2. Maggie Tulliver :
A sensitive girl ; The heroine of the novel.
Tom Tulliver :
Her unimaginative brother.
Lucy Deans:
Maggie’s beautiful cousin with whom she is all the time unfavorably
compared.
Mr. Riley:
An auctioneer who suggests Stelling as the person to educate Tom.
Mr. Stelling:
The clergyman who teaches Tom and Philip.
Edward Tulliver:
Her Father; a miller and master by profession.
Mrs. Gregg:
Maggie’s maternal aunt; a woman of a fiery temper.
3. Loss of innocence is a major theme in The Mill on the Floss. From the
beginning of the novel, the narrator makes it clear that there is a strong
demarcation between living in childhood, as Maggie and Tom are doing, and
looking back on it, as she is doing. With sentences like, “Childhood has no
forebodings; but then, it is soothed by no memories of outlived sorrow” (72), or
“Very trivial, perhaps, this anguish seems to weather-worn mortals who have to
think of Christmas bills, dead loves, and broken friendships” (56), the narrator
repeatedly calls to attention the great distance between the perception of
children and the perception of adults.
When Mr. Tulliver loses all his assets and his senses, it becomes clear that the
divide between child and adult is not necessarily slowly created over time, but
that, for Maggie and Tom at least, it is created in a single episode of rending - a
loss of innocence. With powerful imagery, Eliot shows Maggie and Tom going
“forth together into their new life of sorrow,” “the thorny wilderness,” as “the
golden gates of their childhood had for ever closed behind them” and they will
“never more see the sunshine undimmed by remembered cares” (159). The
knowledge of their family’s great hardships to come is “a violent shock” that
separates them permanently from their edenic - in comparison, at least -
childhood.
4. Introduction to setting: Outside Dorlcote Mill:
The novel begins with a description of the town of St.
Ogg’s and the River Floss on whose banks it is situated.
The narrator tells of how she sees , in her imagination ,
a great wagon passing over the bridge and sees a little
girl with her dog near the Mill beside he water.
The girl is Maggie Tulliver , the mill owner’s daughter,
and the dog is Yap.
5. Introduction to Tullivers; plans for Tom’s future ; Mr.
Riley to be consulted:
An important chapter , it introduces us three
characters who are vividly delineated.
Mr. Tulliver decides to ask for advice regarding a
proper school from Mr. Riley , a worldly-wise man of
some education. Mrs. Tulliver’s chief worry is about
who will do Tom’s washing and whether he will get
enough to eat if he went to a school far from home.
The picture of the Tulliver family is typical of the
domestic life of ordinary common people.
6. Mr. Riley’s advice:
He suggests that Tom be sent to study with a tutor
instead of at a school . He recommends Mr. Stelling ,
M A. from the Oxford The cost would be about one
hundred pounds a year.
He also assures Mr. Tulliver that Rev. Walter Stelling
would be able to teach anything , just as a good
workman could make a door as well as a window.
He even offers to settle the whole matter with Stelling.
7. Tom is expected: He have to come back from school.
Maggie’s emotional outbursts: She is showing her
anger too his brother. She tells Luke of how much she
loves Tom.
Her carelessness: Maggie forgets to feed Tom’s rabbits.
Due to her carelessness rabbits died.
8. Tom comes home ; quarrel and reconciliation with
Maggie
Maggie’s warmth and passion and intensity of love
recognizes no rules of right and wrong , whereas Tom
is “correct” and rather rigid and imaginative.
The chapter is a beautiful evocation of childhood
memories.
9. Aunts and Uncles are coming
Preparation for party
Tiff between Tom and Maggie: Tom and Maggie take
some Jam puffs being made for guests. He cut that puff
into two. Ask Maggie to choose one. Tom becomes
angry as Maggie gets bigger piece.
Tom and Bob Jakin : Tom takes Yap and Bob to river
bank. Bob their cheats Tom , as Bob tosses a coin and
when Tom wins. Bob refuses to give while Tom takes
with help of Yap. Bob runs away.
10. The chapter is full of revealing incidents.
The Aunts and Uncles arrive.
Maggie’s nature is once again emphasized in her
cutting off her hair.
The quarrel between Mrs. Glegg and Mr. Tulliver plays
an important part in Tullivers financial difficulties
which ruin him later.
Humor is produced by the dialogue and even quarrel.
Quarrel grows and Mrs. Glegg walks out angrily after
asking Tulliver to repay the money. It is decided that
she could pacified some other days.
11. Mixture of humor and pathos in this chapter.
Chapter brings out the contrast between Tulliver and his
sister , on the one hand, and the Dodson's on the other.
Mr.'s Moss is poor but by nature generous and kind ; the
Dodson's are wealthy but narrow-minded and rigid.
Mr. Tulliver’s generous and affectionate nature is also
revealed.
George Eliot shows her mastery in revealing the mind and
motives of a simple but good man like Tulliver.
Mr. Tulliver needed money but while seeing her sister in
tears , he says I don’t need money anymore and returns
back taking colored eggs which her aunt made for Maggie.
12. Maggie and Tom are further contrasted in this chapter.
Mrs. Tulliver’s decide to visit her sister along with Tom, Maggie
and their cousin Lucy Deane.
Lucy is pretty and neat while Maggie was uncomfortable and
bad-tempered in her clothes.
Tom and Lucy laughs at Maggie failure , which hurted Maggie
and she broke beautiful house of cards.
Tom’s character is also revealed further through the various
incidents, which also bring out the relations between Tom and
Maggie.
Maggie loves and craves the love of Tom ; Tom , however ,is
indifferent.
She is not aware that her husband is determined to repay the
loan.
13. Maggie’s behavior is worse than expected.
Maggie’s sharp temper, impulsiveness and her sensitivity
are revealed.
Once again the peculiar relationship between the self-
righteous Tom and the passionate Maggie is revealed –
Maggie needs his love and attention.
The relationship plays an important part in the novel.
Mrs. Tulliver’s dread about Maggie being drowned proves
prophetic.
We also notice the contrast between Maggie and Lucy.
Lucy is passive, meek and submissive.
She is not retaliate in any way.
14. Maggie tries to run away; the gipsies.
Maggie’s temperament and character is further revealed.
She is especially sensitive to slights from Tom.
Her inclination to act impulsively comes out in her running
off to the gipsies.
Her habit of romancing receives a rude shock, however,
when she actually stays among the gipsies.
She is to receive a similar disillusionment in her experience
in ‘real’ life.
He pays the gipsy for looking after Maggie and takes her
home.
15. A rather amusing chapter, it describes the material life
of Mr. and Mrs. Glegg.
The characters of both are delineated humorously,
with all their oddities.
But neither is aware that there is anything in them to
laugh at.
However , the chapter is not strictly relevant to the
plot, though it is truly entertaining.
16. Mr. Tulliver further entangles the skein of his life.
He is determined to pay off the loan , even after Mrs.
Gregg's conciliatory note has been sent.
The event of borrowing from a client of Wakem , is
crucial to the story.
Mr. Tulliver has further complicated his life and that of
his family.
The story has thus moved forward.
17. This book deals with the childhood of Maggie Tulliver
and her brother Tom. It presents one of the most
striking studies of childhood in all fiction. George
Eliot’s descriptive skill is evident in the evocative lines
on the setting of the novel- the river, the rich pastures,
the wagoner’s horses and the mill itself.
This book gives a moving chronicle of Maggie’s
childhood disappointments. There is an
autobiographical element in the account of childhood
suffering. Poor Maggie is constantly scolded by her
mother, unkindly treated by her aunts and callously
treated by her brother whom she loved.
