The Mill on the Floss Character Analysis

Maggie Tulliver

Maggie is Mr. Tulliver and Mrs. Tulliver’s passionate and high-spirited daughter and Tom’s younger sister. From a young age, she shows a marked aptitude for reading and learning—what her father calls “acuteness.” However… read analysis of Maggie Tulliver

Tom Tulliver

Tom is Mr. Tulliver and Mrs. Tulliver’s son and Maggie’s older brother. He does not share her intellectual abilities and bookish qualities, but he is skilled at practical tasks like building, fishing, and… read analysis of Tom Tulliver

Mr. Tulliver

Mr. Tulliver is Mrs. Tulliver’s husband and Tom and Maggie’s father. He is generous, warm-hearted, and kind, particularly to his daughter (unlike other family members, he is very proud of Maggie’s cleverness and… read analysis of Mr. Tulliver

Mrs. Tulliver

Mrs. Tulliver, Mr. Tulliver’s wife and Maggie and Tom’s mother, is described as attractive and good-natured but rather dim-witted. Her most passionate feelings are devoted to her furniture and family linens, which she… read analysis of Mrs. Tulliver

Philip Wakem

Philip is the only son of Mr. Wakem, a wealthy lawyer who becomes the enemy of Mr. Tulliver, and by extension, Tom Tulliver. Philip has a physical “deformity,” a hunchback, which makes… read analysis of Philip Wakem

Lucy Deane

Lucy Deane is Tom and Maggie’s cousin. Demure, sweet, and beautiful, Lucy is in many ways the perfect emblem of Victorian femininity. Mrs. Tulliver frequently laments that Maggie isn’t more like Lucy in looks… read analysis of Lucy Deane

Stephen Guest

Stephen is handsome, charming, and wealthy—the son and heir to the Guest & Co shipping fortune. He is courting Lucy Deane, and it is generally understood that they will soon be engaged. Stephen feels… read analysis of Stephen Guest

Mr. Wakem

Mr. Wakem, Philip’s father, is a lawyer who incurs the hatred of Mr. Tulliver. Mr. Wakem isn’t above taking some revenge in his turn, by buying Dorlocte Mill and making Mr. Tulliver his… read analysis of Mr. Wakem

Mrs. Glegg

Mrs. Glegg is Mrs. Tulliver’s eldest sister and Tom and Maggie’s most hated aunt. She takes very seriously her rights and responsibilities as the oldest of the Dodson sisters, and tends to treat her… read analysis of Mrs. Glegg

Mrs. Pullet

Mrs. Pullet is closest to Mrs. Tulliver of all the Dodson sisters, since they share similar tastes in clothes and household furnishings. She is very emotional and cries easily, even at the misfortunes of people… read analysis of Mrs. Pullet

Mr. Pullet

Mr. Pullet is a “gentleman farmer,” meaning that he has been made wealthy by his land holdings. He was thought a very good catch for Mrs. Pullet in marriage, and he funds her expensive taste… read analysis of Mr. Pullet

Mr. Deane

Mr. Deane has come up in the world significantly by working as a manager for the shipping firm Guest & Co. Indeed, he is now considered a better catch as a husband than even Mr.… read analysis of Mr. Deane

Bob Jakin

Bob Jakin was one of Tom’s childhood friends. However, their friendship ended when he and Tom had a fight over a coin, and Tom was angered that Bob tried to “cheat.” As adults, however… read analysis of Bob Jakin

Luke Moggs

Luke is the head miller at Dorlcote Mill. He is fiercely loyal to the Tullivers and has known Tom and Maggie since they were children. Even when the family is no longer able to pay… read analysis of Luke Moggs

Mr. Riley

Mr. Riley is one of Mr. Tulliver’s friends in the neighborhood. Mr. Tulliver considers him very sophisticated and asks him for advice about Tom’s schooling. In reality, however, Mr. Riley is nearly as… read analysis of Mr. Riley

Mr. Stelling

Mr. Stelling is an Oxford-educated minister, a fact that is very impressive to members of the local community like Mr. Tulliver and Mr. Riley. He has great ambitions to write books and become a… read analysis of Mr. Stelling

Mrs. Moss

Mrs. Moss is Mr. Tulliver’s impoverished sister. She has eight children, and the Dodsons think she has married “badly,” since her husband, Mr. Moss, is a poor farmer. She has borrowed a large… read analysis of Mrs. Moss

Dr. Kenn

Dr. Kenn is the kind and sympathetic minister of St. Ogg’s. He is more open-minded than most people in the town and develops a particular friendship with Maggie. After her disgrace in the wake… read analysis of Dr. Kenn

Minor Characters

Mr. Glegg

Mr. Glegg, Mrs. Glegg’s husband, is notably miserly about his money, and he judges the Tullivers harshly for their bankruptcy in light of his own careful financial management. He is also baffled by Mrs. Glegg’s continual bad temper, and tends to try to mediate between her and her relatives.

Mrs. Deane

Mrs. Deane is another Dodson sister. She is very proud of her pretty and charming daughter, Lucy. She dies midway through the novel, nursed by her sister Mrs. Tulliver.

Mr. Moss

Mr. Moss is Mrs. Moss’s husband, who is a poor farmer. He and his wife have eight children and struggle to stay afloat financially, largely relying on a hefty loan from Mr. Tulliver.

Mr. Pivart

Mr. Pivart is one of Mr. Tulliver’s neighbors. Mr. Tulliver initiates a lawsuit against him for allegedly siphoning off his water power. Since Mr. Pivart is represented by the very legally effective Mr. Wakem, this leads to catastrophic consequences, including the Tulliver family bankruptcy.

Kezia

Kezia is the family’s maid. She can be bad-tempered and tends to reproach the children for little things. But like Luke, the head miller, she is very loyal to the Tullivers and prefers to remain by their side, even when they can no longer pay her salary.