Books Read: 9

After this blog I will be completely up to date and hopefully I can keep more on track with my blog entries. This is post will be on Mill on the Floss by George Eliot. This is a coming of age story of Maggie Tulliver a independent and wild child. She is the younger of two child and she idolizes her older brother. Her older brother, Tom, enjoys punishing her whenever she gets into trouble. The novel centers around their complicated relationship of Maggie wanting unconditional love from her brother Tom, but Tom's reserved and realistic nature conflicts with Maggie's wild idealized ideas. His father owns the Mill, by the river Floss, that they live on and who wants a better life for his son so pays for a special education by a famous Pastor, which Tom hates, but when Maggie visits him enjoys all the books and knowledge available there. She makes friends with another pupil of Tom's, a hunchback of a rich father named Philip Wakem based on their mutual intellectual and emotional interests. He forms a strong attachment to the young Maggie during her visits. During the last few years of Tom's education, his father becomes bankrupt and Mr. Wakem buys the Mill from him, creating strain between Philip and Maggie. Tom returns to work in a business and help his father buy back the Mill. However, during Maggie's time in social isolation due to their poor conditions she renounces the world. In the middle of this dedicated new philosophy she is reunited with Wakem and they meet in secret to share books and intellectual conversation. Philip confesses his love to Maggie and she eventually gives a mutual feeling of love. Tom discovers these meetings and puts an end to their connections. After a few more years passing, in which Mr. Tulliver has died without achieving his goal of retaining his Mill. Lucy, Maggie's cousin, invites Maggie to stay with her for awhile and Maggie meets Stephen Guest, Lucy's suitor and assume fiance. During the leisurely time they spend together Maggie and Stephen become attracted to each other, against their will. However, Lucy finds out that Maggie was once in a relationship with Philip Wakem and reintroduces them, since Stephen and Lucy are also friends with him. Philip has rekindled is love for Maggie, but Maggie has become more interested in Stephen and questions her first attractions to Philip. Maggie and Stephen accidently elope by taking a boat onto the Floss, which was meant for Maggie and Philip planned by Lucy. They neglected to pay attention to how long they were rowing and ending up taking passing boat back to Mudport. Where Stephen proposes he and Maggie elope together. Maggie is conflicted between her love for Stephen and her previous contract with Philip and Lucy. She rejects him and returns home, where she is turn rejected by her brother, who hears of her "elopement", but she is forgiven by Lucy and Philip. Maggie is then sent into exhile to live with a clergy man, but her exhile is ended when the river floods and she takes a boat out to Tom to save him. He climbs into the boat, but they both end of dying during the flooding and they are found clasped in each other arms. They are buried side by side and visit by Philip and Lucy and Stephen, who are married. The story ends with a quote, "In their death they were not divided"

I also loved this book, but it is a bit more of a challenge to read compared to Jane Eyre. There were many interesting discussions we had around this book. Such topics were the suggestion of incest in the story, especially in the end scene. Another topic I found interesting in this book was the constant references to arms from beginning to end. There are lots of suggestions as arms as a sexual reference, which isn't very common, but used in very interesting ways. Another suggestion was as a way to connect to people. I think people who know they enjoy classic literature should read this book, but it is not a quick pick up book. It is intellectually stimulating and therefore not a book one can relax and not pay attention to while reading. There are so many great details that could be missed if one is not paying attention. Still a wonderfully written book!