The Mill On The Floss By George Eliot Essay, Research Paper

The Mill on the Floss is a book written by George Eliot, whose

real name is Mary Anne

(later Marian) Evans. There is a great deal of autobiography in

this book. The facts of Mary

Anne’s life do not match Maggie Tulliver, but there is an

obvious reflection of her own life.

Book One: Chapter1-13

The novel opens up with a description of the countryside around

the town of St. Ogg’s

and the river Floss. In the second chapter Maggie, Mr.

Tulliver, Mrs. Tulliver, and Mr. Riley are

introduced. Mr. Tulliver states his intention to send Tom to a

different school. In the third

chapter Mr. Riley gives his advice about a school for Tom. In

the forth chapter Mr. Tulliver

goes after Tom, while Mr. Tulliver is gone you learn about that

Maggie’s mother is concerned

mainly with what her family thinks. In the fifth chapter Tom is

home and you learn that he cares

for his sister Maggie deeply, and that Tom’s opinion is very

important to Maggie. In the sixth

chapter the Tulliver’s are getting ready for the aunts and

uncles to arrive. In the seventh chapter

the family arrives and you are introduced to Mrs. Glegg, Mrs.

Pullet, Mrs. Deane and Maggie’s

cousin Lucy. Mr. Tulliver states his intention to send Tom to

school and it is met with

opposition. In the eighth chapter he goes to his

brother-in-laws house to demand the money that

he owes him so that he can pay his wife’s sister Mrs. Glegg. In

chapter nine you read about the

Tullivers going to visit the Pullets. In the tenth chapter

Maggie pushed Lucy in the mud because

she is receiving most of Tom’s attention. When Tom goes to tell

on her she runs off and can’t be

found. In the eleventh chapter Maggie decides to run away to

the gypsies, but after learning how

poor they were and how little of food they had she decides to go

back home. In the twelfth

chapter you read that St. Ogg is named for it’s patron saint

who showed pity on a woman and

child. St. Ogg is the town where the Gleggs live. In the

thirteenth chapter Mr. Tulliver borrows

money from a client of his old enemy Wakem.

Book One: Chapter 1-7

In the first chapter of this book Tom is at school, and he is

Stelling’s only student. Maggie

goes to visit him in October. In the second chapter Tom gets to

come home for Christmas. Mr.

Tulliver has a lawsuit against Mr. Pivart , his next door

neighbor. It has also become known

that Wakem’s son will be sent to school with Tom. In the third

chapter Tom is back at school

and meets Phillip Wakem. Philip Wakem is a small, deformed

youth with a hump on his back,

but is an exceptional artist and story teller. In the forth

chapter read that Tom feels that Philip is

an enemy. Tom and Philip get in an argument that left Phillip

crying bitterly. Tom bribes Mr.

Poulter to let him borrow his sword and keep it under his bed.

In the fifth chapter Tom tries to

make up the quarrel with Philip, but Wakem does not respond.

Tom tries to impress Maggie and

drops the sword on his foot. Also Maggie becomes very fond of

Philip Wakem. In the sixth

chapter Philip sends all his extra time with Tom and Maggie.

Maggie kisses Philip in the library

and promises to do so again next time she sees him. In the

seventh chapter Tom goes on at King’s

Lorton until his fifth half year, and Maggie is sent to boarding

school with Lucy. Also Mr.

Tulliver loses his lawsuit against Mr. Pivart.

Book Three: Chapters 1-9

In the first chapter Mr. Tullver falls off of his horse and is

found insensible by the

roadside. Tom ventures that Wakem is responsible and vows to

make him “feel for it”. In the

second chapter Mr. Tulliver is found crying over the things

that she has to sell to pay the

mortgage. Maggie reproaches her mother for caring more about

her possessions than Mr. Tulliver.

In the third chapter the aunts and uncles gather for

consultation. They help by buying some of

Mrs. Tullivers good things. In the forth chapter Mr. Tulliver

wakes up for a while and becomes

excited, but soon falls back to bed. In the sixth chapter Tom

goes to see his uncle Deane about a

job. Mr. Deane gives him a job for no better reason than he is

his nephew.. In the sixth chapter

the sale of Mrs. Tullivers household goods is finally over. Bob

Jakin, one of Tom’s childhood

friends, comes back to repay a favor. He offers them money, but

they refuse it saying that it is not

nearly enough to help. In the seventh chapter Mr. Tulliver

slowly recovers but has lost track of

time. Also Wakem decided that it would be a good investment to

buy the mill. In the eighth

chapter the land and the mill are sold to Wakem, and Mr.

Tulliver agrees to be employed by

Wakem as a manager. In the ninth chapter Mr. Tulliver struggles

with himself to keep his promise

to work for Wakem. Mr. Tulliver also has Tom write in the

family bible that he will never forgive

Wakem, and that Tom must make him feel for it when the chance

comes.

Book Four: Chapters 1-3

In the first chapter you read that the religion of the Dodsons

and Tullivers is “of a simple,

semi-pagan kind.” Family life on the Floss os much like before.

In the second chapter you read

that Maggie is old for her years but lacks Tom’s self command.

Mrs. Tullivers uncontentment in

this empty life is less painful to Maggie than her father’s

sullenness. In the third chapter Bob Jakin

comes to the house and brings books for Maggie. One is by

Thomas a Kempis, this book leads

her to a new inner life .

Book Five: Chapters 1-7

In the first chapter Maggie who is now seventeen years old and

darkly beautiful tells Philip

that she is glad that he has come, and they start meeting

secretly. In the second chapter Tom

borrows money from aunt and uncle Glegg to repay debts. In the

third chapter Maggie feels that

concealment is wrong and that they should not meet secretly

anymore. In the forth chapter

Maggie returns a book to Philip saying she did not like it

because once again the fair-haired

woman stole all the love from the dark woman. Philip also

declares his love for her, but she says

that she can do nothing about it because she does not want to

hurt her father. In the fifth chapter

Tom finds out about her meeting Philip and goes with her to meet

him. He makes Maggie swear

never to meet him again. In the sixth chapter the Tullivers

finally have the money to pay off their

debts. In the seventh chapter Tulliver meets with his

creditors. He meets Wakem on his way

back home and knocks him off of his horse. Mr. Tulliver is

whipping Wakem when Maggie

comes to restrain him. Later that night Mr. Tulliver gets very

ill and dies, before his death he

would not forgive Wakem.

Book Six: Chapters 1-14

In the first chapter you read about Lucy Deane being courted

by Stephen Guest. Also

Maggie is coming to stay with her. Mrs. Tulliver has been their

housekeeper since Mrs. Deane

died. Stephen feels that Lucy is the sort of woman to marry. In

the second chapter Maggie comes

and meets Stephen who finds her beautiful and intelligent. He

finds Maggie interesting but

believes he could never love her. In the third chapter Maggie

tells Lucy she feels that Stephen is

too self-confident.. She also tells her the story of herself

and Philip. In the forth chapter Maggie

goes to visit Tom, who is lodging with Bob Jakin, and asked to

be absolved of her promise not to

see Philip. Tom agrees but says she must give him up if she

begins to think of Philip as a lover.

In the fifth chapter Tom tries to get Mr. Guest to buy Dorlcote

mill, and says if it can be bought

he would like to buy it by working off the price. In the sixth

chapter Maggie is launched by Lucy

into St. Ogg’s society. Also Maggie and Stephen are becoming

very aware of each other. In the

seventh chapter Maggie sees Philip. Philip recognizes that

Maggie and Stephen are in love but

he will not allow himself to believe it. In chapter eight

Philip tells his father that he wants to

marry Maggie. At first Wakem disapproves but then says that he

can if she will have him.

In the ninth chapter Maggie helps Lucy in a booth selling

large, plain articles. Mr. Wakem

comes and speaks to Maggie amiably. Maggie goes to aunt Moss’s

house and has told Lucy that

she will speak to Tom about marrying Philip, but she is still in

love with Stephen. In chapter ten

Stephen kisses Maggie and she sends him away. She tells Philip

she is leaving and will speak to

her brother. In the eleventh chapter Maggie has stayed with her

aunt four days before Stephen

comes to see her. Stephen asks her hand in marriage and she

refuses, they exchange one kiss

before he goes. In the twelfth chapter Tom refuses to give his

blessing for Maggie and Philip to

get married. In the thirteenth chapter Maggie tries to avoid

Stephen but finds it impossible. She

ends up going rowing with him. Stephen asks Maggie once again

to marry him and she refuses.

They rowed out way to far and ended up getting on a boat coming

toward them. In the

fourteenth chapter Maggie departs from Stephen telling him they

can never get married.

Book Seven: Chapters 1-5

In the first chapter Maggie returns home to Tom, but Tom

hearing of her on the river with

Stephen, and not being married, turned her out. Bob Jakin took

her and her mother in. In the

second chapter it becomes known that Maggie has returned unwed

and she is cast out of society.

Dr. Kenn tries finds her a position at the church. In the third

chapter aunt Pullet offers to take

Maggie in but she declines. There is also word that Lucy is no

longer ill. Maggie receives a letter

from Philip and it makes her sure that no happiness in love

could make her forget the pain of

others. In the forth chapter Dr. Kenn, unable to find her a

position, employs her himself as a

governess to his children. Lucy comes and visits Maggie and

tells her that she is not angry with

her and that Maggie is better than she. In the fifth chapter

Dr. Kenn has to let Maggie because of

rumors that he intends to marry her. Maggie receives another

letter from Stephen asking her to

come to him, but she resolves not to go. She is wondering how

long it is until death. At that

moment she feels water about her knees, knowing at once it is

the flood. Maggie is swept away

in one of the boats while trying to help Bob ready the boats.

She paddles to reach the mill. Tom

climbs out into the boat. They set off to find Lucy. Huge

fragments are floating and people in a

boat shout a warning , but Tom and Maggie are borne down by the

drifting masses. They

disappear under the current “in an embrace never to be parted.”