three volumes

Practical Knowledge Versus Bookish Knowledge. The Mill on the Floss, especially in the first half of the novel, is quite concerned about education and types of knowledge. Much of the early chapters are devoted to laying out the differences between Tom’s and Maggie’s modes of knowledge.

Chapter II Tulliver’s waterpower. Mr. Tulliver suspects that Lawyer Wakem supports Pivart and would represent him in future litigation.

One of the salient features of the Victorian age in the novel ‘The Mill on The Floss’ by George Eliot is the author’s experiences of trying to conform to the restrictively conservative society of the age – particularly relating to girls and women.

Before they can reach Lucy’s house, the boat is capsized by debris in the river, and Maggie and Tom drown in each other’s arms. Years go by and Philip, and Stephen and Lucy together, visit the grave.

But ultimately, Maggie is undone by her love for Philip, and the other men who hover about her: Tom and her cousin Lucy’s suitor, Stephen Guest. After a disastrous lawsuit through which Philip’s father acquires the titular Mill, Mr. Tulliver dies in misery, leaving Tom to reestablish the family in name and finances.

Mr. Tulliver is fond of Maggie, especially her cleverness, and he often takes her side in family quarrels. Mr. Tulliver’s bankruptcy is, in part, the result of his own single- mindedness and pride.

I would argue that she is certainly a moral person as she has very strong feelings about right and wrong and worries quite a bit about other people’s feelings and making sure to do right by people.

Maggie. The shy, retiring daughter who lives with Mama. Burned in a house fire as a young girl, Maggie lacks confidence and shuffles when she walks, often fleeing or hanging in the background when there are other people around, unable to make eye contact. She is good-hearted, kind, and dutiful.

Maggie cowers behind Mama in Dee’s presence, and she does not speak much, opting instead to use guttural utterances to express her thoughts and feelings. So, Maggie’s actions in the story suggest that she feels that her sister is “better” than she is.

As much as her homebound isolation protects her, she is also a victim of this seclusion: she suffers from a crippling shyness and lack of education. Maggie moves with a meek, shuffling gait and hovers awkwardly in doorways rather than getting involved in life around her.

Maggie, on the other hand, who has stayed with her mother and lived a traditional life, wants to save the quilts for her marriage and apply them practically. The degree to which Maggie changes over the course of the story is subtle, but it is present nonetheless.

Maggie develops over the course of “Everyday Use” by sifting from feeble and meek before her sister, Dee’s, visit to fearless and bright after the visit. The transformation embodies the true appreciation of one’s heritage because she simply appreciates her family for who they are, which is embodied in the quilts.

She looked at her sister with something like fear but she wasn’t mad at her. This was Maggie’s portion. This was the way she knew God to work. ( 75) The narrator sees that Maggie has basically resigned to accepting the injustices of the world, even relatively small injustices like her sister always getting everything.

Answer: because Maggie does not appreciate their artistic value. In “Everyday Use,” Dee believes that Maggie does not deserve to have the quilts that their grandmother made. Dee believes that the quilts are an artistic piece, and that they should not be devalued by using them everyday in the way Maggie would like to.

Unlike her sister, Dee, Maggie loves the family quilts because she knows the people whose lives and stories are represented by them. She even knows how to quilt herself. Her mother has promised Maggie the quilts, which Dee has already once refused, when she gets married because they are meaningful to her.

2. Why do you think Mama is closer with Maggie than she is with Dee? Mama is closer to Maggie because Maggie followed her mom’s foot steps. She was also living with her mother and she was passionate about using things for everyday use, unlike Dee who only used things for the purpose of art.

The quilts symbolize a heritage that Dee has largely rejected (even though she thinks she hasn’t). Dee will not appreciate the quilts as they were truly meant to be appreciated, nor will she use them as they were truly meant to be used. Maggie will both appreciate them and use them.

A major reason for the conflict between Dee and Maggie is superficial in nature. The narrator reveals that Maggie has burn scars on her arms and legs, while Dee is seemingly perfect in every way. So, the conflict between the sisters is often precipitated by the differences in their physical makeup.

Dee thinks Mama and Maggie don’t understand their heritage because they don’t change from it. In Dee’s mind, Maggie and Mama lack the “Ethnic Pride” to leave the historical borders and live a prosperous life. In saying ‘”You ought to try to make something of yourself, too, Maggie.