Topic > George Eliot's autibiographical elements in his book The Mill on the Floss

The Mill on the Floss is considered George Eliot's most autobiographical novel reflecting his early childhood memories and his relationship with his father and brother Isaac. The reader can see many examples and similarities between Eliot's life and Maggie's character. She resembles Maggie Tulliver's character who constantly seeks approval and love from her father and also her brother. The novel is different from other novels in terms of narrative. Because in The Floss Mill there is a narrator who comments on the characters or the actions of these characters. It also provides detailed descriptions of the psychological aspects of the characters. By making this extensive use of direct speech to comment on action or characters, the narrator attempts to convey to the reader the complexities of human life. In other words, he wants the reader to sympathize with the feelings of others. This essay examines the characters of Maggie and Tom in detail. Furthermore, analyze the novel in terms of major themes such as revenge, sympathy, and sacrifice. Finally, criticize the ending of the novel. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay From the very beginning of the novel, it can be seen that Tom and Maggie are quite different in almost every way. Maggie is an impulsive girl who does not consider the consequences of her actions. However, Tom is an extremely practical and rational guy. For example, the scene where Tom returns home is particularly important because it shows the fact that Maggie and Tom have totally different personalities. At one point, Maggie asks Tom, "If a lion came roaring at me, I think you'd fight him, wouldn't you, Tom?" Tom says, "How can a lion come and roar at you, you fool?" What? There are no lions, only in shows." Once again, Tom demonstrates how practical and direct he is. He has no imagination to make up these stories. Since he lacks these abilities, he can't even speculate on stories like this. Tom can only find solutions and solve problems. If there is a problem, he is the one who solves these problems. However, Maggie is not like that. Maggie is a very imaginative and intellectual girl. Maggie likes to read a variety of books while Tom doesn't like reading at all. When she is little, her mother asks Maggie to obey society's rules by asking her to wear bonnets and do patchwork. Immediately afterwards, he cuts his hair. In doing so, he announces his rebellious character from the beginning of the novel. She definitely doesn't like following society's rules like her brother does. Tom is obedient to the rules of the church and also to his father's rules. Maggie also constantly wants to be loved and appreciated by Tom. However, Tom's affection is never enough for her. Tom doesn't show his affection to Maggie the way she would like. There is a doll in the attic: whenever he feels sad or unhappy, he goes to the attic and punishes the doll. This points to the fact that she is a person who acts through her emotions. He is not rational like his brother. The reason Maggie makes mistakes most of the time is that she acts without considering the consequences of her actions. However, the moment he realizes his mistakes, he regrets them. Since Tom does not act suddenly, he never regrets it. Mr. Tullivar wants Tom to receive a higher education, but the kind of education that Maggie should actually have received. Because Latin and geometry are not the subjects Tom should be learning. This knowledge will not be useful to him especially when he starts managing the mill. Tom is not interested in learning languages ​​like Maggie. He has practical skills and his mind ismore business oriented. When she arrives at Maggie's, she is an intellectual girl who loves reading books, listening to music and also studying Latin. When Maggie and Philip secretly see each other, Tom asks Maggie to stop seeing Philip. So, you can say that he is a traditional boy who follows the strict codes of behavior of the Victorian age. When his father loses the case, he will be the one to take care of the Mill and the house as man of the house. Even though he is 16 years old, he is very determined and mature. He tries to find a way to pay the money his father owes and get the mill back. For this reason it can be said that he is good at solving problems and planning what to do next. He is an obedient boy who tries his best to help his family and take care of his mother and sister. It can be said that he handles such a family crisis very well considering his age. In such a crisis, he acts like a leader. It is clear that he wants to be seen as the authority figure in the house. This is the attitude of the moment. When Mr. Tulliver loses the case, Maggie is not expected to work. On the contrary, she must be saved from this situation by a male figure. Women do not receive formal education, so they are not respected in factory work. According to Victorian society, women simply do not belong in working life or education. For these reasons it is Tom who starts working to pay off the debts that his father costs him. Maggie is just the opposite of her brother. She is portrayed as a woman full of life and curiosity. He also seems like a person hungry for knowledge, affection and approval. All in all, Maggie and Tom are brother and sister who present completely opposite characters from each other. From the beginning of the novel, the reader can see how the theme of revenge and gender roles play an essential role in the novel. When Mr. Tulliver loses the case to Mr. Wakem, Mr. Waken buys the mill and even asks Mr. Tulliver to manage the land and mill. Due to the fact that Mr. Tulliver is a very proud man, he is hurt by this incident. That's why he even tells his son to write in the Bible that he will take revenge on his father from the lawyer Wakem. In such a situation, how come Maggie can talk to Philip? She is not free to talk to him especially because her father and also her brother would be very angry. It is clear that he must obey the patriarchal society illustrated by Mr. Tulliver and Tom. Although she is quite aware that her father and especially her brother will disapprove of her friendship with Philip, she still continues to meet him secretly. Despite all the forbidden rules, Philip insists on seeing Maggie. Even his father will not approve of these secret meetings. Maggie tells Philip that she will never do anything to hurt her father or break his heart. She says these things because Maggie is not there as herself. She is Mr. Tulliver's daughter. Thus, this can be seen as a criticism of gender roles. The novel emphasizes the idea that people cannot act against the forces of the environment. If anyone does something against these forces like Maggie, they are ultimately punished. There are some environmental forces that shape his character. Although she is not an ordinary Victorian girl, she does not act against the environment she was born into. Eloping with Stephen, she does so very briefly but then returns. When Stephen wants to run away with Maggie and never return, she can't stop thinking about Lucy and Philip. Furthermore, Maggie does not want to break the hearts of Lucy, Philip and especially her family. One of the most important themes of the novel is sympathy. Because of his sympathy, Maggie decides to leave Stephen and return to her family. He sympathizes with Lucy and Philip and thinks he cannot hurt these people. His conflict is whether to prosecute,.