Silas Marner · Chapter
Chapter XVII explained
Godfrey reflects on his childless marriage and his secret about Eppie, while Nancy consoles herself with her domestic virtues.
What happens
Godfrey reflects on his childless marriage and his secret about Eppie, while Nancy consoles herself with her domestic virtues. Priscilla Lammeter visits and discusses dairy farming with Nancy, who worries about Godfrey's unhappiness.
Themes in this chapter
Fatherhood and Family
Godfrey's longing for children and his sense of retribution over his childless home highlight the theme of fatherhood and family.
Appearance vs. Reality
Nancy believes her marriage is happy, but Godfrey's secret about Eppie and his inner dissatisfaction reveal a hidden reality beneath the polished domestic surface.
Social Class and Morality
Godfrey's coarse estimation of Silas's affections reflects class prejudices, and Nancy's pride and ignorance of the world's evil illustrate moral constraints tied to social standing.
Characters to notice
- Godfrey Cass
Godfrey broods over his childless home as a retribution for his past, and resolves to keep his secret about Eppie from Nancy.
- Nancy Lammeter
Nancy reflects on her refusal to adopt Eppie, praises Godfrey's kindness, and finds comfort in her domestic order and dairy plans.
- Priscilla Lammeter
Priscilla visits the Red House, manages her father, and encourages Nancy to take up dairying to fill her mind.
- Mr. Lammeter
The old gentleman discusses poor-rates with Godfrey and is managed by Priscilla.
- Jane
The servant alerts Nancy to commotion outside and expresses worry about possible accidents.
Key passages
“It was only the want of adequate knowledge that could have made it possible for Godfrey deliberately to entertain an unfeeling project: his natural kindness had outlived that blighting time of cruel wishes”
Godfrey's unkind plan was only possible because he lacked true understanding; his inherent goodness had survived his earlier harsh feelings.
The narrator explains that Godfrey's callous scheme regarding Eppie stems from ignorance, not malice.
“Dissatisfaction seated musingly on a childless hearth, thinks with envy of the father whose return is greeted by young voices—seated at the meal where the little heads rise one above another like nursery plants, it sees a black care hovering behind every one of them”
A discontented person without children envies a parent's joyful homecoming, yet also sees hidden worries behind each child.
The narrator reflects on the ambivalence of childlessness and parenthood.
“his conscience, never thoroughly easy about Eppie, now gave his childless home the aspect of a retribution”
Godfrey's guilty conscience about Eppie made him see his lack of children as a punishment.
Godfrey interprets his childlessness as divine or moral retribution for his past sins.