In a novel, many things can be used to bring to places and times together to hold one significant meaning. Sometimes this is an event, an object, or even a person. In the novel, "Silas Marner", George Eliot uses the character Eppi to bring Silas's old life and new life together.

When one trusts in their fellow man and has a deep relationship with god, it is hard to imagine what could make a person forsake faith and humanity. Silas's experiences in Lantern Yard bring him to do both. One whom he perceives to be his best friend, William Dane, betrays his trust and robs him of his faith. William Dane brought forward the thought that Silas's, "fits", were not blessings from God, but a possession by the devil that would later cause Silas to do evil. This thought starts to ruin Silas's life by poisoning his fiancé's thoughts against him. Later, Dane frames Silas for stealing money from the church, and follows up the betrayal by marrying Silas's fiancé. When nothing comes to light to clear Silas's name, he looses his faith in God, and when his fiancé marries Dane, he looses his faith in humanity.

Silas moves away to Raveloe, and he becomes a hermit and miser. He lives only for his gold. The money becomes his only companion, and he loves it almost as if it is a living being. The people of the village feel no kinship toward Marner, making him an oddity that scares children and receives the cold shoulder from the adults. This does not, however, bother the solitary Silas. One night, Silas's money is stolen, and it leaves him at a loss. Marner goes into town, where he appeals for help from the townspeople. It is ironic that loosing his money is what forces him back into humanity. His loss is something the townspeople can relate to. The tragedy brings his neighbors to his door offering food, advice, and company.

Some say a child is a gift from God; this was very true for Silas. When he first saw a child lying on his hearth, he thought he saw his gold, somehow returned to him. He touches the golden color and finds it to be a child's hair. This first establishes the child's likeness to the gold, foreshadowing the child replacing the gold in Silas's heart. When Silas's goes to get the doctor, the women suggest that Silas leave the child with them, yet Silas refuses without thought. When Godfrey asks if he will leave the child with the church, Silas again says that he wishes to keep the child. He names her after his dead sister, Eppi. Eppi becomes Silas's way to remember the past, and through her, regain his humanity. Eppi brings him closer to humanity as she grows older. He makes friends with the men and women of the town, and even begins to take their advice on matters. He loves Eppi unconditionally, and she completely replaces his distrust in humanity and God, with born again love. It is ironic that it takes another theft to restore Silas's faith in humanity. The theft of the gold opened space in Silas's heart for him to truly feel his loneliness. Eppi not only fills this gap, but she brings his past together with his present, making sense of his life as a whole picture.

Many things can cause people to loose faith, but Silas is brought out of his isolation by a tragedy similar to the one that drove him from humanity. Through Eppi, Silas's current life is united with his past, and he regains the life he had lost.