The Mill on the Floss

1. Why does Eliot start her story with a dreamy description of the countryside instead of jumping straight into action with characters talking?

2. What's the difference between the narrator just describing a place versus describing it as a memory from 'many years ago'?

3. What does Mr. Tulliver want for Tom, and why does he think education will solve his problems?

4. Why does Mr. Tulliver see Maggie's intelligence as a problem rather than an asset?

5. Why does Mr. Tulliver turn to Riley for advice about Tom's education, and what does Riley's response reveal about his actual knowledge of schools?

6. What motivates Riley to give confident advice about Rev. Stelling when he clearly knows very little about the man's teaching abilities?

7. What specific actions does Maggie take when she's told she can't fetch Tom from school, and what happens to the rabbits?

8. Why does Maggie choose to ruin her curls and beat the wooden doll instead of directly confronting the adults who disappointed her?

9. What exactly does Tom do when he finds out about the rabbits, and how does Maggie react?

10. Why does Tom withdraw his love instead of just being angry about the rabbits? What does this accomplish for him?

11. What invisible expectations did Tom create when he fairly divided the jam puffs with Maggie?

12. Why does Tom feel justified in calling Maggie greedy, even though he chose to share his portion?

13. Why do the Dodson sisters use their appearance and behavior as weapons against each other during the family dinner?

14. What drives Maggie to cut off her own hair, and why does this solution backfire so spectacularly?

15. What changes Mr. Tulliver's mind about collecting the money from his sister and brother-in-law?