The Mill on the Floss · Chapter
XIII: Borne Along by the Tide explained
Maggie returns to St.
What happens
Maggie returns to St. Ogg's and tries to maintain her resolve to renounce Stephen, but they continue to see each other. Stephen arranges a boat ride alone with Maggie, and they drift far down the river, caught in a tide of passion and indecision. Maggie struggles with her conscience, torn between her love for Stephen and her sense of duty to Lucy and Philip.
Themes in this chapter
Passion vs. Duty
Maggie is torn between her passionate love for Stephen and her duty to Lucy, Philip, and her own moral principles.
Gender Roles and Limitations
Maggie's lack of agency is highlighted as she feels 'borne along' by Stephen's will and the tide, reflecting the limited choices available to women.
Forgiveness and Redemption
Maggie's internal struggle includes a plea for divine strength to avoid inflicting pain, hinting at a desire for moral redemption.
Characters to notice
- Maggie Tulliver
Torn between her love for Stephen and her moral duty; experiences intense inner conflict and a sense of being borne along by forces beyond her control.
- Stephen Guest
Deliberately arranges to be alone with Maggie; struggles with his own desire and guilt, but ultimately presses her to continue the boat ride.
- Lucy Deane
Unaware of the depth of Maggie and Stephen's feelings; arranges a shopping trip to Lindum, leaving Maggie and Stephen alone.
- Philip Wakem
Sends a note excusing himself from the boat ride, inadvertently enabling Stephen to take his place.
- Mrs. Tulliver
Accompanies Lucy to Lindum for purchases, leaving Maggie behind.
Key passages
“She felt that she was being led down the garden among the roses, being helped with firm, tender care into the boat, having the cushion and cloak arranged for her feet, and her parasol opened for her (which she had forgotten), all by this stronger presence that seemed to bear her along without any act of her own will, like the added self which comes with the sudden exalting influence of a strong tonic, and she felt nothing else.”
Maggie felt passively carried along by Stephen's attentive care, as if her own will was suspended and she was simply being swept along by a powerful, exhilarating force.
Illustrates Maggie's loss of agency and the intoxicating effect of Stephen's presence.
“All yielding is attended with a less vivid consciousness than resistance; it is the partial sleep of thought; it is the submergence of our own personality by another.”
Giving in requires less mental effort than fighting back; it is like a drowsy state where one's own identity is overwhelmed by someone else's.
Narrator's commentary on the psychology of Maggie's surrender.