for and lay by for, and he always counted so on making a fuss with 'em when they were little.” From this we can understand Nancy excuses Godfrey's disappointment in not having children because, she says, men like to have somebody to accumulate wealth for (to "lay by"). There are some similarities here between Nancy's conception of wealth and Silas's—neither sees it as useful for what it can buy in the present—but the difference is that Silas accumulates wealth simply to have it; Nancy thinks that men like to acquire wealth so they can take care of their children. No word on what women like to do with money.
There comes a point where we realise that Silas is not about wealth and money....