Summary
While Mr. Tulliver slowly recovers from his stroke, the family faces their worst nightmare: the mill and land are going up for sale. Mrs. Tulliver, usually passive and dependent, hatches what she believes is a brilliant plan. Like a desperate hen trying to save her chicks, she decides to approach Wakem directly and ask him not to bid on the mill. She's convinced that if she just explains their situation woman-to-woman (so to speak), appeals to his reasonable nature, and reminds him of their shared social connections, he'll show mercy. Her family would be horrified if they knew, so she uses selling pickles as cover to get to town. The meeting goes disastrously wrong. Mrs. Tulliver's bumbling, naive approach only succeeds in giving Wakem information he didn't have and planting an idea in his head. Initially, he had no intention of buying the mill, but her visit triggers something darker. Wakem realizes that purchasing Dorlcote Mill would be the perfect revenge - not crude malice, but the sophisticated pleasure of forcing his enemy to work for him. He can frame it as benevolence while savoring Tulliver's humiliation. Mrs. Tulliver leaves thinking she's done her best, completely unaware that her desperate gambit has sealed their fate. This chapter brilliantly shows how good intentions without strategic thinking can make bad situations infinitely worse, and how those in power often have motivations we can't imagine.
Coming Up in Chapter 28
The sale day arrives, and the Tulliver family must face the harsh reality of losing everything they've known. Tom and Maggie will discover just how dramatically their world is about to change.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
How a Hen Takes to Stratagem The days passed, and Mr Tulliver showed, at least to the eyes of the medical man, stronger and stronger symptoms of a gradual return to his normal condition; the paralytic obstruction was, little by little, losing its tenacity, and the mind was rising from under it with fitful struggles, like a living creature making its way from under a great snowdrift, that slides and slides again, and shuts up the newly made opening. Time would have seemed to creep to the watchers by the bed, if it had only been measured by the doubtful, distant hope which kept count of the moments within the chamber; but it was measured for them by a fast-approaching dread which made the nights come too quickly. While Mr Tulliver was slowly becoming himself again, his lot was hastening toward its moment of most palpable change. The taxing-masters had done their work like any respectable gunsmith conscientiously preparing the musket, that, duly pointed by a brave arm, will spoil a life or two. Allocaturs, filing of bills in Chancery, decrees of sale, are legal chain-shot or bomb-shells that can never hit a solitary mark, but must fall with widespread shattering. So deeply inherent is it in this life of ours that men have to suffer for each other’s sins, so inevitably diffusive is human suffering, that even justice makes its victims, and we can conceive no retribution that does not spread beyond its mark in pulsations of unmerited pain. By the beginning of the second week in January, the bills were out advertising the sale, under a decree of Chancery, of Mr Tulliver’s farming and other stock, to be followed by a sale of the mill and land, held in the proper after-dinner hour at the Golden Lion. The miller himself, unaware of the lapse of time, fancied himself still in that first stage of his misfortunes when expedients might be thought of; and often in his conscious hours talked in a feeble, disjointed manner of plans he would carry out when he “got well.” The wife and children were not without hope of an issue that would at least save Mr Tulliver from leaving the old spot, and seeking an entirely strange life. For uncle Deane had been induced to interest himself in this stage of the business. It would not, he acknowledged, be a bad speculation for Guest & Co. to buy Dorlcote Mill, and carry on the business, which was a good one, and might be increased by the addition of steam power; in which case Tulliver might be retained as manager. Still, Mr Deane would say nothing decided about the matter; the fact that Wakem held the mortgage on the land might put it into his head to bid for the whole estate, and further, to outbid the cautious firm of Guest & Co., who did not carry on business on sentimental grounds. Mr Deane was obliged to tell Mrs Tulliver something to that effect,...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Good Intentions Gone Wrong
When desperate people appeal to the better nature of those who operate by power, not compassion, they often provide ammunition for their own destruction.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when someone operates from a completely different playbook than your own moral framework.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone in authority responds to your reasonable request with unexpected hostility—ask yourself what they might actually want beyond what they're saying.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Chancery Court
A special English court that handled complex property disputes, bankruptcies, and inheritance cases. It was notoriously slow, expensive, and could drag on for years while lawyers got rich and families got ruined. Dickens wrote a whole novel about how awful it was.
Modern Usage:
Like getting stuck in a legal nightmare where the lawyers make more money than anyone gets justice - think messy divorce proceedings or probate court battles that destroy families.
Taxing-masters
Court officials who calculated legal fees and costs in Chancery cases. They were supposed to be neutral, but they had every incentive to inflate costs since everyone in the system got paid more when cases dragged on longer.
Modern Usage:
Like insurance adjusters or medical billing departments - people whose job is supposedly to help, but who actually profit from making your problem more expensive.
Decree of sale
A court order forcing someone to sell their property to pay debts. Once issued, you had no choice - your home, business, everything could be auctioned off to the highest bidder, regardless of sentimental value or family history.
Modern Usage:
Like a foreclosure notice or bankruptcy auction - when the system forces you to lose everything you've worked for to pay creditors.
Allocatur
A legal document that officially approved court costs and fees. It was the final stamp that made all those lawyer bills legally binding - no appeals, no negotiations, just pay up or face consequences.
Modern Usage:
Like getting that final medical bill after insurance 'adjustments' - the amount you owe is now set in stone, whether you can afford it or not.
Chain-shot
A type of naval ammunition - two cannonballs connected by a chain, designed to tear through ship rigging and cause maximum widespread damage rather than hitting one precise target.
Modern Usage:
Like how one person's bankruptcy or foreclosure affects the whole neighborhood, or how one family member's addiction impacts everyone around them.
Stratagem
A clever plan or scheme, usually involving some deception or misdirection to achieve a goal. The chapter title suggests Mrs. Tulliver is trying to be strategic, though we'll see how that works out.
Modern Usage:
Like when you have a 'brilliant' plan to fix a problem that actually makes everything worse - the road to hell paved with good intentions.
Characters in This Chapter
Mr. Tulliver
Incapacitated father
He's slowly recovering from his stroke, becoming more aware but still helpless to stop the legal machinery destroying his family. His gradual return to consciousness parallels his family's descent into disaster.
Modern Equivalent:
The dad recovering from a heart attack while medical bills pile up and the house goes into foreclosure
Mrs. Tulliver
Desperate schemer
Usually passive and dependent, she decides to take action by secretly approaching Wakem to beg him not to buy their mill. Her good intentions and complete lack of strategic thinking make the situation much worse.
Modern Equivalent:
The mom who tries to negotiate with the bank manager and accidentally gives them more reasons to foreclose
Wakem
Opportunistic antagonist
Initially had no intention of buying the mill, but Mrs. Tulliver's desperate visit plants the idea of the perfect revenge - forcing his enemy to work for him while appearing magnanimous.
Modern Equivalent:
The lawyer or businessman who sees your desperation as an opportunity to get exactly what they want while looking like the good guy
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Time would have seemed to creep to the watchers by the bed, if it had only been measured by the doubtful, distant hope which kept count of the moments within the chamber; but it was measured for them by a fast-approaching dread which made the nights come too quickly."
Context: Describing how the family experiences time while Mr. Tulliver recovers and their financial ruin approaches
This captures the cruel irony of crisis - when you're waiting for good news, time crawls, but when disaster approaches, there's never enough time to prepare. The family is caught between hope and dread.
In Today's Words:
When you're waiting to see if dad will get better, every minute feels like an hour, but when you know the foreclosure is coming, the days fly by too fast.
"So deeply inherent is it in this life of ours that men have to suffer for each other's sins, so inevitably diffusive is human suffering, that even justice makes its victims."
Context: Reflecting on how legal proceedings hurt innocent family members
Eliot is pointing out that suffering spreads like ripples in water - one person's mistakes or debts don't just hurt them, they destroy whole families. Even when the system works 'correctly,' innocent people get crushed.
In Today's Words:
When one person screws up, the whole family pays the price, and even when the system is working the way it's supposed to, good people get hurt.
"The taxing-masters had done their work like any respectable gunsmith conscientiously preparing the musket, that, duly pointed by a brave arm, will spoil a life or two."
Context: Describing how court officials have prepared the legal documents that will destroy the Tullivers
This metaphor shows how people in the legal system can do their jobs professionally and efficiently while being completely disconnected from the human destruction they're causing. They're just following procedures.
In Today's Words:
The court clerks processed all the paperwork perfectly, like workers in a weapons factory - they're just doing their job, but what they're making will destroy lives.
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
Mrs. Tulliver assumes shared social values will bridge the gap between her family's desperation and Wakem's position of power
Development
Previously shown through Tulliver's pride; now through his wife's naive faith in social bonds
In Your Life:
You might assume your boss cares about fairness the same way you do, when they're focused on profit margins
Power
In This Chapter
Wakem transforms from disinterested party to active predator once he realizes the strategic advantage of owning the mill
Development
Building on earlier hints of Wakem's calculating nature and his conflict with Tulliver
In Your Life:
You might reveal weakness to someone who sees opportunity where you see shared humanity
Deception
In This Chapter
Mrs. Tulliver uses selling pickles as cover for her secret mission, hiding her plan from family who would stop her
Development
Introduced here as desperate self-deception disguised as family protection
In Your Life:
You might justify risky decisions by telling yourself you're protecting others when you're really acting on fear
Consequences
In This Chapter
A well-intentioned attempt to save the family instead seals their fate by giving their enemy both motive and information
Development
Escalating from Tulliver's lawsuit consequences to this more devastating unintended result
In Your Life:
You might try to fix a small problem and accidentally create a much bigger one by not thinking it through
Gender
In This Chapter
Mrs. Tulliver believes her status as a woman gives her access to Wakem's mercy, misreading the situation completely
Development
Introduced here as gendered assumptions about how power and sympathy intersect
In Your Life:
You might assume your identity or circumstances will evoke sympathy when the other person sees only strategy
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What was Mrs. Tulliver's plan to save the mill, and what actually happened when she met with Wakem?
analysis • surface - 2
Why did Mrs. Tulliver's well-meaning approach backfire so completely? What did she misunderstand about Wakem?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this pattern today - someone with good intentions making a bad situation worse by not understanding power dynamics?
application • medium - 4
If you were advising Mrs. Tulliver, what questions would you have told her to ask herself before approaching Wakem?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about the difference between being 'right' morally and being smart strategically?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map the Power Dynamic
Think of a current situation where you need something from someone who has more power than you. Map out what they actually want, what information you might accidentally reveal, and what their real motivations might be. Then rewrite your approach based on this analysis.
Consider:
- •What does this person gain by helping you vs. hurting you?
- •What information could you accidentally give them that weakens your position?
- •What assumptions are you making about their values or motivations?
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when your good intentions backfired because you didn't understand the other person's real motivations. What would you do differently now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 28: Facing the Wreckage
What lies ahead teaches us denial protects us from overwhelming reality, but eventually we must face the truth, and shows us family members can have vastly different reactions to the same crisis. These patterns appear in literature and life alike.