the mill on the floss
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George Eliot
A Review
Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014
Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014
-AUTHOR: George Eliot (alias Mary Ann Evans)
-PUBLICATION DATE: 1860
-CONTENT
-CHARACTERS
-SETTING
-THEMES
-MESSAGE TO BE LEARNT
-NEW VOCABULARY LEARNTGeorge Eliot (Mary Ann Evans)
Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014
The Mill on the Floss deals with the story of
Maggie Tulliver and her older brother
Tom. They lived in Dorlcote Mill, with their
father, Mr. Tulliver, the owner of the mill
and their mother, Mrs. Bessy Tulliver.
>CHILDHOOD
>TOM
>PHILIP
>ECONIMIC RUIN
>FAMILY’S DECAY
>WOMENHOOD
>VENGEANCE and DEATH
> THE FLOOD
Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014
CHILDHOOD
The story begins when Maggie was 9 years old. Her childhood was
characterized by her relationship with Tom, and with his classmate Philip
Wakem.
TOM Maggie was fond of Tom but they had really different characters:
Maggie was clever and dreamer, on the contrary Tom was more pragmatic
and close-minded. These deep differences between them would be the cause
of their future breach and moving away.
PHILIP Maggie met Philip during a visit to her brother’s school. Philip was
deformed but he had got a brilliant and gentle mind. They immediately got on
well, but their relationship would be broken off by the economic ruin of Mr.
Tulliver, caused by Philip’s father, Mr. Wakem.
Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014
ECONOMIC RUIN After Mr. Tulliver had lost the economic cause
against Mr. Wakem, he fell in ruin, till he had to sell all his property,
including the mill, to Wakem. After the trial, Mr. Tulliver fell gravely ill
and as a result Tom, who was seventeen years old at this point, entered in
the world of business to pay his father’s debts and eventually to buy again
the mill.
FAMILY ‘S DECAY In the meanwhile Maggie took care of her weak father
and witnessed to her family’s decay: Tom was always longer away from
home for business, becoming more and more silent; Mr. Tulliver was only
interested in pay his debts; and poor Mrs. Tulliver never again worked
quietly and contentedly after losing her little treasures in the sell.
Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014
WOMENHOOD
In this agonizing period, Maggie, on the
edge of womanhood, when the mind is
ordinarily full of new hopes and new
dreams, secretly saw Philip during her
walks until Tom discovered them and she
had to renounce to her love for Philip.
VENGEANCE and DEATH An year later, Tom had earned enough to
pay all his father’s debts. But after the vengeful day a long time
desired, Mr. Tulliver died at night, next to his family.
Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014
THE FLOOD At this point, while Tom hadn’t forgiven her yet, Maggie moved to
a friend’s house. But her troubles hadn’t finished yet . After a week of pouring
rain, the river flooded, submerging the surrounding fields. In the midst of the
flood Maggie managed to reach the mill with a boat and to rescue her brother.
But they finished in a too violent current where a wide mass across the stream
was coming towards the boat. Conscious of their near death Tom finally forgave
his sister and took her in his arms. The huge mass sank the boat but brother
and sister had gone down locked together, never to be parted.
Maggie and Tom in the midst of
the flood.
Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014
MAIN CHARACTERS
- Maggie Tulliver: the young female protagonist
-Tom Tulliver: Maggie’s brother
-Mr. Tulliver: Tom and Maggie’s father and owner of the mill
-Mrs Bessy Tulliver: Tom and Maggie’s mother
-Philip Wakem: classmate of Tom and Maggie’s friend
MINOR CHARACTERS
-Mr. Wakem: Philip’s father, a lawyer enemy of Mr. Tulliver
-Aunts and uncles of Maggie and Tom (Mrs. Tulliver’s sisters and their
husbands : Mrs. and Mr. Glegg, Pullet, Deane and Mr. Tulliver’s sister and
husband : Mrs. and Mr. Moss)
-Lucy Dean : Mrs. Dean’s daughter
-Luke : the head miller
-Yap : the Tulliver’s dog
Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014
The novel is set in the English country, in the first nineteenth century.
The characters
move from Dorlcote
Mill to the small
town of St.Ogg, in
the wide plain
where the river
Floss hurries on.
Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014
SOCIAL CONTEXT
Mary Ann Evans wrote “The Mill on the Floss” during the Victorianism, a
period characterized by an economic prosperity and a colonial and
commercial expansion. On the contrary the society showed deep social
lacerations. Indeed, after the Industrial Revolution, the difference
between rich and poor social classes had increased: to somebody’s
accumulation of wealth stood opposite child and female mistreatment,
poverty and prostitution.Mary Ann Evans hid her name
under the alias George Eliot to
avoid the diffidence and the
prejudices of the hypocrite
bourgeoisie of the Victorian age.
Paesaggi Vittoriani (John Atkinson
Grimshow)
Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014
-The conflict between the individual and the
conformist society in which he or she lives. In
the novel , Maggie’s intelligence is defined by
her father as an inconvenient disadvantage,
something that won’t be useful in her life:
“Too clever for a woman […] it doesn’t add to
her value.” Such as her dark skin is
something to be ashamed of. The society
denies her intellectual and spiritual growth
and a kind of determinism rejects her
attempts to grow and to be true to herself.Maggie Tulliver
Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014
- The growth. That is the transition from childhood dreams to the hard
reality of life. Indeed Maggie, after her quite carefree youth, has to face
her family’s bankrupting, Tom’s abandonment, her father’s death and
has to give her love up.
The relationship between brother and sister, that is the background
throughout the whole novel.
- Independence and freedom, that is the importance of the right of
free choice. Indeed in the novel we can notice the succession of
Maggie’s conditioned choices, and as a result she dies without having
lived her life. She has renounced to everything and to herself.
Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014
In my opinion, the message to be
learnt is that in your life you must find
the strength and the determination to
assert yourself and to react against
what restricts you. Otherwise you will
be overcome by others’ wills and
controls, such as Maggie drowned
under the flood.
Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014
NOUNSMill: mulinoClergyman: uomo ecclesiasticoQuarrel: discussioneAim: scopo Whisper: bisbiglioShadow: ombraGathering: radunoTrouble: difficoltàDebt: debitoRascal: furfanteBeggar: mendicanteDespair: disperazioneVengeance: vendettaFlood: inondazioneAmend: riparazione
ADJECTIVESNaughty: cattivo, disubbidienteDull: monotono, tediosoEager: avido, impazienteGreedy: avidoTrembling: tremanteNodding: oscillanteQueer: bizzarro
VERBSTo threaten: minacciareTo rush: attraversare di corsaTo sob: singhiozzareTo whisper: bisbigliareTo lend: imprestareTo gaze: guardare fissoTo glance: dare un’occhiataTo despise: disprezzare
Thank you for the attention.
Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014
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