SHORT ANSWERS
THE MILL ON THE FLOSS BY GEORGE ELIOT
QUESTION NO. 25
Answer the following questions.
(i) Write the names of four novels of George Eliot.
Ans. Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), Silas Marner (1861), Romola (1863), Felix Holt, the Radical (1866), Middlemarch (1871-72) and Daniel Deronda (1876) are the novels of George Eliot.
(ii) What does the Floss symbolize in 'The Mill on the Floss'?
Ans. River Floss stands for the cause of sustenance as well as ruin for the Tullivers. However, the Floss is related most often to Maggie, and the river, with its depth and potential to flood, symbolizes Maggie's deeply running and unpredictable emotions. The river's path, nonexistent on maps, is also use to symbolize the unforseeable path of Maggie's destiny.
(iii) What purpose does animal imagery serve in 'The Mill on the Floss'?
Ans. Tom and Maggie are associated with animal imagery. The imagery is usually of farm-type animals -- ponies, dogs, ducks -- and usually points to the character's capacity for affection or non-adherence to social convention. Following Darwin, Eliot uses this imagery also to gesture towards the wider relation between humans and animals that can be especially seen in young children.
(iv) What is the symbolic importance of music in 'The Mill on the Floss'?
Ans. Music represents the better life, for which Maggie spends the entire book searching. This sort of "musical" life is one of deep emotion and energy. Music has the ability to create an entire world here, and it is often depicted as a safe heaven from harsh reality. Both Philip and Maggie take comfort and joy in music. Music is also a way to experience and express heightened emotions.
(v) What are George Eliot's views on education?
Ans. "The Mill on the Floss" is a sensible analysis of what education really means. She shows that education should be adapted to the individual's talent; tradition and snob appeal have no place in modern education. Latin and Greek are suitable for those people who have a genuine interest in humanistic studies. She makes a strong case for the need of well-trained teachers.
(vi) What are the major themes of 'The Mill on the Floss'?
Ans. Loss of innocence, the difficulty of choice, the claim of the past upon present identity, the importance of sympathy, the effect of society upon the individual, communal verses individual interests, progress verses tradition, practical knowledge verses bookish knowledge, gender disparity and love are the major themes of "The Mill on the Floss".
(vii) Interpret 'The happiest women, like the happiest nations, have no history'.
Ans. This line is from George Eliot's novel "The Mill on the Floss". It points that happiness fades away one's past or history. The happiest nations enjoy themselves with their present and hardly have any reminiscence of their past. Similarly the happiest women are usually private individuals who do not have a public image, therefore, they have no history.
(viii) Interpret 'I desire no future that will break the ties of the past'.
Ans. In this line Maggie sums up her views on the role of the past in her life and in her choices. Though she has a substantial history with Philip, her ties with Tom are older and are therefore stronger to her. Maggie refuses to let go of her past, but she has to grant weight to her oldest memories and bonds.
(ix) Who is Maggie Tulliver?
Ans. Maggie Tulliver is the protagonist of the novel "The Mill on the Floss". She is a hugely complex character. She is the intelligent, clever and emotionally sensitive daughter of a country mill-owner. Her closest tie is to her brother Tom. She has dark skin, dark hair, and dark eyes. Her life is the central story of the novel.
(x) What sort of commitments does Maggie feel she has broken when she elopes with Stephen?
Ans. Stephen is engaged to Lucy. Maggie thinks that she has proved false to Lucy and violated a social canon through her elopement with Stephen. She feels guilty that her elopement will also hurt her lover, Philip. Thus she returns before the elopement with Stephen has led to sexual intercourse.
(xi) What is the significance of Maggie's sewing?
Ans. Maggie's sewing shows that she has been in financial difficulty. Sewing, in general, represents a way of repressing and controlling the self. The paraphernalia of sewing, especially needles and scissors, take a sinister connotation in "The Mill on the Floss. Scissors are damaging to Lucy and needles are fatal to Maggie's physical desires.
(xii) What is the significance of Maggie's encounter with gypsies when she runs away?
Ans. Maggie has a romantic view of gypsies. In running away to the gypsies, Maggie is motivated mainly by desire of admiration. She is somewhat conceited about her learning. However, after her encounter with gypsies, she sees her mistake. She goes in repentance and self-blame.
(xiii) What are Maggie's intentions towards the gypsies?
Ans. There are three intentions of Maggie towards the gypsies; she wishes to live with them, she wants to teach them, and be their queen.
(xiv) What role does the town of St. Ogg's perform in hastening Maggie's tragedy?
Ans. St. Ogg's is a town ruled by gossip, rumors and prejudices. It is a tightly-knit community for better or worse. And it is for worse for Maggie. Maggie is shunned by nearly everyone here. Tom refuses to have anything with her. The river floods and Maggie is swept away in a boat. She goes to rescue Tom. However, both Maggie and Tom drown in the flood.
(xv) Who is Tom Tulliver?
Ans. Tom Tulliver is the Tullivers' older son. He has his own clear sense of duty, justice, and fairness. He has affection for his sister Maggie, but he dislikes her impetus way of doing what she wants. When Mr. Tulliver goes bankrupt, Tom goes to work at a young age and brings the family out of debt.
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