Charlotte Bronte wrote her classic book Jane Eyre during the Victorian Era in 1846.

Particular qualities of
this time period were found in Jane Eyre. In reading this book we find the social economics, moral
conditions, and literary elements of the Victorian Era. All these play a part in Charlotte Brontes
successful novel of that time.
The Victorian Era, which followed the Regency time period, is characterized by reforms in the
government, industrialization in the factories, economic prosperity, and moral decline. This time was
marked by reform troubles but also by technological progress from 1848 to 1870.

REFLECTION UPON THE SOCIAL ILLS OF THE AGE

The novel criticized aspects of Victorian society such as child labor and abuse, the nature and
role of women, the Industrial Revolution and its resulting hardships and social developments &
With industrialization, new opportunities and challenges arose for women,

Education system:

The most obvious example of a social issue can be found in the kind of education offered at
Lowood School and the physical and emotional privations suffered by the girls there.At
Lowood, Jane finds that life is harsh. . "The punishment seemed to me in a high degree
ignominious, especially for so great a girl [. . .]" During a school inspection by Mr Brocklehurst,
Jane accidentally breaks her slate, thereby drawing attention to herself. He then stands her on a
stool, brands her a liar and shames her before the entire assembly. The eighty pupils at Lowood
are subjected to cold rooms, poor meals, and thin clothingMany students fall ill when a typhus
epidemic strikes. Jane's friend Helen dies of consumption in her arms. The epidemic of typhus
fever incites an investigation into Lowood's unhealthy conditions & Mr. Brocklehurst's neglect
and dishonesty are discovered, several benefactors erect a new building and conditions at the
school improve dramatically.

But the school is improved after the typhus outbreak, so that providential change comes about as
a result of an unhappy event

Poor conditions for orphans

Abused by her aunt after she is orphaned, Jane is sent by Mrs. Reed to Lowood where
the children are ill-dressed and underfed. Mr. Brocklehurst, a religious hypocrite and the
proprietor of Lowood Institution, is cruel and sadistic. In a subtle suggestion about the girls'
destiny, Bronte has Helen reading Samuel Johnson's Rasselas, a text examining the philosophical
question of a person's inability to change one's existence. ] you are a dependant, mama says; you
have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not to live here with gentlemens
children like us, and eat the same meals we do, and wear clothes at our mamas expense. (23; ch. 1)
Social class

The bad effects of class and snobbery can be seen in this novel. John Reed's fiery speech and
Mrs. Reed's treatment of Jane as someone outside their middle class standing sheds light on the
economic opportunities available to women in the Victorian era. Jane As a lower-class female
who is penniless yet decently educated orphan from a good family leads her to criticize some
discrimination based on class, though she makes class discriminations herself. Although she is
educated, well-mannered, and relatively sophisticated, she is still a governess, a paid employee
(middle class), and therefore relatively powerless. She respectfully defers to Rochester and his
guests from the upper class, but she asks Leah, the housemaid (lower class), to get her a candle
rather than get it herself, and has a servant girl when she is school mistress at the small village
school in Morton.

Related to this, the novel dramatizes the ambiguous social position occupied by governesses

Wealth distribution

The issue of inherited wealth and the problems of the leisured gentleman are touched upon in
the lives of John Reed and in Mr. Rochester .

REFLECTION UPON THE MORAL ISSUES OF THE AGE -------

Religious hypocrisy

Some of the most emphasized features in Victorian fiction were hypocrisy and double standards that
is only one way in which the Victorian period was described. Bront portayed religion in her novel as an
incoherent and hypocritical practice - preaching one doctrine and living by another. The character of
the sanctimonious hypocrite, Mr. Brocklehurst, is based upon William Cams Wilson, an
evangelical clergyman who founded a girls' school that provided only the poorest of conditions
Religion was used as an instrument of threat and punishment instead of being a way of providing love to
their fellowships .During her early childhood Jane Eyre lived with her Aunt Mrs. Reed at Gateshead.
After having been mistreated by his cousin John and being isolated for the rest of the house, she had a
meeting with a clergyman, Mr. Brocklhurts. It is important to realize that he used his clergymans
investiture and his religious knowledge to persuade and threat a ten year-old orphan child. Brocklhurts
started asking cunning questions to Jane such as Do you know where the wicked go after death? and
should you like to fall into that pit, and to be burning there for ever? (Brontt,1994, p. 34). His cold,
distant and accusatory attitude was not the one expected of a man of God. Through the character of the
missionary Mr. St. John River, Bront is...
 The cruel, hypocritical master of the Lowood School, Mr. Brocklehurst preaches a doctrine of privation,
while stealing from the school to support his luxurious lifestyle. After a typhus epidemic sweeps
Lowood, Brocklehursts shifty and dishonest practices are brought to light and he is publicly discredited.

Women's morality

Because there were so few occupations open to women and because women so outnumbered
men in Victorian England (so many men were soldiers, or had been killed as soldiers), many
women turned to prostitution as a means of self-support. Bronte's Jane Eyre, however, refuses to
be the mistress of Mr. Rochester, citing a higher moral law as her justification as she tells
Rochester,

"Laws and principles are not for the time when there is no temptation; they are for such moments
as this, when body and soul rise against their rigor. .

The nature and role of women

The role and standing of women in the Victorian era is considered by Bront in Jane Eyre,
specifically in regard to Jane's independence and ability to make decisions for her. As a young
woman, Jane encounters men during her journey, of good, bad, and morally debatable character.
However, many of them, no matter their ultimate intentions, attempt to establish some form of
power and control over Jane.

One example can be seen in Mr. Rochester, a man who ardently loves Jane, but who frequently
commands and orders Jane about. As a self-assured and established man, and her employer, Mr.
Rochester naturally assumes the position of the master in their relationship. He sometimes
demands rather than questioning Jane, tries to manipulate and assess her feelings towards him,
and enjoys propping up Jane through excessive gifts and luxuries that only he would have been
able to provide. Jane, however, believes in the importance of women's independence, and strives
to maintain a position in life devoid of any debts to others. Her initial lack of money and social
status unnerves her, as she realises that without the means to be an independent woman, she is
bound to either struggle through life trying to make a living or marry and become dependent on a
man. Even after Jane agrees to marry Mr. Rochester, and is swept up in the passion of the
moment, the feminist elements of her personality still show through. She is uncomfortable with
the showering of lavish gifts, as she resents that they will make her further reliant on and in debt
to Mr. Rochester, and thus tries to resist them. Furthermore, Jane asserts that until she is married
to Mr. Rochester, she will continue to be Adle's governess and earn her keep. This plan, which
was entirely radical and unheard of for the time, further illustrates

Jane's drive to remain a somewhat independent woman. It was for this reason she suddenly
remembered and wrote to her uncle who until now thought her dead. "... if I had but a prospect of
one day bringing Mr. Rochester an accession of fortune, I could better endure to be kept by him
now." This feminist undercurrent also presents itself Jane's interaction with her long-lost cousin,
St. John Rivers. St. John repressed Jane's feeling and controlled her excessively. She often felt
that he "took away [her] liberty of mind".[9] During her stay with her cousin, St. John proposes to
Jane, by claiming her "as a soldier would a new weapon".[10] Jane realizes that she cannot marry
a man who constantly forces her into submission and treats her like an object, and she refuses to
marry him. Once again, her need for independence shines through.

The only time Jane truly feels ready to marry a man is when she is equal to him. In the end of
Jane Eyre, Jane inherits a fortune from her uncle. This allows her to be economically
independent from Mr. Rochester. Also, Mr. Rochester becomes lame and blind after the fire that
ripped through his home. He now depends on Jane, rather than Jane depending on him. This
change in the power dynamic of their relationship unites the two of them once again.

While the significant men present in Jane's life throughout the novel all try to, in some form or
another, establish themselves as dominant over Jane, she in most cases remains resistant at least
to a certain degree, refusing to submit fully or lose all of her independence. The only time Jane
feels comfortable attaching herself to a man is when she knows that she is his financial,
intellectual, and emotional equal. This final adherence to her strong convictions on the
independence of women point out Bront's similar views on the patriarchal Victorian society of
the time.

Bronte's novel examines what the Victorians termed "The Woman Question"; this "question"
involves how women are regarded as members of society, and Bronte explores this
perspective as Jane examines herself as a girl, in her position as a governess trapped in a role that
makes her little more than a servant--the role she will play if she marries Mr. Rochester and later
her role if she marries St. John Rivers. Ultimately, as the heroine of this Victorian novel,
Jane depends upon her own intelligence and determination and principles to achieve self-
fulfillment. However, other characters such as Miss Miller, an "underteacher" at Lowood, does
not approve of Brocklehurst's methods, but is powerless.

The Rivers sisters, too, are governesses and are portrayed in a positive light.

2. To spur the hero or heroine on to their journey, some form of loss or discontent must jar them
at an early stage away from the home or family setting.

3. The process of maturity is long, arduous, and gradual, consisting of repeated clashes between
the protagonist's needs and desires and the views and judgments enforced by an unbending social
order.
4. Eventually, the spirit and values of the social order become manifest in the protagonist, who is
then accommodated into society. The novel ends with an assessment by the protagonist of
himself and his new place in that society.

Due by Pumpkin Time Friday, October 16.

in many ways, Jane Eyre is an existential novel as Jane finds herself in a meaningless existence
without any real identity until she forges her sense of self. As a philosophy, Existentialism

....emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent
universe ...and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts.

Isolation in a hostile world

Indeed, Jane is the existential heroine as she grows up isolated from her cousins and aunt, who
are all hostile toward her,belittling her constantly. Jane herself describes her life at Gateshead
Hall,

I was a discord...I was like nobody there; I had nothing in harmony with Mrs. Reed or her
children....If they did not love me, in fact, as little did I love them.... I [was] a useless thing,...a
noxious thing, chrishing the germs of indignation at their treatment.....

She is truly alone in the hostile and cruel world of Lowood School after the death of her one
friend Helen Burns.

Later in the narrative Jane accepts the position of governess at Thornfield where she is alienated
from the socially elite with whom her master, Mr. Rochester associates. When she does choose
to marry Mr. Rochester, she finds her happiness thrawted by a hostile world of a crazed wife and
her brother.

Having left Thornfield, Jane endures loneliness again and even starvation until Diane and Mary
Rivers find her.

Freedom of choice and responsibility for one's actions

After learning that Mr. Rochester is not free to marry her, Jane chooses to leave Thornfield
despite being penniless.

Up the blood rushed to his [Mr. Rochester's] face; forth flashed the fire from his eye; erect he
sprang; he held his arms out; but I evaded the embrace, and at once quitted the room. n

This assertion of self is clearly a brave one as she has nowhere to go, but acts independently
upon her principles. After her rescue, the brother of the kind women, St. John Rivers, a coldly
devout minister, seeks to elicit her assistance in his missionary work and live with him in a
platonic relationship.
In her desire to be happy and form an existence to her own desires and needs, Jane refuses
marriage with St. John, explaining to Diane that he

"...has explained that it is not himself, but his office that he wishes to mate. He has told me that I
am formed for labour--not for love....But, in my opinion,...would it not be strange..to be chained
for life to a man who regarded me but a useful tool?"

Because this life with St. John would be a sacrifice of her freedom of choice, Jane refuses it.
After hearing the voice of Mr. Rochester in her heart, Jane returns to Thornfield and finds the
wrecked man. Having exercised her freedom of choice, she declares her existential essence with
him,

"I am Jane Eyre: I have found you out--I am come back to you...She is all here: her heart, too.

A Bildungsroman follows a person through all the stages of life. There are disappointments or
trials early in life and clashes between personal desires and society's rules. The person moves on
toward independence.

From unloved, penniless orphan to treasured, upper class wife, the story of Jane in Charlotte
Bronts Jane Eyre is one of development and personal growth.

As a novel in the bildungsroman genre, the narrative carries readers through the development of
Jane and her healthy self-interest and rebellious questioning of rules and conventions
(Watkins). Readers are introduced to Jane when she is a young girl living in the manor known as
Gateshead. As an orphan, Jane is isolated and unloved by the Reeds, the family of the house. The
lack of compassion for Jane is evident when she is locked in the Red Room, a haunting
chamber where the last of Janes known blood relatives died. Mrs. Reeds harsh punishment of
Jane and the cruelty the orphan faces from the other children of the house leave Jane without a
sense of belonging. Early in the story, Janes questions of belonging connect the novel to the
bildungsroman genre.

Janes desire for a better life is seemingly fulfilled when she learns she will be leaving Gateshead
for the Lowood School. However, a cruel and abusive headmaster leaves Jane wondering if her
situation will ever truly change. Fortunately, a fellow student named Helen Burns befriends Jane.
Her deep religious beliefs and ability to suppress anger show Jane a new way to view her
situation. Through her friendship with Helen, Jane is exposed to an alternative point of view that
helps her grow emotionally and mentally. Helens death comes as a result of poor living
conditions at the school. Experiencing the death of a friend at such a young age forces Jane into a
very adult situation early in life. Once again, the placement of a child or childlike character in an
adult situation emphasizes Jane Eyre as a coming of age story.

Janes development continues throughout her time at Lowood as she transitions from a pupil to
an instructor. However, Jane soon finds her position unfulfilling; her longing for something more
drives her to a governess position at Thornfield manor. During the Victorian era in which the
novel was written, the position of governess was one of the only occupations available to
women.
At Thornfield, Jane teaches a French girl named Adle. Abandoned by her mother and cared for
by Mr. Rochester, the owner of Thornfield, Adle is essentially an orphan like Jane. Luckily for
Adle, she has been loved and cared for while at Thornfield.

Mr. Rochester intrigues Jane, eventually becoming a love interest. This romantic interest is
realized by Jane and by readers through the appearance of Blanche Ingram. As an attractive,
upper class woman, Jane becomes convinced that Rochester will soon marry Blanche. The
comparison in the novel of Jane and Blanche points out the class differences essential to social
norms of the Victorian era. Janes jealousy of Blanche and romantic interest in Mr. Rochester
displays the evolution of Jane from a child to a woman who longs for more than familial love.
When Rochester proposes to Jane instead of Blanche, she accepts.

Following the theme of difficulty throughout Janes life, the wedding ceremony does not go
according to plan. It is revealed that Rochester is already married to a woman, as he later
explains, who is mentally insane and who has been locked in the attic at Thornfield the entire
time Jane has been governess. As a result of this new information, Jane rejects Rochesters
proposal to move away and get married. Instead, she abandons the love she has always longed
for to preserve her self-respect. Leaving Thornfield opens the next chapter of Janes life.

After fleeing from Thornfield, Jane once again finds herself penniless and alone. Jane nearly
circles back to having nothing and knowing nobody. Again, the difficulty of life for characters in
bildungsroman genre novels applies to Jane. Luckily, the Rivers family takes her in and provides
her with much more than the necessities. When St. John, the head of the Rivers household,
notifies Jane of an inheritance, it is revealed that the Rivers are cousins of Jane. By finally
connecting with family, Jane finds a sense of belonging. Yet despite St. Johns proposal of
marriage and life with him as a missionary in India, Jane decides to return to Thornfield.

Upon her return, Jane finds Thornfield burned to the ground. It is later explained that Rochesters
wife set fire to the manor and jumped to her death. Finding Mr. Rochester blind and injured in
his new home, Ferndean, Jane rekindles the relationship. As a consequence, the infamous line
Reader, I married him draws the novel toward closure. Jane then joyfully describes her life
with a partially blind Edward Rochester and a son.

Jane Eyre is a coming-of-age story that was rebellious for the Victorian era. Throughout the
novel, the progress of Jane Eyre can be charted through a sequential arrangement of the
family/counter-family dyad (Spivak). Her development and growth throughout the novel is
emphasized by her beginning as a lonely, penniless orphan to her solidified place in society as an
heiress with her own family. Through self-reliance, questioning of her surroundings, and her
healthy self-respect, Jane blossoms despite her orphan status. In the end, it is Jane who creates
her own family and happiness.

Rochester is a Byronic Hero

The term Byronic hero originated from the life and writings of Lord Byron of the early 1800s. A Byronic
hero is any character that is modeled after Lord Byron. A Byronic hero is defined as a person as perfect
as a hero but flawed like a human. A Byronic hero is a character marked by splendid personal qualities,
has a hidden sin and many other versatile attributes. Many Authors have opted to create characters
based on this interesting type of character. One of these authors is Charlotte Bronte. Bronte uses her
character Edward Rochester to portray the prototype of this character. In Charlotte Bronte's novel, Jane
Eyre, Rochester is used as a Byronic hero.

First, Rochester displays the Byronic traits of being intelligent and cunning. Throughout the novel he
uses clever tactics to figure out what Jane is thinking of him. It is obvious that Rochester engages in a
higher level of thinking that displayed his action. One example of this thinking is when Rochester and
Jane are walking through the garden and he tells Jane that he is going to marry Blanche just to see how
she reacts before proposing to her. Rochester gives off an intelligent vibe and Mrs. Fairfax proves this
when she says, "I dare say he is clever: but I never had much conversation with him (Bronte 108).

Through a large portion of the novel, Rochester remains a magnetic, charismatic and mysterious figure
to the reader. dark, handsome appearance; brilliant but cynical and self-destructive Bronte's
literary character of Rochester is often referred to as the "Byronic" Rochester: a dark, somewhat
mysterious, and perhaps even criminal protagonist .He conceals a great portion of his life to Jane, such
as Bertha. Later in the story it is revealed to Jane that he also had many other secrets. Mr. Rochester
had many affairs with ladies throughout his life. He even had his own wife, whom he married for money;
at the time he tried to marry Jane.

Rochester has a great distaste for for social institutions and norms. Rochester shuns himself
from the world, expressing one trait of a Byronic hero. Rochesters distaste 7 is shown by his
refusing to acknowledge himself as married to Bertha, and by his attempting to marry Jane. By
loving Jane, a woman with a lower social status, Rochester proves to be an outcast. Rochester
does not marry another wealthy and beautiful female such as Lady Ingram, but instead confesses
his love toward the penniless plain Jane. he think differently than others during the era. I
pursued wanderings as wild as those of the March spirit. I sought the Continent, and went
devious through all its lands. My fixed desire was to seek and find a good and intelligent woman,
whom I could love: a contrast to the fury I left at Thornfield--Rochester outcasts himself from
his former chained-down life with Bertha in search for a real chance for true love. Because his
wife was found to be mad, he could not legally divorce her, however, he resolved to separate
from her, and considered himself as divorced. He abandons his wife in search for a new life.

Byronic heros has the tendency to leave, and engage in widespread travel and face troubles.
These hardships Rochester constantly endure, lowers him to the level of a real human being. This
demonstrates another Byronic trait: complete disregard for social rank. Rochester, a man of
great wealth, eagerly marries the former governess.

Mr. Rochesters Tortured by an unpleasing past, troubled past sets the basis of his imperfect life. " he
has painful thoughts, no doubt, to harass him, and make his spirits unequal." (158-59, ch.13) This
conversation between Jane and Mrs. Fairfax indicates that it is noticeable to others that Rochester
carries guilt, the "painful thoughts", about something in his past: Bertha, of course, and his marriage to
her and his treatment of her. In the story told by him, he is tricked into marrying an insane woman to
whom he does not even love. With Bertha as his wife Rochester is tied down by marriage, and unable to
seek eternal happiness. To further ruin Rochesters past, he learns of the lies and deceits made by the
brides family and his very own. All the lies Rochester believed would soon form a sense of distrust, as
he grows more and more distant from society--shunning him from society.

Mrs. Fairfax speaks of Mr. Rochester as a wanderer, and he is. When she first speaks of him to Jane
Eyre, she tells her, He is rather peculiar, perhaps: he has travelled a great deal, and seen a great deal of
the world, I should think. (Ch. XI). After he separated from his wife, Rochester traveled throughout
Europe having love affairs showing both his roving tendencies and his promiscuity.he tells Jane I
pursued wanderings as wild as those of the March-spirit. I sought the Continent, and went devious
through all its lands. (Ch. XXVII). He frequently and abruptly leaves Thornfield. Mrs. Fairfax tells Jane
that, though Mr. Rochesters visits here are rare, they are always sudden and unexpected (Ch. XI). This
does not completely stop even when Jane comes to Thornfield. The morning after she saves Rochester
from the fire, she finds that he has unexpectedly left.

Rochester is not only a wanderer, but he is also cynical and world-weary - two more usual
qualities of a Byronic hero. In his own words, he is Heart-weary and soul-withered (Ch. XX).
He tells Jane, Last January, rid of all mistressesin a harsh, bitter frame of mind, the result of a
useless, roving, lonely lifecorroded with disappointment, sourly disposed against all men, and
especially against all womankinds. (Ch. XXVII). He admits to Jane that after he met her for a
long time, I treated you distantly, and sought your company rarely.

Mr. Rochester is moody. The first time he meets Jane in his own home, he treats her rudely, even
though it was he himself who invited her to come to him. Jane narrates, Mr. Rochester must
have been aware of the entrance of Mrs. Fairfax and me; but it appeared he was not in the mood
to notice us, for he never lifted his head as we approached. . Let Miss Eyre be seated, said
he.even Adle was seldom sent for to his presence, and all my acquaintance with him was
confined to an occasional rencontre in the hall, on the stairs, or in the gallery, when he would
sometimes pass me haughtily and coldly, just acknowledging my presence by a distant nod or a
cool glance, and sometimes bow and smile with gentlemanlike affability.

Mr. Rochester himself acknowledges that he has painful thoughts to attribute his moods to. I
desire you [Jane Eyre] to have the goodness to talk to me a little now, and divert my thoughts,
which are galled with dwelling on one pointcankering as a rusty nail. (Ch. XIV).

Although Rochester keeps such a secret, he genuinely falls in love with Jane. Mr. Rochester he is
passionate about Jane At one point he describes to Jane the sort of love which he has for her.If
you were mad, do you think I should hate you? . you are mistaken, and you know nothing
about me, and nothing about the sort of love of which I am capable. Every atom of your flesh is
as dear to me as my own: in pain and sickness it would still be dear. Your mind is my treasure,
and if it were broken, it would be my treasure still)
. Edward Rochester does not resemble a hero portrayed in fairy tales, characters who remain static
throughout the plot, but a dynamic and round character that changes considerably. Rochester, in the
beginning of the novel, when Jane first arrives at Thornfield, is cold and terse toward the young
governess. However as the plot progresses, the more passionate and affectionate side of Rochester
emerges. The Byronic hero completely overlooks his social rank and disregards other others opinion,
and evidently falls in love with Miss Eyre, later, only to be devastated when Jane flees Thornfield. As a
complex character, Rochester lingers in a constant unsettling state of mind.

For me, the evidence for Rochester being a Byronic hero overwhelmingly outweighs the evidence
against, and I continue to consider him a very good example of the Byronic hero a type, by-the-way
(in case you hadnt noticed!), that I do not generally admire.

redemption
Silas Marner is a story about redemption, sin and repentance, love, honesty, loyalty and prejudice.
Redemption in Silas Marner .Two characters are seen going through sin and repentance "redemption"
and "re-generation", in their concepts and beliefs in life.

The main character of the novel, which the plot builds on, is "Silas Marner". His first sin is his losing of
faith in religion. Silas Marner had been a young man of great religious faith. He was framed by his best
friend, who stole some money and accused him of the theft. The church, instead of clearing him,
declared him guilty by way of drawing lots. Painfully betrayed, Silas lost his faith not only in his fellow
beings but also in God. He expressed grievously to his hideous friend before he left his home town:

. . . . You stole the money, and you have woven a plot to lay the sin at my door . But you may prosper,
for all that: there is no just in God that governs the earth righteously, but a G od of lies, that bears
witness against the innocent.

His sin is him living lonely and cut off from the world for 15 years.When he moves to live in Raveloe,

he worships money. He stays lonely for fifteen years; it can be said that it is his penance for losing faith
in human kind, and disbelieving in a righteous "mysterious Power". The penance ends, and the "re-
generation" start with Eppie's appearance in his life. She makes him trust again humans, and trust a new
believe in a new God he never knew.
he intruding of Eppie not only ended Silass hard isolation of fifteen years, but it also began another fifteen years
of Godfreys secret self-reproach. Sixteen years later when Eppie had been brought up to be a young woman and
Silass lost money had been found out to have been stolen by Godfreys spendthrift brother, Godfrey saw no more
necessity to conceal the childs identity. He confessed to Nancy, his wife now, and offered to adopt her, but Eppie
solemnly declined by saying that she did not want to be a lady and firmly resolved to cleave to Silas Marner, who
had brought her up as her own loving father . Her real father had neglected her for sixteen years. This proves
true a fact that a little home is warmer than a big one.

Godfrey hadnt believed in the system of rewards and punishments; consequently, in his late years he had to
accept his childlessness as a divine punishment. Moreover, Eppies refusal to leave Silas was also a cruel
punishment to Godfrey. He had deserved the bitter result as George Eliot remarks, the seed brings forth the crop
after its kind. Besides, George Eliot morally makes Godfrey say, theres debts we cant pay like money debts, by
paying extra for the years that have slipped by. While Ive been putting off and putting off, the trees have been
growingits too late now. 11 This self-confession, however, had reduced more or less Godfreys long-cherished
inflictions because he had viewed his childlessness as punishment, and to this punishment Godfrey could only
consent

George Eliot is an intensely moral novelist whose novels are colored with a strong sense of moral law. In novel
writing, what concerns her most is to give her readers a depth of moral seriousness. As a novelist she aims to show
the play of moral law and hence to establish the moral law as the basis of human society. She believes that a
certain act would produce a definite moral effect on the individual. Besides, she is strongly convinced that the
matter of reward and punishment needs no final judgment because you reap after what you sowed.

till he finds Eppie. Eppie, is like the fairy genie, which will be the cause of his "re-generation". Silas's
redemption is evoked, when he takes Eppie the little child and raises her. By doing that, he was
attaching himself to his passion, and re-gaining trust in kinship and emotions. The following quotation
support the point mentioned: For Silas, ignorant and confused as he is, moves, even in his passion for
gold, on a more intense and heroic emotional plane than the villagers... [Austen, Henry.226]
The quotation mentioned earlier will be explained with more details. Silas love of money was replaced
by Eppie's love. It is only a symbol to the replacement of materialism and loss of faith to human kinship
and trust in a new religion based on love, not religious myths and supernatural elements. Eppie is the
message for Silas and the reader:

The 'message' the child brings is the all-importance of natural human affections, and Silas is receptive
because his affection has survived the fifteen years of isolation. [Carroll, David.197]

Another main character, which is in the sub-pot of the novel, is Godfrey. His fall is his believe in the "god
of chance". Godfrey is weak and always hesitates. It is obvious because he leaves everything for chance.
He does not tell his father about his marriage to Molly, Eppie's mother, nor does he acknowledge his
daughter when he recognizes her after Silas founding her. His selfish self and his weakness stop him
from admitting the truth. Even in earlier incidents, when he decides to tell his father about his secret
marriage, he does not, because:

... ,he could now feel the presence of nothing but its evil consequences: the old dread of disgrace came
back - the old shrinking from the thought of raising a hopeless barrier between him and Nancy - the old
disposition to rely on chances which might be favourable to him, and save him from betrayal. Why, after
all, should he cut off the hope of them by his own act?... [Silas Marner. Ch.8]

His carelessness and his weakness to take the consequences of his actions, his goal to marry Nancy, and
his depend on chance, are all his faults. He will pay his penance, as Silas did, when he marries Nancy and
have no children. His penance starts, when Silas's one ends. Godfrey's refusal to acknowledge Eppie, is
only a refuse of a second chance given by the "mysterious Powers", to correct his mistakes. The result of
his actions will be severe. His punishment is divided into three parts: his childless marriage, his wife's
love, who could not accept the idea of adoption, while he wanted to adopt his child, and then his
daughter refusing to live with him when he acknowledged her the truth.

As a result, it can be said that "Both stories reveal a world ruled by the law of consequences; Silas's
fifteen years of very real bitterness and isolation rule out the suggestion that his is a different kind of
world from Godfrey's, a world in which the logic of the everyday is suspended. Both men suffer for their
mistakes; Silas recovers completely from his transgression and is suitably rewarded because his affection
has preserved him, whereas Godfrey's lapse is more criminal and his punishment more severe" [Carroll,
David. 198 & 199].

It tells the story of Silas, an unimposing and unfortunate (in looks as well as experience) young man who
is unfairly run out of his home village, Lantern Yard, for a crime he did not commit. He begins a new,
reclusive life for himself in Raveloe, where the villagers consider him to be a rather enigmatic, unusual
character. Silas is a weaver by trade, and spends every possible moment at his work; he weaves when he
is sad, he weaves when he is lonely; he weaves. Consequently, he amasses quite a fortune, which brings
him great joy. However, when his fortune is stolen, he finds himself aided and finally accepted by the
village; when a young child is left orphaned and appears on his doorstep, he is desperate to adopt and
raise her, believing his golden fortune to have been symbolically exchanged for this golden-haired
toddler.
He raises Eppie alone, and she grows up to be a beautiful, sweet young woman. As she promises herself
in marriage, she also promises Silas that she will never leave him alone.

When the thief is discovered, 16 years later, Eppies real father, and brother to the thief, wishes to do
right by Silas and the daughter he failed to own previously. The story ends with he and his wife
proposing to Eppie that she live with them, expecting her to choose their higher position in society over
that of her adoptive father.

The blurb on the back of my copy touts Silas Marner as one of Eliots most successful and admired
works, but Im not sure I agree. I enjoyed it, but found it very predictable, and there were some chapters
that I thought quite irrelevant and unnecessary. Eliot writes in the typically and excessively descriptive
style of the 1800s, and I am a little ashamed to admit that I actually fell asleep whilst reading on more
than one occasion.

None of the characters really gripped me. Silas was sweet and slightly endearing; I felt for him and the
injustices he faced, but was never fully drawn to him. Eppie was bland, although her love for Silas and
her strength of conviction for him did give her an extra edge not often found in 1800s heroines.
However, the only characters I thought had any real substance were the young cad, Dunstan Cass, and
Silas motherly neighbour, Dolly Winthrop.

The bonus with this story is that its very short, so there isnt too much time for real boredom to sink in;
if it had been longer, I think I would have struggled to get through it in one piece. However, the
beginning meandered so slowly that I found my mind wandering quite often. In saying that, its not that I
didnt like Silas MarnerI just felt it didnt live up to my expectations, which were based solely on the
blurb on the back of the novel. A good friend of mine loved it, so it obviously has its appeal for some.
To a certain extent, the character of Mr. Rochester embodies many of the characteristics of the Byronic
hero; however, in many respects Bronte has made Mr. Rochester quite conventional. It is other
characters in Jane Eyre who mistakenly characterize him as such, but Bronte, through Rochester's own
actions and words, ultimately rejects this categorization of Rochester as a Byronic hero.

Rochester's bigamy -- or near-bigamy, as the case may be -- provides an excellent illustration of the
"Byronic" side of his character. He refuses to acknowledge the legal and moral code of the society in
which he lives by refusing to acknowledge his marriage to Bertha Mason, and this simultaneously makes
him unrepentant -- both are qualities of a Byronic hero. He views Bertha as his ward, someone who
must be taken care of, and not as his wife. He pursues Jane while still married to Bertha, because he has
convinced himself that his marriage to Bertha is unrecognizable as such. Since bigamy is legally criminal
(in the context here, also considered a sexual crime), Rochester also carries the burden of the guilt
associated with it -- another characteristic of a Byronic hero. This is shown by the secrecy maintained
about his attempted marriage to Jane, and it is also exhibited in his early conduct with Jane shortly after
she arrives at Thornfield Hall. Jane questions Mrs. Fairfax about his behavior in Chapter 13 when she
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