The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot Essay - 1844 Words

The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot It is said that George Eliot’s style of writing deals with much realism. Eliot, herself meant by a â€Å"realist† to be â€Å"an artist who values the truth of observation above the imaginative fancies of writers of â€Å"romance† or fashionable melodramatic fiction.† (Ashton 19) This technique is artfully utilized in her writings in a way which human character and relationships are dissected and analyzed. In the novel The Mill on the Floss, Eliot uses the relationships of the protagonist of the story, Miss Maggie Tulliver, as a medium in which to convey various aspects of human social associations. It seems that as a result of Maggie’s nature and of circumstances presented around her, that she is never able†¦show more content†¦Maggie always felt a responsibility to please her father and to never cause him any grievances. She was loyal to him at times that he seemed to not return her affection â€Å"How she wished that [her father] would stoke her head, or give her some sign that he was soothed by the sense that he had a daughter who loved him!† (Eliot 371) When her father was in the lowest point of self-ruin and was under the scrutiny of the family, Maggie took upon the position of the protector and loyally defended her protector. â€Å"Her father had always defended and excused her, and her loving remembrance of his tenderness was a force within her that would enable her to do or bear anything for his sake.† (Eliot 284) Maggie’s brother, Tom, is the person of whom she was the most fond of. She turned the cheek on some of his unkind actions toward her in the realization of a strong, unbreakable bond. This excerpt from â€Å"Brother and Sister† (Ashton 90) portrays the type of relationship Maggie and Tom Tulliver have. He was the elder and a little man Of forty inches, bound to show no dread, And I the girl that puppy-like now ran, Now lagged behind my brother’s larger tread. â€Å"Every episode in the early chapters show Maggie’s high hopes of pleasure being dashed by disagreements with Tom.† (Ashton 75) â€Å"Tom indeed was of opinion that Maggie was a silly little thing: all girls were silly...still he was very fond of his sister and always meant to take care of her.†Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Mill On The Floss By George Eliot2199 Words   |  9 PagesThis research report reviews scholarly criticism on the much debated character MAGGIE TULLIVER from the book Mill on the floss written by George Eliot. The project I propose analyses Maggie’s character as a whole. The report will begin by discussing the critics point of view of various reasons responsible for the death of Maggie Tulliver. The report then focuses on how society and how her relationships lead to her downfall from the point of view of various critics. A part of my report also criticallyRead More Identity of Women in Shelleys Frankenstein, Brontes Jane Eyre, and Eliots The Mill on the Floss1471 Words   |  6 Pagesand Eliots The Mill on the Floss George Eliot is quoted as stating: A womans hopes are woven of sunbeams; a shadow annihilates them (Miner 473). To extend this notion, Jean Giraudoux in Tiger at the Gates, states I have been a woman for fifty years, and Ive never been able to discover precisely what it is I am (474). 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