February 14, 2022
- Interpret
There is a lot going on following the close of Mill on the Floss’ book two. What I find to be most significant to the rest of the novel would be how Eliot handles the portrayal of the role of society and power in the novel, especially how the central crisis appears to be a mirror to her own family drama of her adult life and how significant a women’s (perceived) actions can be to the rest of her life and her relationships.
When Maggie goes on an ill-advised boat trip with Stephen Guest, her cousin Lucy’s beau, while the readers know “nothing happens”, in hindsight that does not matter in how the situation becomes viewed. The absence alone and being in the presence of someone who is not her betrothed causes a storm of gossip and the worst picture is painted to what could have went on during those missing hours. Respectable society turns away from Maggie, and Tom, who is now head of the family, refuses to let his disgraced sister return to the mill, remarking “I wash my hands of you forever.”
It’s alarming just how harshly Maggie is blamed for this scandal in comparison to Stephen, all due to gender inequalities. This power play is really significant in the latter part of their lives and really enlightens us to just how much these societal rules play in not only Tom and Maggie’s adulthood, but what it said about real society going on during the time Eliot wrote the novel.
- Critically Evaluate
In comparison to the initial reading of the novel, Kate Millet’s “Sexual Politics” is incredibly relevant to the significant transition of the protagonists’ childhood into adulthood. Highlighting the patriarchal systems institution that “male shall dominate female” or the idea that the older male dominates the younger male, is very present as Maggie and Tom and the characters around them have grown older. Maggie still hangs on every demand from Tom, and like so Tom must obey and respect their father to a tee until he passes. It’s definitely a relationship pyramid here, where the old gentleman, such as the father figures, are the most dominant over everyone, while the sons are subjugated to the father, but not so to the daughter. Really insightful theory into how the structure of the novel was based and the idea for a play on feminist conflict in a way.
- Points of Discussion for Class:
The narrator is often very critical of society, particularly in regards to the St. Ogg’s rumor mill. Are there any instances where society is presented in a more positive light?
Would Maggie have been better off if she had gone ahead and married Stephen? Would this have preserved her reputation and relationship with Tom?
In what sense is The Mill on the Floss a feminist novel? What kind of effect does the conclusion have on the novel as a whole? How does George Eliot specifically question the validity of masculine leadership in a woman’s life of that time period?
