Silas Marner

Summary

Embittered weaver Silas Marner withdraws from human contact after being falsely accused of theft, hoarding gold coins as his only comfort until they are stolen and a golden haired orphan girl wanders into his cottage in their place. Eliot uses Silas's slow return to human connection through raising the child to argue for the redemptive power of love over isolation and greed. The novel's compact, fable like structure has made it one of Eliot's most widely read and taught works.