The Mill on the Floss · Chapter
A Day of Reckoning explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Tulliver, after triumphantly settling his debts and regaining his honor, encounters Lawyer Wakem and succumbs to a violent outburst of long-suppressed hatred. The physical and emotional strain proves fatal, and he dies in the early morning, unforgiving to the last. Tom and Maggie reconcile in shared grief.
Themes in this chapter
Pride and Fall
Mr. Tulliver's triumphant pride after regaining his honest name leads directly to his fatal confrontation with Wakem, illustrating the destructive power of pride.
Forgiveness and Redemption
Maggie's plea for her father to forgive Wakem and her own request for Tom's forgiveness highlight the central tension between holding grudges and seeking reconciliation.
Family Obligation and Conflict
Tom's sense of duty to his father and the final reconciliation between Tom and Maggie underscore the theme of family bonds strained by external pressures.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Tulliver
Dies after a final confrontation with Wakem, refusing to forgive him even on his deathbed.
- Tom Tulliver
Returns home after the creditors' dinner, dejected by his father's outburst; present at his father's death and reconciles with Maggie.
- Maggie Tulliver
Kneels by her dying father, pleading for him to forgive Wakem; afterward seeks Tom's forgiveness and reconciliation.
- Mrs. Tulliver
Watches anxiously by her husband's bedside, looking worn and aged from disturbed rest.
- Lawyer Wakem
Meets Mr. Tulliver by the mill gates and provokes him with a condescending remark about farming.
- Bob Jakin
Visits to congratulate Mr. Tulliver on his good fortune, but the mood is overshadowed by the day's events.
Key passages
“But mingled seed must bear a mingled crop.”
Good and bad outcomes are intertwined, and one cannot expect pure joy without sorrow.
Narrator's reflection on the mixed nature of the Tullivers' fortunes.
“I had my turn—I beat him. That was nothing but fair. I never wanted anything but what was fair.”
I got my revenge and defeated him; that was only just. I have always sought only what is fair.
Mr. Tulliver's dying justification of his attack on Wakem.
“Does God forgive raskills?—but if He does, He won't be hard wi' me.”
Does God forgive scoundrels? If He does, then He will not be harsh with me.
Mr. Tulliver's final, troubled thoughts on divine forgiveness.
“Tom, forgive me—let us always love each other”
Tom, forgive me—let us always care for one another.
Maggie's plea for reconciliation with Tom after their father's death.