Chapter 8

1. Chapter 8 By Robin and Iva

2. Characterization • More is revealed about Dunstan and Godfrey’s relationship. • Dunstan makes Godfrey’s life miserable, and Godfrey has accepted that his brother’s reckless behaviour as being normal: ‘not surprised that Dunsey hadn’t come home’ • This can be attributed to the missing ‘presence of the wife and mother which is the fountain of wholesome love’

3. Characterization • Eliot emphasizes Godfrey’s naivety. He was silly enough to lend Dunstan Wildfire to sell once again. Godfrey is a slow learner and too weak to face up to his father, also, easily manipulated by Dunstan. • Eliot brings out the inner conflict in Godfrey’s mind as he rehearses to tell his father about the missing money and his marriage to Molly. • ‘The old Squire was an implacable man’, with a ‘violent temper’ who was also very stubborn. Eliot uses the simile, ‘as fiery and volcanic matters cool and harden into rock’ to show how unreasonable Godfrey’s father could be.

4. Language Techniques Irony • ‘Mr Snell...accustomed to put two and two together...’ never manages to link Dunstan’s disappearance to the theft. • ‘I don’t pretend to be a good fellow...but I’m not a scoundrel – at least.’ Godfrey ironically thinks of himself as an honest person who has nothing to hide. Contrast • Eliot contrasts Godfrey’s passivity not only with Dunstan’s active malice but also with Squire Cass’s violent nature.

5. Narrative Point of View and Style • At the start of the chapter the narrator is telling the story from an outside point of view, very omniscient, with limited amount of personal input or opinion. • Eliot when discussing Mr Snell’s suggestion of the pedlar, guides how the audience perceives Mr Snell’s intentions of true concern by suggesting that there was something odd about the way in which Mr Snell expressed his concern, ‘...it isn’t what a man says, it’s the way he says it.’

6. Narrative Point of View and Style • Eliot attempts to justify Godfrey’s suspicions and fears . Godfrey, ‘instead of trying to still his fears, he encouraged them, with that superstitious impression...that, if we expect evil very strongly, it is less likely to come’. This claim suggests that Eliot is subtly criticizing Silas’ naivety in leaving his door open