Middle Schooler Book Reviewer: Silas Marner by George Eliot

Every now and then, my reader's mind needs a classic. I enjoy modern writing very much, but my reader's mind was honed on classic literature. So, after reading a great number of young adult novels and some best sellers, my brain yearned for something old, ancient, and inheriently classic. I found my read in George Eliot's beautiful story of Silas Marner. Aw, poor Silas is a tragic figure. He is wrongly accussed, ostricized from those who raised him, only to turn into his own world. Silas ignores the goings on of people and society. Instead, he hides in work and the only reward work can bring: gold. He becomes a miser, Mr. Marner.

And this brings me to thinking about misers. Recently I read a story about a man in Maine who lived modestly, worked for the city, and stashed away a couple million dollars that he left to his community after he died. Why would he wait until after he died to show his generousity? Why did he isolate from others whom he eventually rewarded? Is it a gracious thing? or a selfish thing? Or, was it simply his thing. Perhaps being thanked for being generous could be embarissing. I don't know. I haven't the 2M to share out to my hometown people.

But, back to Silas: the book is lovely in its descriptions not just of the sceneray, but of the behavior of people. Eliot sees inside of our miser in a way the story about the Maine man didn't. Eliot shows the reader poor Silas's reactions to others, if not explanations for his actions.

He is a good man, Silas Marner, who is done wrong, but perserveres.

He is also, a good read. Expecially for advance middle school readers, high school readers, and adults. It contains no inapproriate language, sexual content, or violence. Just human beings dealing with life, beautifully told. Enjoy.