How does the author bring in natural elements into the novel “Silas Marner”?
Answers
Answered by
16
Eliot has vividly included natural elements in his novel 'Silas Mariner' for portrayal of images and metaphors. In particular, the protagonist, i.e. Silas is compared with plants or animals and these images are used to trace his progression from isolated loner to well-loved father figure. At first when he sits alone weaving, he is compared with a spider, solitary and slightly ominous. After he is robbed, he is compared with an ant that finds its usual path blocked-an image of confusion and limitation, and also search for a solution. Later as he mingles with the rest of the villages his soul is likened to a plant, not yet budding but with its sap beginning to circulate. Finally, as he raises Eppie, he is described as unfolding and trembling into full consciousness, en imagery evoking both, metamorphosis of an insect and the blooming of a flower. The nature imagery also emphasizes the pre industrial setting of the novel reminding us of a time in England when the natural world was a bigger part of daily life than it was after the Industrial Revolution.
Similar questions