author of middlemarch and the mill on the floss

“ Tom was not fond of quarrelling, unless it could soon be put an end to by a fair stand-up fight with an adversary whom he had every chance of thrashing” This trait stays with him through life: “ If Tom had told his strongest feeling at that moment, he would have said, ‘I’d do just the same again.’ That was his usual mode of viewing his past actions whereas Maggie was always wishing she had done something different.” This is already shown in his childhood quarrel with Bob in which, reluctantly, he forfeits the joys of hunting rats because Bob has tried to cheat him. As the children grow into adulthood can Maggie and Philip overcome the Capulet and Montague emnity of their families? And then other problems arise as Maggie becomes entangled with Stephen, heir to the rich Guest family and boyfriend of Maggie's favourite cousin Lucy.īut his principal characteristic, at least once he has grown, is his determination to hold to whatever course he has fixed. But Philip Wakem, hunch-backed son of the lawyer, was friends with Tom at school and has fallen in love with Maggie. In the end this proves his downfall and he becomes bankrupt, managing the mill for new owner Mr Wakem, the lawyer who defeated him, who becomes the family's bete-noire. Mr Tulliver is impetuous and inflexible and as a result is repeatedly going to law to protect his rights as mill-owner. Of course, you could blame their parents. The pair fight and quarrel, Maggie does daft things because she is impetuous and Tom does daft things because he is inflexible.

It traces the relationship of brother and sister Tom and Maggie TulliverĮliot is remarkably good at an unsentimental depiction of children. This is a classic work by the author of Middlemarch, Romola, Adam Bede, and Silas Marner.

Author of middlemarch and the mill on the floss