Selfishness of silas marner
Selfishness of silas marnerWhat is selfishness? Selfishness is defined as one's devotion only to oneself. Someone who is selfish has too much concern with his own welfare or interests. They have little or no concern for others. A young child might act selfishly with their possessions such as toys. They might be extremely protective of a particular toy; and they will refuse to allow someone else to play with it. This has been an explanation of the course that selfishness takes. In the book Silas Marner, George Eliot displays the evils of selfishness through her characters: Dunstan Cass, Godfrey Cass, & Silas Marner.
Dunstan Cass was self-centered. Not only was he greedy, but he took great pleasure when those around him had nothing. "Dunsey---a spiteful, jeering fellow, who seemed to enjoy his drink more when other people went dry." (21-22) Dunsey's selfishness was shown when he took Silas' money. It didn't take him long to convince himself that he was entitled to the money. "... he lifted up two bricks, and saw what he had no doubt was the object of this search; for what could be there but money... Dunstan felt around the hole to be certain that it held no more." (37) Dunstan was looking out for number one. Being the greedy person he was, he spent extra time to make sure that he had every last guinea of Silas' money. At no point did he even consider what happened to Silas. All he could focus on was his need for the money, his quest to find the money, and his escape with all the money.
Godfrey Cass was narrow-minded. Godfrey had abandoned Eppie when she was about 2 years old. When he saw what a lovely, young lady Eppie had become, he was determined to claim her as his own daughter. "Godfrey felt an irratation... an unexpected obstacle... he was not prepared to enter with lively appreciation into other peoples feelings counteracting his virtuous resolves." (169) This shows how Godfrey can selfishly see no other solution than his own. He convinced himself that he could make up for the 16 years that he had ignored his daughter. Godfrey's offer to Eppie seemed like a generous act, when in reality, it was motivated by his selfish wish to have a child that his wife could not provide for him. Godfrey sees money and security as more important than the relationship between a father and daughter.
Silas Marner was a greedy and selfish person when it came to his money. Although he was a good, honest, working man, his gold had a firm grasp upon him. The only joy he had was to take out his gold every evening, count it, and obsess over it. "... the love of accumulating money grows an absorbing passion in men whose imaginations, even in the very beginning of their hoard, showed them no purpose beyond it. Marner wanted heaps of ten to grow into a square, and then into a larger square; and every added guinea, while it was itself a satisfaction, bred new desire." (16) Marner fell into a spiraling trap of selfishness, which seemed to pull him deeper into self-indulgence. "the same sort of process has perhaps been undergone by wiser men, when they have been cut off from faith and love." (17) Silas' life was his money, to the exclusion of all else.
Eliot portrays the sinfulness of selfish acts made by Dunstan, Godfrey, and Silas in the book Silas Marner. Dunstan was selfish and greedy by taking Silas' money. Godfrey was narrow-minded to think that he could just take Eppie from Silas. And Silas was close fisted and selfish with his money and Eppie because that was all he had. From this story, one might have learned that selfishness is a sin, and can only lead to self-destruction.