The Mill on the Floss Characters

Maggie Tulliver is a hugely complex character. Which makes sense. She is at the center of a complex novel that has a lot of different themes and ideas swirling around. And this is exactly what make...

Tom Tulliver got a pretty raw deal. He had to go work a crummy job at sixteen, after his dad bankrupted the family. His sister is a bit of an emotional train-wreck. And he drowns in a freak flash f...

The Self-Help GuruPhilip Wakem has a few things in common with another famous Philip: Dr. Phil. No, really. Philip is basically Maggie’s friendly guide/life-coach. And, like Dr. Phil, Philip...

The HeartthrobWe had to wait around till the sixth book for him, but Stephen finally shows up to spice up the latter chapters. Stephen’s physical attraction to Maggie, and the sexual tension...

If The Mill on the Floss were a high school, then Lucy Deane would be the head cheerleader/class president/prom queen. And, to top it all off, Lucy would actually be a really nice and likable popul...

In another life, Mr. Tulliver would have made a mean blues singer with a hit song, "It’s a Puzzlin’ World." Mr. Tulliver has a couple of things he holds true in the world: the world is...

The Tullivers really are a match made in heaven: they are both constatly confused by the world around them. Mrs. Tulliver is definitely not the sharpest knife in the drawer. She’s downright d...

Most people have, or have at least encountered, a relative like Aunt Glegg. She’s the aunt who makes you want to run off and hide when she comes to visit. You conveniently find things to do t...

Mr. Glegg is married to Mrs. Glegg, who isn’t exactly an easy woman with whom to get along. And Mr. Glegg doesn’t always manage to get along with her. However, even when he gets mad at...

If we were handing out prizes for Miss (or Mr.) Congeniality here, we’d definitely give one to Bob Jakin. Bob might just be the nicest, and the coolest, person in this entire book. He certain...

If we had to pick someone, or something, to compare Mrs. Pullet to, we’d go with Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh. Not to say that Mrs. Pullet is a donkey. Rather, Mrs. Pullet and Eyeore share a s...

Once upon a time, a man named Mr. Pullet swallowed a cough-drop. It was the fifth time he had done so (1.9.85). And this was one of the most exciting things that ever happened to him. Seriously, if...

Mr. Deane is a bit like the little guy on the Monopoly game, the guy with the top hat and the mustache and the monocle who pretty much screams "Businessman." Granted, Mr. Deane probably isn’t...

As far as arch-nemeses go, Mr. Wakem is kind of disappointing. He’s not super evil in the mustache-twirling, cape-wearing sense. He doesn’t sit around cackling to himself. He never even...

Mrs. Deane is the hardest to understand of the former Miss Dodsons. She is the most removed from the family, which the narrator hints regularly. Mrs. Deane is both literally and figuratively remove...

Mrs. Moss, who is Mr. Tulliver's sister, is the representative of a world that we don’t see a lot of in The Mill on the Floss: that of extreme poverty. Even after the Tulliver family goes ban...

Mr. Stelling is not really a bad person, but he ends up causing a lot of people problems. Like so many characters in this book, good people often cause a lot of problems and take bad actions becaus...

Mr. Stelling’s wife is a woman to whom Tom takes an instant dislike. This is nothing new – Tom is notoriously judgmental and hard to please. Mrs. Stelling does contribute to Tom’s...

Mr. Riley is an auctioneer and a friend of the Tulliver family. Though he only appears in a few chapters very early in the book (we find out he dies in the middle of the novel), he plays a very imp...

Mr. Torry is a wealthy young man who lives in St. Ogg’s. He represents the sort of gender prejudice that Maggie suffers after she returns from her failed elopement with Stephen. Torry cruelly...

Mrs. Moss’s husband is not featured in the book as much as she is. We know that he is a poor man and that Mr. Tulliver never quite approved of the marriage. Mr. Moss is a kind and an honest m...

Luke is the head miller at Dorlcote Mill until the mill is sold to Mr. Wakem. Luke maintains his close ties with the Tullivers after their bankruptcy and he is very loyal to the family. Luke is esp...

Bob’s mother and his wife live with Bob in his small house near the river. The Mrs. Jakins are very friendly women and they are as fond of the Tulliver kids, especially Maggie, as Bob is. In...

These are Stephen’s sisters, who seem to operate as a collective unit, much like the Dodsons. The Miss Guests are wealthy and snobbish for the most part, though they become very fond of Lucy...

Laura is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stelling and becomes Tom’s "playmate" during his first term at school, before Philip arrives. Tom is fond of Laura, partly because she reminds him of his...

Kezia is the Tulliver family maid. She is very loyal to the family and continues to serve them for a while after the family goes bankrupt. Kezia expresses her disapproval when the creditors come to...

Mr. Furley is Mr. Tulliver’s rather ineffectual lawyer. Furley is described as being rather old-fashioned, which is probably why Mr. Tulliver hired him. Old-fashioned people have to stick tog...

The man involved in the lawsuit with Mr. Tulliver. Privart is Wakem’s client and is involved in a dispute with Tulliver over water rights on the river Floss.

Mr. Turnbull is the local doctor who treats Mr. Tulliver after he has what is probably a stroke. Mr Turnbull continues to treat Mr. Tulliver until Mr. Tulliver’s death, a few years after his...