The last four fall into pairs: the theft of the gold and the coming of Eppie in its place the return of the gold and Godfrey's claim on Eppie. They are all more or less related, either in the mind of one or more characters, or by cause-and-effect. The three times on which Eliot concentrates contain five main events: the Lantern Yard robbery, the theft of Silas' gold, the death of Molly (or the arrival of Eppie), the return of Silas' gold, and Godfrey's attempt to claim his child.Ĭonsideration of these basic events gives a broad view of the structure of Silas Marner. Some events occur after that - Silas goes to Lantern Yard a few days later, and still later Eppie is married - but they are treated very briefly. After the past is brought up to date, the time remains at the same Sunday on which this portion of the book opened, until the main plot considerations are disposed of (for example, Dunstan's disappearance, Godfrey's relationship to Eppie, and Eppie's future). There are only a few brief dramatic portrayals of events during those years - for example, Godfrey and Nancy's discussion about adopting Eppie. The intervening years are filled in mostly by the narrator or by conversations between characters. Sixteen years are then jumped over, and the results of the early events are seen. The events between then and New Year's take up the first portion of the book, although the narrator briefly mentions some events that follow as Silas begins to raise Eppie. The time then skips quickly back to its original point, settling on a November afternoon. This period is followed by a flashback to the time fifteen years earlier when he was driven from Lantern Yard. The first of these, the time on which the book opens, shows Silas living his lonely existence at Raveloe. However, concentration within this span limits the time actually portrayed to three relatively short periods. The book covers a long span of time - over thirty years.
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