Proximity of Tom’s and Maggie’s Relationship
From the very beginning of The Mill on the Floss, I knew
the relationship between Maggie and Tom would be of very
significant importance to the narrative. I see them as almost
being “frenemies,” which is pretty typical of a sibling
relationship. Although they do have some sweet moments and
ultimately seem to rely on each other and need each other, I
see their relationship as being rather toxic. For example, “But
Maggie had hardly finished speaking in that chill, defiant
manner, before she repented, and felt the dread of
alienation from her brother” . Right after Maggie confronts
Tom about taking back his command for her not to see Philip
Wakem, she almost seems to subtly regret it. Maggie wants to
be independent, and I believe she is. However, she
subconsciously seems to need some type of validation from
Tom. If he is not happy with her, it affects her more than she
would like to admit. In addition to this, “Not for myself, dear
Tom. Don’t be angry. I shouldn’t have asked it. I shall only
see him in the presence of other people. There will never
be any secret between us again’. Right after mentally
regretting standing up to her brother, Maggie covers up her bold
confrontation with Tom. She takes a step back, and I think this
shows some uncertainty and insecurity on her part. Granted,
this makes a lot of sense in the culture and time period she
grew up in. The fact that she stands up to her brother at all is
very impressive and shows her strength and confidence. I think
Eliot chose to employ this back-and-forth toxic sibling
relationship to bring a sense of raw emotion to the novel as well
as to show that gender power struggles were even present in
family settings at the time.
Although there is quite the power struggle between these
siblings, there is also a sweet display of love and connection.
Tom and Maggie seem to gravitate towards each other no
matter how much they irritate one another. By book seven,
Maggie has endured a lot of shame and is shunned by many
people, including Tom. This doesn’t stop her from trying to
reconcile with him. “‘Tom, she began, faintly, ‘I am come
back to you – I am come back home – for refuge – to tell
you everything’. Tom is always the person Maggie will go to
for the hope of safety and comfort, no matter how bad things
have gotten between them.
While the relationship between the two siblings is very back and
forth, it is ultimately rooted in a mutual love. They know they
have each other, no matter how badly one hurts the other. The
ending of this novel encompasses their deep love, but brother
and sister had gone down in an embrace never to be parted,
living through again in one supreme moment the days when
they had clasped their little hands in love. The conclusion I draw
from this is that Tom and Maggie always had a deep longing for
connection with one another. They felt it at times but it was also
extremely damaged by their unhealthy interactions. They both
longed for a simple loving sibling relationship, but the difficult
circumstances in which they lived slowly tore them apart. The
way in which Eliot ended the novel with their death shows that
despite their many disagreements, they still had unconditional
love for each other. I see the central theme of this novel as love
and family, and both of those things are summed up in this last
sentence.
