Silas Marner

1. Character sketch of Silas Marner.

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2. What made the people of Raveloe superstitious about Silas Marner?

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3.  What kind of life was led by Silas during his early days at Raveloe?  Why  did he attract Jem Rodney's attention?

Answer:  Silas Marner is the main character of the Novel written by George Eliot.  Basically the story of Marner is related with the life of  Georage Eliot and she has tried to express herself with the help of the character of Silas Marner. In the beginning of the Novel we have seen that he was living his life in Lantern Yard where he was one of the respectable person and a churchman.  People often appreciate his goodness and his belief in God.  His best friend William Dane felt jealous of him because of his popularity.  Silas loved Sarah and wanted to marry with her but Dane wanted to belittle Silas so that he could marry with Sarah.  

     Marner had a disease i.e. epilepsy which was considered by people as the spiritual visitation due to their ignorance and inability to understand the disease.  Dane tried to prove that it was not spiritual visitation rather it was a Davil's visitation.  He criticized Marner that there is some evil in Marner's Mind that is why it happened with him.  

     One day Silas Marner and William Dane are appointed to take care of ailing Deacon and his Gold.  In the midnight Dane said that he had felt illness that's why he left the place.  Afterwords Marner got another attack of epileptic fit.  Dane took advantage of it and stole the gold and killed Deacon with Marner's knife.  Thereafter he put the knife and gold at Marner's dwelling.  Later Marner was proved to be the culprit for the stealing of gold and the death of deacon.  

    After getting the betrayal of bosom friend Marner decided to leave lantern yard.  He went to a place where no one knew him and started living a life of recluse.   Now the story of Marner's life shifted from lantern yard to a small village Raveloe.  Here he stopped interacting with others started doing the work of weaving.  Afterwards Marner was known as a recluse because he never talk with someone.  He talked only if had to talk about his supplies of clothes or money.

     Now no one knew him.  When the people of Raveloe had seen him in the attach of epileptic fit, they co-relate it with some supernatural power and Jem Rodney who lived near Marner's cottage considered it as if he knew how to leave the body and how to walk out of death.  That was the reason why Rodney attracted towards Silas Marner.  Due to his and the ignorance of the people of Raveloe they considered him  as a person having super-natural powers.  

     Silas had also learnt about the medicinal power of herbs from his mother and could offer cure for dreaded ailments like rheumatism.  This special quality of Silas further earned him a special and having some supernatural powers.  All these things made the people superstitious about Silas Marner.