The Theme of Duty in Silas Marner by George Eliot
After careful analysis and examination of the novel Silas Marner, it
has come to my awareness that the theme of duty is very prominent
throughout the novel. The definition of duty is the obligation made to
others. There has to be duties between relationships not only in the
novel but also in realty to keep them alive. If duties were non
existent in relationships, they would not last and eventually would
fade away. There are various different types of duties that have to be
taken forward in the novel.
For instance, Silas has a duty towards Eppie as Eppie has a duty to
Silas. Their duty is to love one and other and to be grateful for what
they have got. Godfrey who is the oldest son of Squire Cass has to pay
his duties to many people in the book. He has to fulfil a duty to
Molly, Nancy, Squire Cass and Dunstan. He has to look after all of
these people and has to show them love. He has to support them through
all the bad times that they go through. Just because you should do
your duties in life, does not mean that the characters are all
honourable to their duties. Some characters honour their duties with
sincerity and some characters neglect their duties and wash them away.
There are different reasons for why the characters are honourable and
dishonourable to their duties. The people that do not want to perform
their duties try to make themselves believe that their priorities are
set backwards. By this, I mean that the characters seem to over power
their minds with less important duties in life and forget to do the
main duties.
As you will read on to see that the characters that honour their
duties are rewarded in some way or another the characters that honour
their duties are rewarded in some way or another. The characters that
are not faithful to their duties are some how punished. They may be
one page 11) this indicates that he is a selfish man and cares for his
In the first part of the novel, he emulates his father, by being deaf to women's wisdom and women's needs, and casually disrespecting the women he should most respect. He chooses to stray from his father's example and leaves town to obtain his inheritance and to become a self-defined man. From Circe, a witch figure, he is inspired to be reciprocal, and through his struggle for equality with men and then with women, he begins to find his inheritance, which is knowing what it is to fly, not gold. At the end, he acts with kindness and reciprocity with Pilate, learning from her wisdom and accepting his responsibilities to women at last. By accepting his true inheritance from women, he becomes a man, who loves and respects women, who knows he can fly but also knows his responsibilities.
...them”(386). He goes through a great ordeal to please this judgmental society that he lives in even though he owes nothing to them.
be actually quite similar to the court described in the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
In For Whom the Bell Tolls, Robert Jordan has a duty to demolish the bridge. Nothing goes in between Jordan and his duty, not even the love of his life, Maria. When asked if he feared anything, Jordan stated he did not fear death but, “Only of not doing my duty as I should”(91). He does not fear death, the worst consequence, however he fears failing his duty. Duty is the driving force of Jordan’s actions and because of it, he is very efficient. A man working in public service must strive to possess this same respect for duty. A public serviceman's duty of course is to serve the public. Nothing should come before the public like nothing came before Robert Jordan and the bridge’s destruction. Respect for duty is the most important quality in public service as it is in For Whom the Bell
...hat he is no “service animal”. It can be comprehended that multiple characters can be this service animal; John can be it because lended his questionable helping-hand but those minor characters can also be labeled this because they allowed John to lead them.
In Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge transforms from a notorious miser to a humbled, kind-hearted soul as a result of three spirits who apprise him of life's true meaning. Mirroring Scrooge's evolution, in George Eliot's Silas Marner, Silas also transitions from a recluse in society to a rejuvenated man because of a little girl who crawls into his heart. Initially, Silas is lonely man who finds solace from his past with money and solitude. When Eppie enters Silas' home, he begins to understand that there is more substance to life than hoarding gold. Furthermore, after many years as Eppie's guardian, Silas is finally able to experience true happiness and the invaluable joy of love.
What he is also saying in this passage is that one’s actions in such a situation should be selfless. One should not do good deeds for his or her own personal benefit. He or she should be doing so because it is his or her own personal duty.
In William Shakespeare’s play “King Lear’, there are several issues that answer the questions about our duty to our fathers and our kings, as well as, whether there are ever circumstances when we should disobey them in order to do our duty to them. Our duty to our fathers and our kings is not only to love and obey them, show them respect and honor them, but it is also to humble them, keep them honest when necessary, keep them safe and protect them. You cannot have the praise without the discipline of being a good father or a good king. To be praised and worshiped as many kings and sometimes fathers are by their children, can breed a sense of entitlement that can be damaging to their character.
but is a continued motif throughout the book. He claims to write only so that his own life may be an example for his son of how one can live well and how...
his duty as a monk. He is worthless in the eyes of Chaucer and he dislikes
he often lets the family down. There are many flashbacks in the novel to the time
Silas starts the story as a popular man from Lantern Yard as he is a regular attendee to church and is well respected. He is referred to as ‘Master Marner’. His best friend is William Dane. William frames Silas for a crime he did not commit. People in the village start to accuse Silas of the theft of the dead Deacon’s money. The way this church were organised in those days meant that it was down to pure luck to decide whether Silas was guilty or not. This was the main reason why lots were picked to decide Silas’ fate. He was a firm believer in God and was adamant that he would be cleared. “I can say nothing. God will clear me” (Chapter 1 page 12). Despite his solid belief, Silas was falsely found guilty and he had to leave his place of birth. The author, due to her different beliefs, portrayed this as if to say that it wasn’t up to God to decide your fate, but up to you to decide your own fate. However, contrary to this, his prayers did come true later on in his life, but in the form of a baby.
As it can be seen from the characteristics of the two servants, they have some differences. These differences not only affect their characteristics but also their relationships with others too. In the book we can see two servants with different relationships with the same person who is Prosp...