"A child, more then all other gifts that earth can offer to declining man, brings hope with it, and forward-looking thoughts." This is the epigraph by Wordsworth that begins the novel Silas Marner. It has several connections to this novel – the declining man, the gift of the child, and the hope that the child brings to his life. Each meaning, in order, develops in the story. Let us see how each develops.
The first connection that this epigraph has to the novel is in the declining man. Marner began the novel as a young man, full of life and hope. He was engaged to be married, active in the little church in his village of Lantern Yard, and on good terms with the inhabitants of the village. He was accused of theft, and since he wouldn't confess to the crime, he was excommunicated from the village church. His engagement was broken off, and he left the town of Lantern yard for the village of Raveloe. Circumstances weren't any better there – the people were happy to have a weaver, but......

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Title: Silas Marner
Approximate Word Count: 536
Approximate Pages: 3 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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1. Silas Marner
   

   Silas Marner. By: Sally Maki In the novel Silas Marner, by George Eliot, the characters
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2. Silas Marner
   

   Silas Marner. By: Sally Maki In the novel Silas Marner, by George Eliot, the characters
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5. Silas Marner
   

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