Silas Marner

Content Warning: This guide discusses addiction and depression, which feature in Silas Marner.

The stone pit is a quarry located near Silas’s house. When Silas first moves to the area, the pit is filled with water. Over time, the local farmers decide to drain the pit to irrigate their fields. In doing so, they reveal the skeleton of Dunsey Cass and the gold that he stole from Silas’s house. The stone pit becomes an important symbol in the novel due to the effect that it has on Godfrey. After the skeleton is revealed, Godfrey returns home and tells his wife that his brother’s remains have been found. Beyond the practical implications of what this means, Godfrey has chosen to interpret events on a symbolic level. For him, this is evidence that the secrets of the past cannot be hidden forever. Dunsey’s disappearance was a mystery that has now been solved. In a similar way, the death of Molly and the parentage of Eppie are mysteries that are now part of the local folklore. Godfrey has convinced himself that these mysteries will inevitably be solved, just as the mystery about his brother has been solved. The skeletons of Godfrey’s own past will be revealed, he believes, so he has decided to tell the truth.