By the time Eppie is three, she shows signs of mischievousness, and
Dolly insists that Silas not spoil her: he should punish her either by
spanking her or by putting her in the coal-hole to frighten her. Shortly
after this conversation, Eppie escapes from the cottage and goes
missing for a while, though she is soon found. Despite his relief at
finding her, Silas decides that he must be stern with Eppie. His
use of the coal-hole is ineffective, however, as Eppie takes a liking
to the place.
Thus, Eppie is reared without punishment. Silas is even
reluctant to leave her with anyone else and so takes her with him
on his rounds to gather yarn. Eppie becomes an object of fascination
and affection, and, as a result, so does Silas. Instead of looking
at him with repulsion, the townspeople now offer advice and encouragement.
Even children who had formerly found Silas frightening take a liking
to him. Silas, in turn, takes an active interest in the town, wanting
to give Eppie all that is good in the village. Moreover, Silas no
longer hoards his money. Since his gold was stolen, he has lost
the sense of pleasure he once felt at counting and touching his
savings. Now, with Eppie, he realizes he has found something greater.
Summary: Chapter 15
Godfrey keeps a distant eye on Eppie. He gives her the
occasional present but is careful not to betray too strong an interest.
He does not feel particularly guilty about failing to claim her
because he is confident that she is being taken care of well. Dunsey
still has not returned, and Godfrey, released from his marriage
and doubtful that he will ever hear from his brother again, can
devote himself to freely wooing Nancy. He begins to spend more time
at Nancy’s home, and people say that he has changed for the better.
Godfrey promises himself that his daughter will always be well cared
for, even though she is in the hands of the poor weaver.
Analysis: Part I, Chapters 13–15
The parallels between the novel’s two pivotal events are
further developed in this section. Like the theft, Eppie’s arrival
again drives Silas to interrupt a public gathering in a dramatic
fashion, this time at the Red House rather than the Rainbow. Both
appearances cause quite a commotion, and both times Silas arrives
with an otherworldly aura. At the Rainbow, the assembled men all
take Silas for a ghost. Similarly, when Silas appears with Eppie
at the dance, Godfrey is as shocked as if he is seeing an “apparition
from the dead.” Both scenes emphasize Silas’s outsider status. Both
the tavern and the Squire’s dance are governed by rules of hierarchy
and habit in which everyone relies on “safe, well-tested personalities.”
In these comfortable, ritualized spaces, Silas’s entrances are as
disruptive and disorienting as visits from a ghost.
Silas, too, is understandably disoriented by the appearance
of Eppie. He continues to associate her with his gold and believes,
in a vague way, that his gold has somehow turned into her. In a
way, of course, Silas’s connection is correct, as both the gold’s
disappearance and Eppie’s appearance can be indirectly traced to
Godfrey and his secret marriage. More important, the fact that Silas
equates Eppie with the gold indicates that she has effectively replaced
his gold as the object of his affections.
However, whereas the gold isolated Silas, Eppie becomes
a bridge between him and the rest of the world. Not only does she return
his affection in a way that his guineas never could, but her desire
and curiosity about the world ignite similar feelings in Silas. Eliot
uses the weather as a signal of this change. Whereas Dunsey stole
the gold on a rainy night and Eppie appeared in a blizzard, the afternoons
that Silas and Eppie spend together at play are sunny and warm.
Also, Eliot once again uses a metaphor from the natural world to
describe Silas’s growth. As he begins to come out of his -isolation
and self-denial, Silas’s soul is likened to a metamorphosing butterfly
or budding flower, unfolding and “trembling gradually into full
consciousness.”
