The Mill on the Floss is a novel written by English author George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans. It was first published in three volumes on April 4, 1860, by William Blackwood and Sons. The first American edition was published the same year by Harper & Brothers in New York.

The story covers a time span of 10 to 15 years and follows the lives of Tom and Maggie Tulliver, siblings who grow up at Dorlcote Mill on the River Floss. The mill is located where the River Floss meets the smaller River Ripple, near the village of St Ogg’s in Lincolnshire, England. Both the rivers and the village are fictional.

Synopsis

The novel begins in the late 1820s or early 1830s. Historical events in the story happen after the Napoleonic Wars but before the Reform Act of 1832. In chapter 3, a character named Mr. Riley is described as an "auctioneer and appraiser thirty years ago," which places the novel's opening around 1829, thirty years before the book was written in 1859. In chapter 8, Mr. Tulliver and Mr. Deane discuss the Duke of Wellington and his actions regarding the Catholic Question. This conversation could only occur after 1828, when Wellington became Prime Minister and supported a bill for Catholic Emancipation. The novel includes many parts based on the author’s own life, including the shame she felt during a long relationship with a married man named George Henry Lewes.

Maggie Tulliver is the main character. The story begins when she is 9 years old, 13 years into her parents’ marriage. Her relationship with her older brother, Tom, and her romantic connections with Philip Wakem (a kind and thoughtful friend with a physical disability) and Stephen Guest (a lively young man from St. Ogg’s who is engaged to Maggie’s cousin, Lucy Deane) are the most important parts of the story.

Tom and Maggie share a close but complicated relationship that continues throughout the novel. Maggie longs for the unconditional love she once had with her father before his death. Tom is practical and reserved, while Maggie is idealistic and eager to learn and experience new things. Family problems, such as financial ruin, Mr. Tulliver’s conflict with Philip Wakem’s father (which leads to the loss of the family mill and Mr. Tulliver’s death), make Tom and Maggie’s differences more obvious and highlight their deep love for each other. To help his father pay debts, Tom leaves school to work. He eventually succeeds in restoring the family’s estate. Meanwhile, Maggie lives in poverty at home, where her intelligence is wasted due to her isolation. She experiences a difficult spiritual period, during which she gives up worldly things after reading The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis.

This decision is tested when Maggie reconnects with Philip Wakem, a friend she had known when Tom and Philip were students. Against the wishes of Tom and her father, who both dislike the Wakem family, Maggie secretly meets Philip and takes long walks in the woods. Their bond is partly based on Maggie’s compassion for people in hardship and partly on her intellectual and romantic feelings. However, their connection is complicated by the family’s dislike of the Wakems. Philip convinces Maggie to promise him her love. When Tom discovers their relationship, he forces Maggie to break her promise to Philip and abandon her hopes of living a more cultured life.

Years later, Mr. Tulliver dies. Lucy Deane invites Maggie to stay with her and experience the life of leisure and culture that Lucy enjoys. This includes spending time talking and playing music with Lucy’s suitor, Stephen Guest, a well-known man in St. Ogg’s. Stephen and Maggie, despite their better judgment, become attracted to each other. The situation becomes more complicated when Philip Wakem becomes friends with Lucy and Stephen. Philip and Maggie are reintroduced, and Philip’s love for Maggie is rekindled. Meanwhile, Maggie, no longer isolated, secretly enjoys Stephen’s attention, which makes her earlier promise to Philip uncertain. Lucy tries to arrange a short boat trip for Philip and Maggie, but Stephen unknowingly takes Philip’s place.

When Maggie and Stephen float down the river, they forget how far they have traveled. Stephen suggests they board a passing boat to Mudport and get married. Maggie is too tired to argue, and Stephen takes advantage of her exhaustion to hail the boat. During the journey to Mudport, Maggie struggles with her feelings for Stephen and her past promises to Philip and Lucy, who had supported her when she was poor and dependent on them. Upon arriving in Mudport, Maggie rejects Stephen and returns to St. Ogg’s, where she lives briefly as an outcast. Stephen flees to Holland. Although Maggie immediately seeks forgiveness and shelter from Tom, he refuses to let her stay, telling her she will never be welcome at his home again. Lucy and Philip forgive her, as shown in a heartfelt reunion and a letter, respectively.

Maggie’s exile ends when the river floods. She struggles through the water in a boat to find Tom at the old mill. She then joins him to rescue Lucy Deane and her family. In a brief, tender moment, the brother and sister reconcile, putting aside all past conflicts. When their boat capsizes, the two drown in each other’s arms.

Characters

• Maggie Tulliver – a dark-skinned miller’s daughter. A smart and impulsive child who experiences strong emotions but hides them to help others.
• Tom Tulliver – Maggie’s brother. At first, he is not responsible and avoids his schoolwork, but he begins to study seriously after his father’s financial problems.
• Bessy Tulliver (née Dodson) – Maggie and Tom’s mother, a kind but not highly intelligent woman who feels sad about her family’s loss of status. She is very focused on her linen cupboard, her silver sugar tongs, and her sister’s new hat.
• Edward Tulliver – Maggie and Tom’s father, owner of the mill until a long legal case causes him to lose money. A proud and quick-to-act man who finds it hard to adjust to changes in business. He deeply loves Maggie and his sister Gritty. He is known for his strong sense of fairness and his wish to provide a better life for his family.
• Philip Wakem – a classmate of Tom and a friend who wants to marry Maggie.
• Stephen Guest – a wealthy man who wants to marry Lucy, but also has interest in Maggie.
• John Wakem – a lawyer from St Ogg’s and father of Philip. Mr. Tulliver dislikes lawyers, especially Wakem, after losing a major case to him.
• Emily Wakem (née Clint) – Philip’s mother, who dies before the story begins.
• Lucy Deane – Tom and Maggie’s cousin, a beautiful girl with light hair, expected to marry Stephen Guest.
• Miss Guest and Laura Guest – Stephen’s sisters, important members of the community and friends of Lucy.
• Mr. Riley – an auctioneer and appraiser who is a friend of Mr. Tulliver.
• Rev. Walter Stelling – teacher of Tom and Philip.
• Dr. Kenn – the church leader of St Ogg’s.
• Bob Jakin – a childhood friend of Tom who later helps him with business; Tom and Maggie sometimes stay at his home.
• Mrs. Jane Glegg (née Dodson) – leader of the Dodson family, a strict and controlling aunt of Maggie and Tom who defends Maggie after her conflict with Stephen.
• Mrs. Sophy Pullet (née Dodson) – sister of Bessy, Tom, and Maggie’s aunt.
• Mrs. Susan Deane (née Dodson) – sister of Bessy, Tom, and Maggie’s aunt, mother of Lucy.
• Gritty Moss (née Tulliver) – Mr. Tulliver’s sister, mother of many children, including Georgy and Lizzy.
• Kezia – the Tulliver family’s maid.
• Luke – the head miller.
• Yap – the Tullivers’ dog.
• Mr. Turnbull – the doctor of the parish.

Locations

• Dorlcote Mill: The Tulliver family lived here for 100 years
• Basset: Location of Moss Farm
• Dunlow Common
• Garum Firs: A place people visit for a special experience
• Red Deeps
• Midsummer: Home of the academy
• Mudport
• St Ogg's
• St Ursula

Themes

The novel The Mill on the Floss, like other works by George Eliot, shows the struggle between life events and the inner strength of characters trying to overcome those events. Throughout the story, forces beyond the characters' control shape their lives. For example, Mr. Tulliver cannot stop himself from getting into legal trouble, which causes him to lose his family’s wealth and ruin his family’s future. Similarly, events lead Maggie and Stephen to a point where they cannot turn back. Characters like Mr. Tulliver are shown as unable to make decisions on their own, while natural forces, such as the river or a flood, seem to control their paths. However, Maggie’s final choice to avoid marrying Stephen, even though it means losing his love and facing the shame of their failed escape, shows that she can make her own decisions.

Critics say Maggie’s deep need for love and acceptance drives her actions throughout the novel. They argue that the conflicts in the story come from her unmet desire for approval. Alan Bellringer notes that the novel’s main themes—growing up and falling in love—can be interesting, but the story focuses more on Maggie’s unfulfilled growth and unmet love. Many writers have pointed out that Maggie’s family and society often reject her talents and ways of behaving. The traditions and rules of her community also stop her from growing intellectually and spiritually. Elizabeth Ermarth explains that these norms treat Maggie as someone weak and limited, preventing her from reaching her full potential as a person.

Adaptations

In 1937, the story was made into a film called The Mill on the Floss. A BBC television series based on the story was broadcast in 1978. The series included actors Christopher Blake, Pippa Guard, Judy Cornwell, Ray Smith, and Anton Lesser.

In 1994, Helen Edmundson changed the book into a play. The play was performed by a group called Shared Experience.

A television film version of the novel was shown on January 1, 1997. In this version, Maggie Tulliver was played by Emily Watson, and Mr. Tulliver was played by Bernard Hill. The film used the historic Chatham Dockyard in Kent for scenes showing streets and outdoor areas.

In 2009, a radio play based on the story was broadcast on BBC7. The radio play had five parts, each one hour long.