The Mill on the Floss · Chapter
IV: “The Young Idea” explained
This chapter explores Tom Tulliver's education under Mr.
What happens
This chapter explores Tom Tulliver's education under Mr. Stelling, a clergyman of limited intellect but broad ambitions, and his evolving relationship with Philip Wakem. Despite initial hostility due to Philip's father being a 'rascal,' Tom grows to appreciate Philip's help with Latin and his vivid storytelling. Tom also takes drawing lessons from Mr. Goodrich, which he finds dull, and drilling lessons from Mr. Poulter, a former soldier whose tales of the Peninsular War captivate him. The narrative critiques the haphazard nature of education in the era, where luck often determined a boy's schooling.
Themes in this chapter
Education and Self-Improvement
Tom's education under Mr. Stelling is critiqued as ineffective, relying on rote learning and luck rather than genuine development.
Social Class and Respectability
Mr. Stelling's need to maintain a genteel lifestyle despite limited intellect reflects class pressures on clergymen.
Pride and Fall
Tom's initial pride and prejudice against Philip due to his father's reputation gradually soften through shared activities.
Characters to notice
- Tom Tulliver
Struggles with abstract learning but improves under Mr. Stelling's relaxed regimen; enjoys drilling with Mr. Poulter and Philip's stories.
- Philip Wakem
Tom's schoolmate, helps with Latin and tells heroic tales; sensitive about his deformity, leading to occasional outbursts.
- Mr. Stelling
Tom's tutor, a broad-chested clergyman with narrow intellect; prioritizes his own convenience over effective teaching.
- Mr. Tulliver
Arranges Tom's education, including drawing lessons, with vague hopes for Tom's future in business.
- Mr. Poulter
Village schoolmaster and former soldier who drills Tom; shares vivid war stories from the Peninsular War.
- Mr. Riley
Advised Mr. Tulliver to have Tom take drawing lessons.
Key passages
“Mr. Stelling’s faculties had been early trained to boring in a straight line, and he had no faculty to spare.”
Mr. Stelling's mind was narrowly focused on routine tasks, leaving no room for broader thinking.
Critique of Mr. Stelling's limited intellectual capacity.
“Tom never quite lost the feeling that Philip, being the son of a 'rascal,' was his natural enemy; never thoroughly overcame his repulsion to Philip’s deformity.”
Tom always saw Philip as an enemy because of his father's reputation, and he could not fully accept Philip's physical difference.
Tom's persistent prejudice against Philip.
“The thumbscrew was a little relaxed, however, during this second half-year.”
The pressure on Tom's studies was eased in the second half of the year.
Metaphor for reduced academic rigor.