Line #4 Literature/TheMillOnTheFloss


1	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-tom_and_maggie_6750.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:200: Tom and Maggie Tulliver.]]
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4	''The Mill on the Floss'' is a novel by Creator/GeorgeEliot, which charts the ComingOfAge of Maggie and Tom Tulliver, two siblings living in a fictional hamlet in [[OopNorth Lincolnshire]]. The siblings' complex and at times strained relationship is further complicated when the family fortunes waver and Maggie - ever disapproved of for her "unladylike" temperament and pursuit of knowledge - finds herself yearning for an affection which her adored but stern brother withholds, only to find a kindred spirit in Phillip Wakem, son of the man both Tom and their father Edward hold responsible for the latter's misfortunes.
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6	Often cited as Eliot's most autobiographical novel.
7
8	!!This work contains examples of:
9	* AlliterativeName: Tom Tulliver.
10	* AloofBigBrother: Tom is the beneficiary of ParentalFavoritism, and frequently heaps scorn on his sister, but also enjoys her BigBrotherWorship more than he cares to admit.
11	* AmoralAttorney: John Wakem, according to Mr Tulliver's characterisation of the man, though he is not exactly an unbiased source.
12	* BigBrotherWorship: Characterises Maggie's relationship with her older brother.
13	* BrainyBrunette: {{Bookworm}} Maggie, whose relatives regularly lament her dark hair and skin.
14	* BreakTheHaughty: The loss of the lawsuit and the resultant bankruptcy comes as a huge shock to Edward Tulliver, to the point of sending him into an AngstComa from which he never fully recovers.
15	* ChekhovsSkill: Maggie insists upon learning to row so that Lucy and Stephen can relax together in their boat, which comes in handy when [[spoiler: the Floss floods and she needs to save Tom from the second story of the family home]].
16	* ChildhoodFriendRomance
17	* ConvictedByPublicOpinion: [[spoiler: Maggie]]
18	* DoubleStandard: The differing treatment of [[spoiler: Maggie and Stephen]] following their indiscretion (the former is considered DefiledForever and made the target of gossip and ostracism, whereas the young man is thought of as a victim of a wiley, wayward woman) is thoroughly eviscerated.
19	%%* DownerEnding
20	* DumbBlonde: Elizabeth and Tom Tulliver are the [[DumbBlonde Dumb Blondes]] to Maggie's BrainyBrunette.
21	* FeudingFamilies: Sort of. The Tullivers and the Wakems, and even though it's pretty one-sided, it's one of the major obstacles to Maggie and Phillip's relationship.
22	* GeniusCripple: Studious, artistic Phillip Wakem, who is a hunchback.
23	* [[spoiler: GiantWallOfWateryDoom]]
24	* GoodShepherd: The local minister Dr Kenn through and through, who donates most of his income to charity and takes Grattan into his home when the boy accidentally shoots his mother, and later does the same for [[spoiler: Maggie, after she is ConvictedByPublicOpinion]].
25	* HiddenDepths: Aunt Jane Glegg, as is discovered in a later chapter, appropriately named "Showing That Old Acquaintances Are Capable of Surprising Us".
26	* [[spoiler:[[IHaveNoSon I Have No Sister]]: Tom disowns Maggie after her apparent elopement with Stephen Guest]].
27	* IJustWantToBeLoved: Maggie's central motivation, made explicit by WordOfGod.
28	* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Before he confesses his love, this is Phillip's sentiment, as he doesn't believe Maggie will ever love him back. He resolves to be a friend, a guardian, a brother, or whatever else she will allow him to be... but it turns out she returns his feelings.
29	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Kezia, the "bad-tempered, good-hearted" maid to the Tullivers, who for all her scolding and for all that she has a HairTriggerTemper, chooses to stay with the family during Edward's illness, wages or no wages.
30	* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: By the standards of the time, Maggie and Phillip, certainly. Phillip is sensitive, timid and thoughtful, and sometimes described in feminine terms in the book, while Maggie is a spirited {{Tomboy}} with little ability to interpret others' emotions.
31	* ObliviousToLove: Maggie is dumbfounded when Phillip confesses his love, as it simply never occurred to her to think of him as anything but a friend. He assumes at first that she is incapable of loving a "cripple" like him.
32	* OldFashionedRowboatDate: Several, one of which goes disastrously wrong.
33	%%* OopNorth
34	%%* ThePlace
35	* RisingWaterRisingTension: A flood is used to provide a dramatic climax to the novel, in which Tom and Maggie use a boat to try to save Lucy Deane and her family from the rising waters.
36	* SillyPrayer: Tom Tulliver, unhappy at Mr Stelling's school, adds to his prayer the following: "And please to make me always remember my Latin." He pauses a little to consider how he should pray about Euclid and geometry, and then adds: "And make Mr Stelling say I sha'n't do Euclid any more. Amen."
37	* SingleTargetSexuality: From childhood, Phillip only has eyes for Maggie, and [[spoiler: he never finds another love after her death]].
38	* ThickerThanWater
39	* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Maggie and her cousin Lucy Deane, respectively.
40	* WhatBeautifulEyes: Maggie's dark eyes which "seem trying to speak kindly", according to Phillip. Later Stephen Guest and John Wakem also remark on their beauty.
41	* WillTheyOrWontThey: [[spoiler: They don't]].
42	%%* WorkOffTheDebt

Context Literature / TheMillOnTheFloss