Answer any one of the following questions in 120 – 150 words:

(i) Why was Mrs Hall happy to have a guest at ‘Coach and Horses' Inn? How did the stranger behave at the inn?

(ii) Describe Mr Marvel's meeting with the mariner at Port Stowe. What kind of person was the mariner?

(iii) How did Dunstan Cass meet his end?

(iv) Describe the circumstances under which Silas Marner had to leave Lantern Yard.

(i) Mrs Hall felt really happy to have a guest at ‘Coach and Horses' inn as there were not many guests staying at the Inn at that time of the season. As the stranger paid all his bills punctually and also paid in advance for his room. It made Mrs Hall quite happy. However, the stranger's arrival in the Iping created a curious impression. He used to argue with Mrs Hall on matters of domestic discipline. He told her to come to inside his room only on his permission. The stranger never went to church and used to wear the same clothes hiding his face and complete body. He never talked to anyone at the inn. His temper was uncertain. He rarely left his room during daylight and used to travel only on nights. He chose the loneliest paths and those most overshadowed by trees.

(ii) Mr Marvel met the Mariner at Port Stowe who was an elderly sailor in Port Burdock. The Mariner got to know about the story of an invisible man roaming the city of Iping while reading a newspaper. He discusses the chaos created by Invisible Man in Iping with Mr Marvel. He is worried and uncomfortable as Invisible Man can roam anywhere and can hurt anyone. However, Mr Marvel says the news is a hoax, which makes the mariner furious and the two of them gets engaged in a verbal fight which makes Marvel run away and leaves the mariner offended. Mariner seemed to be a righteous but short-tempered individual who although wishes to protect the society by catching the invisible man, however, becomes too furious at Mr Marvel when declared the news as a hoax.

(iii) Dunstan was not a good character in the story. He was a liar, a blackmailer, a thief and really an unkind person. His family background was also described by the author which was the actual cause for such personality of Dunstan. His mother died when he was young and his father was not much of a father as he had kept all his sons at home in idleness. The narrator didn't clearly explain the passing away of him but surely he would die because of the evil actions that had taken him down.

(iv) Silas Marner had to leave Lantern Yard and move to Raveloe in shame as he was falsely accused of stealing from his church. When Silas moved to Raveloe, he left behind a full life in Lantern Yard and a community who once viewed Silas as a young man with a lot of potentials. After William Dane frames Silas for theft, Silas lost the respect of his community as well as his own innocent faith in humanity and the woman he once loved. He left Lantern Yard in order to give himself a chance for starting a new life in Raveloe. However, Silas's life in Raveloe was isolated, as he chose to concentrate on his work and the earning of gold. He lived away from the community and away from any kind of lively interaction with other people. These choices made him felt quite lonely.