Silas Marner: George Eliot
In Chapter 4, Dunstan Cass takes Wildfire, Godfrey’s horse, to town in order to sell it.
Dunstan Cass, setting off in the raw morning, at the judiciously quiet pace of a man who
is obliged to ride to cover on his hunter, had to take his way along the lane, which, at its
farther extremity, passed by a piece of unenclosed ground called the Stone-pit, where
stood the cottage, once a stone-cutter’s shed, now for fifteen years inhabited by Silas
Marner. The spot looked very dreary at this season, with the moist trodden clay about
it, and the red, muddy water high up in the deserted quarry. That was Dunstan’s first
thought as he approached it; the second was, that the old fool of a weaver, whose loom
he heard rattling already, had a great deal of money hidden somewhere. How was it that
he, Dunstan Cass, who had often heard of Marner’s miserliness, had never thought of
suggesting to Godfrey that he should frighten or persuade the old fellow into lending
the money on the excellent security of the young Squire’s prospects? The resource
occurred to him now as so easy and agreeable, especially as Marner’s hoard was likely to
be large enough to leave Godfrey a handsome surplus beyond his immediate needs, and
enable him to accommodate his faithful brother, that he had almost turned the horse’s
head towards home again. Godfrey would be ready enough to accept the suggestion:
he would snatch eagerly at a plan that might save him from parting with Wildfire. But
when Dunstan’s meditation reached this point, the inclination to go on grew strong and
prevailed. He didn’t want to give Godfrey that pleasure: he preferred that Master Godfrey
should be vexed. Moreover, Dunstan enjoyed the self-important consciousness of having
a horse to sell, and the opportunity of driving a bargain, swaggering, and, possibly,
taking somebody in. He might have all the satisfaction attendant on selling his brother’s
horse, and not the less have the further satisfaction of setting Godfrey to borrow Marner’s
money. So he rode on to cover.
Bryce and Keating were there, as Dunstan was quite sure they would be – he was such
a lucky fellow.
“Hey-day!” said Bryce, who had long had his eye on Wildfire, “you’re on your brother’s
horse to-day: how’s that?”
“O, I’ve swopped with him,” said Dunstan, whose delight in lying, grandly independent of
utility, was not to be diminished by the likelihood that his hearer would not believe him –
“Wildfire’s mine now.”
“What! has he swopped with you for that big-boned hack of yours?” said Bryce, quite
aware that he should get another lie in answer.

Explore how Eliot presents Dunstan Cass in this extract.
Give examples from the extract to support your ideas.

In this extract from George Eliot’s novel “Silas Marner,” Dunstan Cass is portrayed as a cunning, deceitful, and self-serving character. Eliot uses various techniques to present Dunstan Cass in this light, including his actions, thoughts, and dialogue. Through his actions, Dunstan is shown to be opportunistic and willing to take advantage of others for his own gain. For example, he takes advantage of his brother Godfrey’s horse, Wildfire, by lying about swapping horses with him and planning to sell Wildfire without Godfrey’s permission. This is evident in the following quote: “O, I’ve swopped with him…Wildfire’s mine now.” This shows that Dunstan is willing to manipulate his brother and take what he wants without considering the consequences.

Additionally, Dunstan is portrayed as a greedy character who is motivated by his desire for money. He sees an opportunity to make money by selling Wildfire and borrowing money from Silas Marner, and he is willing to go to great lengths to achieve his goal. He even considers frightening or persuading Silas Marner to lend him money, showing his lack of moral scruples. This is evident in the following quote: