Silas Marner:

Quote- Pg. 1, “...the world outside their own direct experience was a region of vagueness and mystery: to their untravelled thought a state of wandering was a conception as dim as the winter life of the swallows that came back with the spring...”

• This quote is describing how their town is very closed off from the world. The idea of travelling outside of where they live is unheard of. That is why this quote reminds me of the feudal system, because that system involved villages to being cut off from the rest of the world. (C).

Quote- Pg. 4, “But there might be such a thing as a man’s soul being loose from his body, and going out and in, like a bird out of its nest and back...”

• This quote is describing Silas Marner during his “fit” when he seemed to be frozen and stiff like a dead man. This quote describes Silas’ actions perfectly because it was like his soul had escaped for a little while, but then once it came back he returned to normal as if he was never frozen at all. (E).

Quote- Pg. 11, “...that frustrated belief was a curtain broad enough to create for him the blackness of night.”

• This quote is describing how Silas is frustrated with the church. He is so frustrated that it is all he thinks about, like the blackness of night, there is no little speck of light or hope that he has for his beliefs. This reminds me of the character Unikitty from The Lego Movie. Unikitty’s belief was to always be positive about everything, but when she sees her home destroyed, she can no longer be positive. Unikitty becomes enraged like her positivity was swallowed by the darkness of night. (C).  

Quote- Pg. 11, “He seemed to weave, like the spider, from pure impulse, without reflection.”

• This quote is describing how Silas is working through implicit memory. Implicit memory is a type of long-term memory that doesn’t require conscious thought, like riding a bike, you don’t need to think about how to do it. Silas weaves so much that it comes naturally to his mind and body, like a spider. He doesn’t need to think about how to weave, so he doesn’t need to reflect on his work to make sure he is doing it right. (R).  

Quote- Pg. 12, “...and the future was all dark, for there was no Unseen Love that cared for him.”

• At this point, Silas has lost all hope for the future. He believes that he will forever be alone. I found it interesting how the author capitalized “Unseen Love” like it is a proper noun. This makes it seem like Unseen Love isn’t just an idea, but is rather a person. This means that there is no one in the world who cares about him. (E).

Quote- Pg. 27, “...whose delight in lying, grandly independent of utility, was not to be diminished by the likelihood that his hearer would not believe him...”

• This describes how Dunstan loves lying, and is so confident in his lying that he doesn’t even think about or care if the person listening believes him. Dunstan reminds me of a con man like Sawyer from the TV series Lost. (C).

Quote- Pg. 28, “...for to walk many miles without a gun in his hand and along an ordinary road, was as much out of the question to him as to other spirited young men of his kind.”

• I love how the author describes other mischievous and sly men like Dunstan as “spirited young men of his kind.” Usually when I think of the word “spirited” I think of someone who is full of positivity and good will, but in this context, the author is using the word “spirited” as troublesome. (E).  

Quote- Pg. 29, “Dunsey was not without fear that he might meet some acquaintance in whose eyes he would cut a pitiable figure, for mist is no screen when people get close to each other...”

• The author is describing how Dunstan will use his whip to cut someone’s face if they get close enough, because the mist (or fog) can’t hide you when you get close enough to someone. (E).

Quote- Pg. 29, “That cottage and the money hidden within it had been in his mind continually during his walk, and he had been imagining ways of cajoling and tempting the weaver to part with the immediate possession of his money for the sake of receiving interest.”  

• This quote describes Dunstan as a single minded, determined person. Once he got the idea of stealing Silas’ money, that became all he could think about, and he started thinking about scenarios in his head about how to convince/trick Silas into giving him the money. (E).

Quote- Pg. 30, “He knocked loudly, rather enjoying the idea that the old fellow would be frightened at the sudden noise.”  

• From this quote you can tell that the author is describing Dunstan as almost childish with a weird sense of humor. Dunstan likes feeling superior to other people, that’s why the idea of scaring Silas pleases him. (E).