The Mill on the Floss · Chapter
Conclusion explained
Five years after the flood, nature and human labor have repaired much of the physical damage, but not all.
What happens
Five years after the flood, nature and human labor have repaired much of the physical damage, but not all. Dorlcote Mill is rebuilt, and the churchyard is restored. A tomb is erected near the brick grave of Mr. Tulliver for Tom and Maggie Tulliver, who were found in close embrace. The tomb is visited by two men: one eventually comes with a sweet face beside him, the other remains solitary, finding companionship among the trees of the Red Deeps.
Themes in this chapter
Nature and the Individual
Nature repairs her ravages with sunshine and human labor, but not all; the scars of the past remain, and the trees are not the same as the old.
Forgiveness and Redemption
The tomb bearing the names of Tom and Maggie Tulliver, with the inscription 'In their death they were not divided,' suggests a final reconciliation and unity beyond life.
Characters to notice
- Maggie Tulliver
Buried in the tomb with Tom after the flood.
- Tom Tulliver
Buried in the tomb with Maggie after the flood.
- Mr. Tulliver
His brick grave in the churchyard was found with the stone laid prostrate upon it after the flood.
Key passages
“Nature repairs her ravages—repairs them with her sunshine, and with human labour.”
Nature restores what was damaged through sunlight and human effort.
Opening reflection on recovery after the flood.
“In their death they were not divided.”
Even in death, they remained together.
Inscription on the tomb of Tom and Maggie Tulliver.