GCSE George Eliot | Themes Revision in Silas Marner

English Literature Quiz - Silas Marner - Themes (Questions)

In this GCSE English Literature quiz on Silas Marner, you will explore key themes such as faith, community, money and redemption, and learn how to write about them.

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Fascinating Fact:

Faith and doubt shape Silas’s journey, since his betrayal in Lantern Yard destroys his religion, but love and kindness slowly restore a different kind of trust.

In GCSE English Literature, you are expected to explain how the themes in Silas Marner connect to character, setting and context. Examiners look for clear links between ideas, key moments and carefully chosen quotations.

Key Terms

Theme: An important idea or message that runs through a text, such as faith, community or money.
Redemption: The process of a character changing for the better and finding forgiveness, hope or a new start.
Community: A group of people who live together, share values and influence each other’s lives and choices.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What are the main themes in Silas Marner for GCSE?

Key themes include faith and doubt, isolation and community, money and moral worth, and parenting and responsibility. For GCSE, you should link each theme to characters, key scenes and changes across the novel.

How does Eliot show the theme of community in Silas Marner?

At first, Silas is an outsider who is distrusted by Raveloe villagers. As he raises Eppie, he joins village life, showing how shared care, gossip and celebration can rebuild trust and belonging.

How can I write about themes in Silas Marner in my GCSE exam?

Choose one theme, select two or three key moments, and use short quotations. Explain how language, setting and character behaviour reveal the theme, and always link your points clearly back to the exam question.

Try These Related Quizzes

"No one knew where wandering men had their homes or their origin; and how was a man to be explained unless you at least knew somebody who knew his father and mother?" How is this suspicion on the part of the villagers counteracted in the novel?

[ ]	Eppie is an orphan, as well as literally a wanderer, and is beloved by the villagers
[ ]	Dunstan is forgiven for his wandering morality because he is well-known to the villagers
[ ]	The only reason the villagers like and trust Aaron is because they know his parents well
[ ]	None of the above

Why do the people of Raveloe mistrust Silas before the theft of his gold?

[ ]	His work is not sufficiently high in quality
[ ]	He is an outsider
[ ]	He belongs to the chapel in Lantern Yard
[ ]	He has no family or children

Godfrey's life is diminished to the same extent in which Silas's is enriched. Why?

[ ]	Godfrey follows his brother Dunstan into irresponsibility and other damaging behaviours
[ ]	Godfrey becomes miserly, as Silas had been
[ ]	Silas puts immediate gain above his responsibilities
[ ]	Godfrey puts immediate gain above his responsibilities

The novel portrays Eppie as a treasure to replace Silas's lost gold. Which of the following is true?

[ ]	Silas's pleasure in his gold is harmful and diminishes his life, while his love of Eppie enables him to grow and to live
[ ]	Silas's gold holds no value, while his love of Eppie is the only value in his life
[ ]	Although Silas loves Eppie dearly, he never stops longing for his lost gold
[ ]	Eppie and the gold are equal in value

In the first part of the novel, what is considered to be lacking in both Silas's cottage and in the Red House, the Squire's home?

[ ]	Comfort
[ ]	The necessities of life
[ ]	Books
[ ]	The civilising influence of women

What does the novel say about community?

[ ]	Community is wholly good
[ ]	Communities should never be trusted
[ ]	Communities, like their individual members, can be forces for good or for ill
[ ]	Town communities are untrustworthy, but village communities are without fault

What replaces the chapel community in Lantern Yard?

[ ]	A village church
[ ]	Some public baths
[ ]	A pub
[ ]	A factory

Dolly stamps the letters "I. H. S." on her cakes. What is her explanation for this practice?

[ ]	They are the same letters which she sees in church
[ ]	The letters vary according to the type of cake she has made
[ ]	She uses these letters to teach Aaron how to read
[ ]	She has no reason for the practice

What is the significance of the hearth in the novel?

[ ]	The hearth represents modern beliefs and practices
[ ]	The hearth represents life and the heart of the home
[ ]	The hearth represents isolation
[ ]	All of the above

10.

Raveloe cannot be protected from coming change. Which of the following is true of change in the novel?

[ ]	Change always involves going from good to bad
[ ]	Change is always for the better
[ ]	Change is neutral
[ ]	Not all changes are for the good, but remaining immune to change can be dangerous for the soul

English Literature Quiz - Silas Marner - Themes (Answers)

[x]	Eppie is an orphan, as well as literally a wanderer, and is beloved by the villagers
[ ]	Dunstan is forgiven for his wandering morality because he is well-known to the villagers
[ ]	The only reason the villagers like and trust Aaron is because they know his parents well
[ ]	None of the above

Eppie wanders into the life of Silas, one of these suspicious, unexplained men

Why do the people of Raveloe mistrust Silas before the theft of his gold?

[ ]	His work is not sufficiently high in quality
[x]	He is an outsider
[ ]	He belongs to the chapel in Lantern Yard
[ ]	He has no family or children

The primary reason the villagers mistrust Silas is because he is an incomer to the village. This instinctive mistrust is also apparent when a travelling pedlar is blamed for the theft. Silas's knowledge of herbs also invites suspicion

Godfrey's life is diminished to the same extent in which Silas's is enriched. Why?

[ ]	Godfrey follows his brother Dunstan into irresponsibility and other damaging behaviours
[ ]	Godfrey becomes miserly, as Silas had been
[ ]	Silas puts immediate gain above his responsibilities
[x]	Godfrey puts immediate gain above his responsibilities

Godfrey has more than one opportunity to acknowledge Eppie as his own daughter, but only does so when it is too late because he cannot face the loss of Nancy and the regard of his friends, family and acquaintances. He only realises how impoverished his life has been when Eppie has grown up

The novel portrays Eppie as a treasure to replace Silas's lost gold. Which of the following is true?

[x]	Silas's pleasure in his gold is harmful and diminishes his life, while his love of Eppie enables him to grow and to live
[ ]	Silas's gold holds no value, while his love of Eppie is the only value in his life
[ ]	Although Silas loves Eppie dearly, he never stops longing for his lost gold
[ ]	Eppie and the gold are equal in value

Silas is grateful for the return of his money after it has lost its hold over him. He sees the money itself as useful as long as he has the correct attitude to it

In the first part of the novel, what is considered to be lacking in both Silas's cottage and in the Red House, the Squire's home?

[ ]	Comfort
[ ]	The necessities of life
[ ]	Books
[x]	The civilising influence of women

Eppie and Nancy make their homes more pleasant places to be. Eppie, in particular, brings life; this is represented not only by her marriage at the end of the novel, but also by the pets identified as one amongst many positive changes to come to Silas's home

What does the novel say about community?

[ ]	Community is wholly good
[ ]	Communities should never be trusted
[x]	Communities, like their individual members, can be forces for good or for ill
[ ]	Town communities are untrustworthy, but village communities are without fault

Silas is harmed when the community of Lantern Yard turns against him and is supported by the community of Raveloe. However, Raveloe is slow to warm to Silas and is instinctively mistrustful until he is made vulnerable by the theft and by his adoption of Eppie. Despite its eventually welcoming embrace, Raveloe is shown to be susceptible to gossip, too

What replaces the chapel community in Lantern Yard?

[ ]	A village church
[ ]	Some public baths
[ ]	A pub
[x]	A factory

The chapel was close to the jail on Prison Street and has been replaced by a factory. Are the factory workers as imprisoned in their circumstances as Silas had been in his?

Dolly stamps the letters "I. H. S." on her cakes. What is her explanation for this practice?

[x]	They are the same letters which she sees in church
[ ]	The letters vary according to the type of cake she has made
[ ]	She uses these letters to teach Aaron how to read
[ ]	She has no reason for the practice

Eliot depicts religious beliefs as being fairly incomprehensible to the ordinary people who hold them. Silas has a better understanding of theology, but has lost his faith. Dolly trusts the letters, which are found in church, without understanding their meaning (IHS is an abbreviation for Jesus Christ)