Essay/Term paper: The mill on the floss by george eliot

Essay, term paper, research paper:  English Term Papers

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."