Summary
Tom returns from school to his eager family, especially his adoring sister Maggie. What starts as a joyful reunion quickly turns painful when Maggie must confess she forgot to feed Tom's rabbits and they died. Tom's harsh reaction—withdrawing his love and excluding her from tomorrow's fishing trip—devastates Maggie more than any physical punishment could. She retreats to the attic, overwhelmed by grief, until Tom comes to fetch her for tea. Their reconciliation is swift and complete, like young animals who cannot sustain anger when love calls. The next morning finds them fishing together at the Round Pool, sharing one of those perfect childhood moments that will anchor them forever. Eliot reveals how Tom, despite his tender moments, already shows the rigid moral certainty that will define him—he believes in punishment for wrongdoing and sees himself as Maggie's protector and judge. Meanwhile, Maggie's desperate need for love makes her vulnerable to Tom's approval or rejection. The chapter ends with Eliot's meditation on how childhood landscapes become the 'mother-tongue of our imagination'—the familiar places and experiences that shape how we see and feel about the world forever. These early patterns of love, forgiveness, and the power dynamics between the siblings will echo throughout their lives.
Coming Up in Chapter 6
The extended Tulliver family gathers, bringing with them a web of opinions, judgments, and social expectations that will soon complicate the simple world Tom and Maggie have known.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
Tom Comes Home Tom was to arrive early in the afternoon, and there was another fluttering heart besides Maggie’s when it was late enough for the sound of the gig-wheels to be expected; for if Mrs Tulliver had a strong feeling, it was fondness for her boy. At last the sound came,—that quick light bowling of the gig-wheels,—and in spite of the wind, which was blowing the clouds about, and was not likely to respect Mrs Tulliver’s curls and cap-strings, she came outside the door, and even held her hand on Maggie’s offending head, forgetting all the griefs of the morning. “There he is, my sweet lad! But, Lord ha’ mercy! he’s got never a collar on; it’s been lost on the road, I’ll be bound, and spoilt the set.” Mrs Tulliver stood with her arms open; Maggie jumped first on one leg and then on the other; while Tom descended from the gig, and said, with masculine reticence as to the tender emotions, “Hallo! Yap—what! are you there?” Nevertheless he submitted to be kissed willingly enough, though Maggie hung on his neck in rather a strangling fashion, while his blue-gray eyes wandered toward the croft and the lambs and the river, where he promised himself that he would begin to fish the first thing to-morrow morning. He was one of those lads that grow everywhere in England, and at twelve or thirteen years of age look as much alike as goslings,—a lad with light-brown hair, cheeks of cream and roses, full lips, indeterminate nose and eyebrows,—a physiognomy in which it seems impossible to discern anything but the generic character to boyhood; as different as possible from poor Maggie’s phiz, which Nature seemed to have moulded and coloured with the most decided intention. But that same Nature has the deep cunning which hides itself under the appearance of openness, so that simple people think they can see through her quite well, and all the while she is secretly preparing a refutation of their confident prophecies. Under these average boyish physiognomies that she seems to turn off by the gross, she conceals some of her most rigid, inflexible purposes, some of her most unmodifiable characters; and the dark-eyed, demonstrative, rebellious girl may after all turn out to be a passive being compared with this pink-and-white bit of masculinity with the indeterminate features. “Maggie,” said Tom, confidentially, taking her into a corner, as soon as his mother was gone out to examine his box and the warm parlour had taken off the chill he had felt from the long drive, “you don’t know what I’ve got in _my_ pockets,” nodding his head up and down as a means of rousing her sense of mystery. “No,” said Maggie. “How stodgy they look, Tom! Is it marls (marbles) or cobnuts?” Maggie’s heart sank a little, because Tom always said it was “no good” playing with _her_ at those games, she played so badly. “Marls! no; I’ve swopped all my marls with the little fellows,...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Conditional Love - When Affection Becomes Currency
When affection is given and withdrawn based on performance, creating power imbalances that damage both parties.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when love is being used as a reward system rather than offered as consistent support.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone's warmth toward you changes dramatically based on your performance—that's a red flag worth examining.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Gig
A light, two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage used for short trips. In the 1800s, this was how middle-class families traveled between town and countryside. The sound of gig-wheels meant someone important was coming home.
Modern Usage:
Like hearing a car pull into the driveway - that moment of anticipation when you know someone you love is arriving.
Masculine reticence
The expectation that boys and men should hide their tender feelings and not show too much emotion. Even at twelve, Tom feels pressure to act tough and not seem too excited about hugs and kisses.
Modern Usage:
Still seen today when boys are told 'big boys don't cry' or men feel they can't show vulnerability without seeming weak.
Moral certainty
The belief that right and wrong are clear-cut, with no gray areas. Tom sees Maggie's forgetfulness as a moral failing that deserves punishment, not an accident that deserves understanding.
Modern Usage:
Like people who see complex situations in black and white terms, believing there's always one right answer and one wrong one.
Mother-tongue of imagination
Eliot's phrase for how childhood places and experiences become the foundation of how we understand and feel about the world. Just like our first language shapes how we think, our childhood landscape shapes our emotional responses.
Modern Usage:
Why certain smells, sounds, or places can instantly transport us back to childhood and make us feel safe or anxious.
Sibling power dynamics
The unspoken rules about who has authority in a brother-sister relationship. Despite being close in age, Tom assumes the role of judge and protector over Maggie, while she desperately seeks his approval.
Modern Usage:
Still common in families where boys are expected to 'look after' their sisters, creating lifelong patterns of who makes decisions and who seeks approval.
Conditional love
Love that depends on good behavior or meeting expectations. Tom withdraws his affection when Maggie disappoints him, teaching her that love must be earned through perfect conduct.
Modern Usage:
When parents, partners, or friends make their love depend on performance - 'I'll love you if you do what I want.'
Characters in This Chapter
Tom Tulliver
Returning brother and moral judge
At twelve, he already shows the rigid thinking that will define him as an adult. He loves Maggie but believes she must be punished for her mistakes. His approval or rejection has devastating power over her emotions.
Modern Equivalent:
The sibling who always follows rules and expects everyone else to do the same
Maggie Tulliver
Devoted sister seeking approval
Her desperate need for Tom's love makes her vulnerable to his judgment. She experiences his withdrawal as worse than any physical punishment, showing how much his opinion shapes her self-worth.
Modern Equivalent:
The people-pleaser who falls apart when someone they love is disappointed in them
Mrs. Tulliver
Doting mother
Shows pure maternal love and excitement at Tom's return. Even worries about his missing collar, revealing how mothers focus on small details when they love someone deeply.
Modern Equivalent:
The mom who still worries about whether her grown kids are eating enough
Yap
Family dog
Provides simple, uncomplicated joy and loyalty. Represents the pure emotional connection that humans complicate with expectations and judgments.
Modern Equivalent:
The family pet who loves everyone unconditionally
Key Quotes & Analysis
"She was too entirely humble to have any resentment rising in her mind, except against herself: the only weight she could bear was the weight of his displeasure."
Context: When Tom refuses to take Maggie fishing as punishment for letting his rabbits die
Shows how Maggie has learned to blame herself rather than question Tom's harsh judgment. Her complete acceptance of his authority reveals an unhealthy dynamic where she has no sense of her own worth apart from his approval.
In Today's Words:
She was so used to putting herself down that she couldn't even get mad at him - only at herself.
"We learn to restrain ourselves as we get older. We keep apart when we have quarrelled, express ourselves in well-bred phrases, and in this way preserve a dignified alienation, showing much firmness on one side, and swallowing much grief on the other."
Context: Contrasting adult behavior with how quickly the children reconcile
Eliot suggests that adult 'maturity' often means holding grudges and playing games instead of the honest, immediate forgiveness children show. Adults mistake pride for dignity and end up more alienated from each other.
In Today's Words:
Adults hold grudges and give each other the silent treatment, thinking they're being mature when really they're just being stubborn.
"These familiar flowers, these well-remembered bird-notes, this sky with its fitful brightness, these furrowed and grassy fields, each with a sort of personality given to it by the capricious hedgerows - such things as these are the mother tongue of our imagination."
Context: Describing how childhood landscapes shape us forever
One of Eliot's most beautiful insights about how place and memory work together. Our childhood environment doesn't just provide backdrop - it becomes the emotional language we use to understand all future experiences.
In Today's Words:
The places where we grew up become part of how we see and feel about everything else for the rest of our lives.
Thematic Threads
Power Dynamics
In This Chapter
Tom uses Maggie's love for him as a tool of control, positioning himself as moral authority
Development
Introduced here - establishes the sibling power structure that will define their relationship
In Your Life:
You might see this in relationships where someone uses your feelings for them to control your behavior
Emotional Dependency
In This Chapter
Maggie's devastating reaction to Tom's withdrawal shows her complete emotional dependence on his approval
Development
Builds on earlier chapters showing Maggie's desperate need for love and acceptance
In Your Life:
You might recognize this need to have one person's opinion matter more than your own self-worth
Moral Rigidity
In This Chapter
Tom believes wrongdoing must be punished, showing early signs of inflexible moral thinking
Development
Introduced here - Tom's black-and-white worldview begins to emerge
In Your Life:
You might see this in people who can't separate mistakes from character flaws
Forgiveness
In This Chapter
The siblings reconcile quickly and completely, like 'young animals' who cannot sustain anger
Development
Introduced here - shows both the resilience and fragility of their bond
In Your Life:
You might notice how some relationships can bounce back from hurt while others hold grudges
Formative Experience
In This Chapter
Eliot describes how childhood landscapes become the 'mother-tongue of our imagination'
Development
Introduced here - the idea that early experiences shape our entire worldview
In Your Life:
You might recognize how your childhood relationships still influence how you connect with people today
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What exactly does Tom do when he finds out about the rabbits, and how does Maggie react?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Tom withdraw his love instead of just being angry about the rabbits? What does this accomplish for him?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this pattern of conditional love in modern relationships - at work, in families, or between friends?
application • medium - 4
If you were Maggie's friend, what would you tell her about how Tom treats her? How could she protect herself while still loving her brother?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about how children learn to use love as power? How do these patterns follow us into adulthood?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Spot the Conditional Love Pattern
Think of a relationship where someone's affection toward you seemed to depend on your performance or behavior. Write down the specific actions they took when you disappointed them versus when you pleased them. Then identify what they gained by making their love conditional - what did this dynamic give them?
Consider:
- •Notice the difference between someone being upset about your actions versus withdrawing their care for you as a person
- •Consider how this pattern made you feel about yourself and your worth
- •Think about whether you've ever used conditional love as a tool with others
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you felt like you had to earn someone's love back. What would you tell that younger version of yourself now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 6: Family Politics and Childhood Fairness
As the story unfolds, you'll explore family dynamics shape children's behavior and self-worth, while uncovering fairness matters more to kids than winning or losing. These lessons connect the classic to contemporary challenges we all face.