“A hand is put into theirs, which leads them forth gently towards a calm and bright land, so that they look no more backward; and the hand may be a little child's.”
- Source
- Silas Marner
- Date
- 1861
- Attribution
- Source identified
- Voice / speaker
- Narrator voice · Narrator
What does this quote mean?
Recovery may arrive through relationship rather than argument: caring for another person can redirect attention from what was lost toward a future that again contains responsibility and hope.
Where does it come from?
Silas Marner; the image follows Eliot’s description of people being drawn away from destructive isolation, with a child’s hand representing the relationship that leads forward.
Who voices the line?
Narrator voice · Narrator. Narrator voice in Silas Marner uses the child-hand image while discussing recovery from isolation.
The source author and the local speaker can be different, especially in fiction, drama, dialogue and poetry.
How should this attribution be read?
This wording is connected with the named source shown above. Translations and editions can vary, so consult the source note when exact wording matters.