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The Mill on the Floss by GEORGE ELIOT

The Mill On The Floss is a novel that was written by George Eliot (the pen name of author
Mary Ann Evans) and published in 1860. The novel was originally published in three parts. It
was very successful and was adapted into a film as early as 1937. It was Eliots second novel
and one of her most successful of all time.
The novel tells the story of the Tulliver family and their wild, unruly daughter Maggie who live
at Dorlcote Mill on the Floss river. Maggie considers her older brother, Tom her best friend and
the two get along well. However, Toms school mate Philip meets Maggie one day and begins
to fall in love with her. The Tullivers father, Mr. Tulliver soon makes a bad investment with
Philips father, and the family goes bankrupt. Mr. Tulliver makes the children promise never to
see Philip again. Tom manages to make some good business decisions and returns the family to
their former glory while Maggie must contend with Philip and her cousins suitor, Stephen who
has also fallen in love with her.
However, Stephen does not take the rejection well and spirits Maggie away against her will to
the next town over. After accidentally getting lost on the way home, Maggie returns five days
later and the entire town assumes that she has been despoiled. Tom throws her out of the house
and Maggie is sent to live with her aunt. But soon there is a great flood in the town and Maggie
bravely takes to a small boat to paddle to the Mill to save her brother. Tom is so touched by her
loyalty that he forgives her right before the boat capsizes and the two siblings drown in the
flood waters.
Book Summary
The narrator of the story, who is not named, opens the book by standing on a bridge overlooking
the Floss River which sits next to Dorlcote Mill. She watches a little girl play with her dog and
watches the Mill. Decades later, the narrator dozes in her armchair and dreams of that afternoon.
She decides to tell the story of what Mr. and Mrs. Tulliver were talking about inside Dorlcote
Mill that afternoon. This is where the proper story truly begins as were taken back in time to
Dorlcote Mill and Mr. and Mrs. Tullivers house.
Mr. Tulliver tells his wife that he wishes to send their son, Tom for an education so that he
might one day become a lawyer. Mrs. Tulliver does not object outright but does not agree either.
She wishes to have her sisters over for dinner to add their input on the subject, but this angers
Mr. Tulliver who does not want their advice. The couple continues to argue, and Mr. Tulliver
mentions his only impediment for sending Tom awaythat he worries that the boy is a bit slow.
He laments that their daughter, Maggie is the clever one out of the two. Mrs. Tulliver argues
that Maggie is a wild thing who is messy, absentminded and has dark coloring that makes
people mistake her for being black. She wishes that her daughter looked more like her beautiful
cousin, Lucy Deane.
Just then, Maggie storms into the room and tells her mother that she refuses to help work on the
patchwork for Mrs. Glegg whom she does not like. Maggies father only chuckles at this and
walks away. Mr. Tulliver speaks to his friend, Mr. Riley the next day about Toms schooling
and Maggie overhears this. She rushes to her father and begs him not to send Tom away.
Tulliver comforts his daughter and brags to Mr. Riley about her intelligence. Maggie wishes to
earn Rileys respect but Riley does not seem willing to give it. Riley recommends a tutor for
Tom in the form of a parson named Stelling and talks the man up although the narrator tells the
reader that he only does so because he wishes to do a favor for Stellings influential father-in-
law.
Maggie becomes upset and runs up to the attic. She has a doll that she imagines is someone who
vexes her and she regularly abuses with beatings. Maggie soon begins to feel better and runs
outside to join her dog, Yap in greeting her brother as he returns home from school. Maggie
goes into the Mill and speaks with one of her fathers workers, Luke. She tries, unsuccessfully
to get Luke to widen his reading but Luke feels that reading will only get him into trouble.
Maggie goes to visit Lukes wife at his house and becomes distracted by paintings depicting the
parable of the prodigal son.
Tom returns home soon, and Maggie delights in her brothers company. The two go fishing out
in the woods and promise that they will always be together.
However the narrator informs the reader that this will not come to pass and that the lives of
these children will change soon. Mrs. Tulliver begins preparing for the visit of her sisters. Her
sister, Mrs. Deanes opinion is of particular importance to her since Mrs. Tulliver thinks of her
daughter Lucy as one of her own, she enjoys the girl so much. Mrs. Glegg, another of Mrs.
Tullivers sisters, arrives first and as she is a stingy woman she begins reproaching her sister for
what she sees to be an extravagant household immediately.
Mrs. Pullet arrives next, crying over the death of an acquaintance. Mrs. Tulliver takes her sisters
to admire a new hat although Mrs. Glegg scoffs a this. Mrs. Glegg also picks on Maggies
appearance. Mrs. Deane arrives with Lucy. Maggie gets so fed up with everyone commenting
on her unruly hair that she drags her brother upstairs to cut it. Tom does not want any part of her
scheme, and she cuts it herself, making it look bad. It takes a while for Maggie to be coaxed
down to dinner and when she comes down the women of her family are horrified by her
butchered hair while the men are amused.
Over dinner, Mr. Tulliver announces his plans for Toms education. Mrs. Glegg is skeptical
about the plan and the two fight about it until Mrs. Glegg leaves. Having recently borrowed
money from the Gleggs, Mrs. Tulliver reminds her husband that night that her sister may
demand the money back now because of Mr. Tullivers attitude. Mr. Tulliver decides to ride
that night to Basset to see his sister, Mrs. Moss and her husband and ask for the money that he
loaned to them.
The Mosses are poor and live on little means. Mr. Tulliver tells himself to be firm in asking for
the money, but his resolve weakens when he sees his sister and she kindly asks after Maggie.
But Mr. Tulliver speaks to Mr. Moss and demands that he find a way to come up with the
money as he does not like the man. But after leaving, Mr. Tulliver relents and returns to their
house to comfort his sister and ask her to come up with some of the money if she can.
The next day while the children are playing outside, Maggie becomes jealous of Lucy and
shoves her into the mud. For this, Tom slaps Maggie. Lucy returns to the house and Maggie
panicked, decides to run away. She assumes that she can go into town and join a band of
gypsies. Maggie does find a band of gypsies and asks the women if she can join them. The
women sit her down by the fire and remove her bonnet and the contents of her pockets. Maggie
finds this rude and refuses to eat food with them. When the male gypsies return to the camp, one
of them decides to take her home. On the way, they bump into Mr. Tulliver who is looking for
her and he rewards the gypsy man with five shillings.
When they get home Mr. and Mrs. Tulliver fight again but Maggie never hears of the incident
again. Mr. Glegg manages to convince his wife not to demand the money she has loaned her
sister back and the two talk about the folly of the Tullivers as they enjoy their evening.
Mrs. Pullet arrives later to speak with her sister and the two talk about how they would like to
see Maggie sent away to boarding school. However, a letter soon arrives from Mr. Tulliver
telling Mrs. Glegg that he will have her money paid back to her within the month. Mrs. Glegg is
insulted by this, and the familys relations suffer as a result. Mrs. Glegg does not return to visit
the Tullivers again until Tom leaves for school in August. Tom quickly finds that he does not
enjoy Mr. Stellings tutoring and that he finds the parson mean and condescending. He is happy
to return home at Christmas
When Tom returns to school the next year he is joined by another boy, Philip Wakem, the son
of a local lawyer whom Mr. Tulliver has had bad dealings with. Philip has a serious birth defect,
a hunchback that he has been teased for all of his life. This has made him a quiet and shy boy
who is slow to make friends. However, Tom soon notices that Philip has a talent for drawing
and the two begin to become closer however they do suffer some fights. Philip is more
intelligent than Tom and thus they do not have lessons at the same time. But teaching a better
student does settle Mr. Stelling, who starts leaving Tom alone more. The local schoolmaster,
Mr. Poulter arrives to teach Tom as well and Tom enjoys the mans war stories. He begs Mr.
Poulter to let him borrow his sword to show Maggie and Mr. Poulter finally agrees after being
paid five shillings.
Maggie comes for a visit to Mr. Stellings, and Tom shows her the sword. However, while they
are playing around with it Tom accidentally drops the sword, and it lands on his foot. Tom
faints and Maggie screams loud enough to bring Mr. Stelling rushing into the room. Tom is laid
up with an injured foot for a while. He fears that he will be handicapped for life. Being
handicapped himself, Philip fears for Tom and asks Mr. Stelling if he will be alright. He learns
that Tom is going to be fine and tells him so. After this, the boys and Maggie begin to spend
more time together.
It is during this time that Maggie and Philip kiss and she tells him that she will never forget him.
Mr. Tulliver comes to pick Maggie up, and she tells him about Philip. He warns both her and
Tom that the boy has too much of his fathers blood in him and not to get too close. After this
Tom and Philip begin to grow apart again.
Several years pass as Tom continues his schooling to the age of sixteen. Maggie is sent away to
boarding school with Lucy Deane. Maggie does not see Philip again, but she senses that he and
her brother are no longer friends. Mr. Tulliver engages in another lawsuit with Philips father
and loses, going bankrupt after which he takes a bad fall from his horse and suffers some brain
damage. Tom and Maggie return home to an uproar. The bailiff has already arrived to kick them
out of the house. They find Mrs. Tulliver upstairs crying over her fine items. She does not want
to lose her things and fears that she will be sent to the workhouse.
Mrs. Tullivers sisters arrive again and she urges them to buy her fine linens so that she wont
lose them. Mrs. Deane and Mrs. Pullet buy only what they intend to keep and Mrs. Glegg urges
her sister to focus more on necessities. The sisters ask for Tom and Maggie to be brought in so
they can scold them and warn them that they will have to work now. Maggie becomes angry but
Tom manages to keep her calm. However, after Tom gently suggests that the sisters pay off his
fathers debt to save themselves the disgrace, Maggie becomes angry again and tells her aunts to
stay away if they dont intend to help. The aunts take this outburst as confirmation that Maggie
is a wild thing and will never be respectable.
Mrs. Moss arrives, sympathetically and sadly informs her brother that, with eight children to
feed, she still cannot pay off her debt. Mrs. Glegg suggests that they should sue her and at this
Tom interjects, saying that his father told him that the Mosses should never be forced to pay off
the loan.
Mr. Glegg suggests that he and Tom find the note for the loan and destroy it and Mrs. Moss is
grateful.
When they go to search Tullivers room, he wakes briefly and asks for his wife. Mr. Tulliver
tells Tom that he needs to get back at Wakem if he ever has the chance. He tells his family that
he is dying, but the narrator tells the reader that he is not yet dying and that his death is to be a
long descent under thickening shadows. Tom attempts to go to his uncle Deane for a job but
is turned away as he is too young and inexperienced. However, later Deane finds Tom a
warehouse job. Tom dislikes this job but knows that he must keep it at to feed his family. The
house sells as well as the Mill and all of the familys furniture, but they are still bankrupt.
Mrs. Tulliver decides to take matters into her hands and goes to Lawyer Wakem to urge him not
to buy the Mill. However, she accidentally manages only to convince him to do so by listing
several reasons why it would be prudent. He decides to buy the Mill and keep Tulliver on as
manager as he knows it will humiliate the man that Wakem has done something so charitable
towards him. Tom and Maggie try to explain to their father what is happening but he is still ill,
and his memory is gone. But when Mrs. Tulliver accidentally reveals that Wakem has bought
the Mill, her husband is even more upset.
Tulliver begins walking outside in the fresh air and recovers a bit. He struggles with his current
situation and his hatred for Wakem but promises his wife that he will try to make
amends. Tulliver insists that he will never forgive Wakem but that he will work with him and
try to be civil. He signs a vow saying this in the family bible.
The Tulliver household becomes morose and lonely for a while after this. Mr. Tulliver becomes
single-minded in his quest to pay off his debts and turns into a miser, and Tom follows his lead.
Maggie feels separated from both men and no longer feels any love for them. They make money
but only very slowly and realize that it will be a while before they can pay their debts. Maggie
reads a book that tells her to renounce her self-love for focusing on the sufferings of others. She
takes this to heart and begins serving somewhat of penance. This makes her more graceful, but
her old spirit remains and she takes it a little too far. Lawyer Wakem and Philip come for a visit,
and Maggie rushes out to meet them so that her father will not see.
Several days later, Philip visits Maggie again, alone and tells her that he feels it is their duty to
repair the relationship between their families. He asks her to meet with him now and again,
telling her that their meetings would be his only source of happiness. Maggie refuses initially
but agrees to hold off her decision until they meet again. Philip is sad as he assumes that she has
never considered the possibility of marrying him and feels that she is the only woman in the
world that would overlook his deformity.
Tom begins a new business venture with an old friend. He sells muslin and other fabrics to
ladies which begins netting him profit quickly. He does not tell anyone else in the family but
quietly begins saving up money. Maggie meets Philip again and tells him that they cannot meet
again and he agrees but asks that she spend some time with him before leaving. She poses for
him to draw a picture of her. Philip tells her that denying herself what she wants to see to
others suffering is foolish and the two argue. Eventually he offers her a suggestion. He will
continue to take walks in the woods and if they bump into each other, so be it. Of course, she
agrees and a year passes with the two meeting regularly in the woods. Maggie finally realizes
that Philip is in love with her and is shocked, reevaluating their whole year together. He asks if
she loves him and Maggie says that she does but that they cannot tell anyone however she
leaves the meeting very happy.
The next day Aunt Pullet visits and the conversation turns from Lucys Deanes beauty and
accomplishments to her seeing Philip Wakem scrambling out of the woods. Maggie blushes at
this announcement and hopes no one notices. However, Tom notices and remembers their
mother scolding Maggie for walking in the woods. He refuses to believe the two things could be
related but confronts Maggie and questions her. Maggie explains everything and says that she is
in love with Philip. Tom makes Maggie swear on a bible never to meet with Philip again. She
insists that she be allowed to say goodbye to him and Tom goes with her to the woods to see
him one last time.
Tom argues with Philip who insists that he is in love with Maggie. After they leave, Maggie
accuses her brother of enjoying her punishment, and he reminds her that he is doing everything
he can for their family while she seems determined to bring them disgrace. Tom leaves for work
and Maggie goes to her room to cry, but the narrator reveals that she has a certain dim
background of relief in the forced separation from Philip.
Three weeks later Tom finally manages to make enough money to pay off the Tullivers debts
and announces it to the family. Mr. Tulliver is so happy that he begins crying. Tom tells him
that he is to meet the creditors tomorrow and Tulliver is pleased that Wakem has probably heard
of this.
The next day, Tom makes a speech and strengthens his fathers pride in him.
On the way home alone, Mr. Tulliver meets Wakem in the street, and the two get into a fight.
Wakems horse throws him, and Tulliver begins beating Wakem with a riding whip. Maggie
rushes from the house to stop her father and Wakem screams that Tulliver will pay for what he
has done.
Tom returns home triumphantly but becomes upset again when he hears what has transpired that
evening. Tulliver has another spell and returns to bed. The next day he is ill again, and a doctor
is sent for.
Tulliver makes Tom promise that he will return the Mill to the family and take care of his
mother and sister. He then says that he does not forgive Wakem and soon passes away. Maggie
and Tom weep in each others arms.
In the next part, Lucy Deane arrives with her suitor, Stephen Guest in mourning gear for the
death of her mother some time later. Lucy tells Stephen of her cousin, Maggie who has had a
hard life and worked as a governess. Stephen assumes that Maggie is fat and blond like her
mother who now lives at the Deanes. Lucy worries that her friend, Philip Wakem, who often
visits her will not want to see Maggie. She writes a note for Philip and asks Stephen to take it to
him.
Lucy rehearses preparations for Maggies arrival which she wishes to be perfect as Maggie is
her favorite cousin. Maggie arrives shortly, and Lucy tries to cheer her up as Maggie admits that
she is unhappy most of the time and even gets angry at the sight of happy people. Stephen
arrives and is surprised to find that Maggie is tall and beautiful. He enjoys her frankness and
likes speaking to her.
The group goes out boating together, and as Maggie accidentally slips getting out of the boat,
Stephen takes her hand, and Maggie appreciates his touch. Maggie speaks with Lucy that night
about Philip Wakem and explains what happened between them years earlier. Lucy becomes
enthusiastic about this and vows to see them married one day. Maggie also visits Tom who now
lives with his friend and business partner, Bob. Bob tells Maggie that he feels that Tom may be
in love with Lucy. Maggie asks Tom to let her out of her promise not to see Philip as she is
going to be spending time with him at Lucys house. Tom agrees, coldly but tells her that his
feelings about Philip remain the same and that if she marries Philip, he will never speak to her
again.
Lucys family has a large Christmas party at which Maggie makes a great impression on the
young people of the town. Stephen feels guilty for finding Maggie attractive and begins
elevating his attentions to Lucy and never being in the same room as Maggie without Lucy.
Philip comes to visit the Deanes and Maggie cries when she sees him. She has come to view
Philip as a sanctuary where she can find refuge from Stephen. Maggie tells Philip that she has
to leave soon for another teaching job. Philip notices a change in her and sees that there seems
to be something blossoming between her and Stephen.
Tom comes up with a plan for Mr. Deanes company to acquire the Mill again and when Lucy
hears of it, she begs her father to be allowed to talk to Philip about it. Philip comes up with his
plan to accomplish this as a way to win Maggie back. He speaks to his father and admits his
love for Maggie. Wakem is furious at this, as he still harbors hatred for the Tullivers. Later that
evening, Wakem concedes to the match, however, and admits that Maggie does seem to love
him. Philip manages to make his father give up the Mill property as well. A bazaar is held in
Lucys town at which Maggie has a stall. Many men of the town patronize her stall and seem to
enjoy her company, particularly Stephen.
Mr. Wakem visits and buys something from her and speaks to her about Philip in a general but
obviously significant way. This agitates Maggie and Stephen realizes that there is an attachment
between Philip and Maggie. Philip and Stephen speak and end up quarreling about Maggie.
Lucy tells Maggie that Tom can reclaim the Mill from Wakem. Maggie tells Lucy that she is
leaving town to take up her governess position. Lucy is confused about why she would leave
now when there is nothing standing between her and Philips love. Maggie tells her that Tom
still objects. Lucy asks if she loves Philip and Maggie says that she would choose to marry
Philip because it would be the best and highest lot for her.
Before she leaves, there is a dance that both Maggie and Stephen attend. Stephen asks to walk in
the garden with Maggie, and the two are quieted by the idea that they will never see each other
again. Stephen impulsively kisses Maggies arm, and Maggie is upset that he would think that
she would betray Lucy this way. But she realizes that her reaction to this will make it easier to
part with him and is secretly relieved.
The morning of her departure, Philip visits Maggie, and she kindly tells him that she has to
leave. He asks if Toms hatred of him is the only reason that they cannot marry and Maggie
answers that it is. Maggie first travels to her aunt Mosses house to see her. A few days after her
arrival, Stephen rides to the house saying that he has a message for her. They walk in the
garden, and Maggie berates him for pressing his case on her. He tells her that she has no
sensitivity for his feelings and that he is mad with love for her. He argues that neither of them
is formally bound to anyone else and that if they are in love, it would not be wrong for them to
marry.
Maggie agrees that their feelings are strong but insists that they part and kisses him once before
running back to her house to cry in her aunts arms. Before leaving for her teaching job, Maggie
returns to the Deanes one last time to have dinner. It is agreed that the group will go on a boat
ride together and she is put in a boat with Stephen that is to meet Lucys boat nearby. However,
Maggie quickly realizes that they have passed the meeting place and begins to cry in fear.
Stephen urges her to run away with him. She tells him that she cannot and that he has put her in
an impossible position. Stephen offers to row back and take the blame for being late. Maggie is
affected by his pain, and he takes her silence as yielding and rows on. Maggie tells him that she
is too exhausted to make any decisions today and, assuming that he has won the argument,
Stephen tells her that he loves her again. Maggie falls asleep on the boat with Stephen watching
over her.
When Maggie awakes the next morning, she is filled with a new resolve to resist Stephen. She
tells him, and he becomes angry but escorts her off the boat and into town to look for an inn to
stay at. Maggie gets the sense that someone in the town is looking at her, but doesnt know who.
At the Inn, Maggie tells Stephen that they cannot be together because it would cause others
pain. He tells her that she must not love him and warns her what the town will think of her if she
returns now. Angered, he tells her to leave him at once, and she does. Once she gets in a coach,
however, she accidentally ends up in a completely different town.
Back at the Mill, which Tom has recently reacquired, he worries about his sister as she has been
missing for five days. Someone in the town has reported seeing her with Stephen. When Maggie
finally makes it back home, Tom assumes that she has been disgraced by Stephen and throws
her out. He refuses to listen to her explanations of what happened. Maggie turns to leave, but
their mother offers to go with her.
Soon, the entire town hears about Maggie returning unmarried and assumes the worst as well.
Stephen sends a letter home taking all of the blame on himself for the incident but the town
refuses to listen and blames everything squarely on Maggie. Maggie stays with Bob who treats
her kindly and believes her story of what happened with Stephen. Maggie decides to sway her
mother into moving back in with Tom while she finds a way to earn a living in town. Mrs.
Tulliver visits Lucy, who has been bedridden and ill since the news.
Maggie writes to excuse herself from her teaching job. Soon she learns from her mother the
unexpected news that Mrs. Glegg is standing by her and has reproved Tom for throwing her out.
She offers to take Maggie into her house. Maggie receives a letter from Philip offering to wait
for her and assuring her that he still loves her.
The local doctor, Dr. Kenn, agrees to let Maggie be the governess for his children but this only
makes the town assume that they are having an affair. Lucy recovers gradually, and Maggie
wishes to see her but knows that it would not be welcomed. However, one evening Lucy visits
her unexpectedly and tells her that she forgives her. Maggie weeps and thanks her. She urges
her to forgive Stephen, but Lucy is only silent on the subject. Dr. Kenn finally bows to the
gossip in town and asks Maggie to leave town for a while.
Stephen writes Maggie a letter saying that he is back in town. He scolds her for her cruelty to
him and says that he has suffered greatly without her, begging her to come to him. Maggie is
tempted, but remembers her feelings after meeting with Lucy and prays instead. She burns the
letter and resolves to write him a letter parting from him the next day. Harsh rains fall in town
and the Floss river begins to flood. Bobs house floods and Maggie wakes them in the middle of
the night to escape the deluged house. Maggie gets into one of Bobs two boats and paddles into
the dangerous water to escape. She reaches the Mill and sees Tom, who gets into the boat. Tom
realizes that Maggie has made a huge effort to save his life from the flood. They row toward the
Deanes but accidentally capsize and drown together.
Five years later, Philip and Stephen visit Maggies grave. Years later after that, Stephen and
Lucy visit the grave together, and Philip visits alone. Maggie and Tom were buried together,
and their tombs inscription reads: In their death, they were not divided.

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