The Mill on the Floss

1. The Mill on the Floss George Eliot A Review Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014

2. The Mill on the Floss • AUTHOR: George Eliot (alias Mary Ann Evans) • PUBLICATION DATE: 1860 • CONTENT • CHARACTERS • SETTING • THEMES • MESSAGE TO BE LEARNT • NEW VOCABULARY LEARNT George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014

3. Content 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

4. Content 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

5. Content 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 DECAYIn 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

6. Content 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. VENGEANCEand 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

7. Content 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

8. Characters • 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

9. Setting 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

10. Setting 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

11. Themes • 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

12. Themes - 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

13. Messagetobelearnt 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

14. New VocabularyLearnt ADJECTIVESNaughty: cattivo, disubbidiente Dull: monotono, tedioso Eager: avido, impaziente Greedy: avido Trembling: tremante Nodding: oscillante Queer: bizzarro VERBSTo threaten: minacciare To rush: attraversare di corsa To sob: singhiozzare To whisper: bisbigliare To lend: imprestare To gaze: guardare fisso To glance: dare un’occhiata To despise: disprezzare NOUNSMill: mulino Clergyman: uomo ecclesiastico Quarrel: discussione Aim: scopo Whisper: bisbiglio Shadow: ombra Gathering: raduno Trouble: difficoltà Debt: debito Rascal: furfante Beggar: mendicante Despair: disperazione Vengeance: vendetta Flood: inondazione Amend: riparazione Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014

15. Work by Eva Cavallari Thank you for the attention. Eva Cavallari cl. 3als a.s. 2013-2014