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Set text for A level English Literature

The Mill on the Floss for A level English Literature

By the Library of Alexandria · 4 minute read · Updated 24. Okt 2026

In short

  • The Mill on the Floss is a novel by George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans.
  • The story follows Tom and Maggie Tulliver from childhood at Dorlcote Mill in the English Midlands.
  • Their father's pride and a ruinous lawsuit bring hardship, and a family feud limits what the young people may do.
  • Tom hardens into duty, and Maggie reaches for feeling, learning and a life of her own.

The plot in six lines

Maggie Tulliver and Tom Tulliver grow up at Dorlcote Mill, where Maggie longs for her brother's approval but often meets his stern judgment.

Mr Tulliver loses a lawsuit and the family is ruined; Tom leaves school and works to clear his father's debts and win back the mill.

Maggie secretly meets Philip Wakem, the son of her father's enemy, until Tom discovers their meetings and forbids Maggie to continue seeing Philip.

Maggie stays with her cousin Lucy Deane, whose suitor Stephen Guest falls in love with Maggie, bringing her desires into conflict with family loyalty.

A boat trip with Stephen Guest drifts too far down the river; Maggie refuses to marry him and returns to disgrace in St Ogg's, where Tom turns her away.

When the river floods, Maggie rows to rescue Tom at the mill, but the brother and sister drown in each other's arms.

Themes

Love and duty: Maggie's longing for warmth clashes with Tom's firm sense of duty, showing how family love can coexist with painful misunderstanding.

Social judgment: The Dodsons' concern for respectability reveals a community that measures people through money, family standing and obedience to its rules.

Women's choices: Maggie's intelligence and desire for learning meet narrow expectations, exposing how few paths her world offers women.

Childhood and memory: The bond formed at the mill shapes later choices, making childhood a lasting source of attachment and conflict.

Pride and loyalty: Mr Tulliver's quarrels and Tom's loyalty show how family pride passes burdens and restrictions from parents to children.

Characters

  • Maggie TulliverA clever, passionate, impulsive girl who longs for love, learning and her brother's approval in a world that expects her to be quiet.
  • Tom TulliverMaggie's older brother, a practical, serious and proud young man who trusts firm rules and wants to restore his family's good name.
  • Mr TulliverThe miller at Dorlcote Mill, a warm, stubborn man whose pride and love of going to law put his family at risk.
  • Mrs TulliverMaggie and Tom's mother, born a Dodson, anxious about respectability and often baffled by her unruly daughter.
  • Philip WakemA gifted, sensitive young man, the son of a lawyer, who becomes Maggie's friend despite the quarrel between the families.
  • Stephen GuestLucy Deane's suitor falls in love with Maggie and takes her on the boat trip that ruins her name.
  • Lucy DeaneMaggie's pretty, gentle cousin, who is easily loved and offers a contrast with Maggie's stormy nature.

For the A level English Literature exams, summer 2027

  • The summer 2027 A level exams run from 10 May to 22 June 2027.
  • OCR: suggested text for the comparative study (Women in Literature), Paper 2 (H472/02), Thursday 20 May 2027, morning, 2 hours 30 minutes.

A two-week plan

  1. Day oneRead the 15-minute summary of The Mill on the Floss from start to finish, then tell the story back to yourself in five sentences.
  2. Days two to threeA girl and a boy at the mill: Notice how the children's different responses to affection establish the terms of their later conflicts.
  3. Day fourChildhood hurts are real hurts: Watch how the narrator takes childhood distress seriously while showing both Maggie's and Tom's perspectives.
  4. Day fiveThe Dodsons and the Tullivers: Notice how family customs offer belonging while making affection depend on conformity.
  5. Day sixSchool, a friendship, and a father's feud: Follow how Maggie's intelligence and Philip Wakem's gentleness challenge the values Tom respects.
  6. Day sevenRuin comes to the mill: Mark how financial loss becomes a crisis of family standing as well as money.
  7. Day eightWhat the book is about and how it is told: Watch how the river, childhood memory and the narrator's reflections connect personal feeling with community judgment.
  8. Day nineThe cast: Maggie Tulliver, Tom Tulliver, Mr Tulliver, Mrs Tulliver and Philip Wakem. Write one line on what each of them wants.
  9. Day tenThemes: Love and duty; Social judgment; Women's choices; Childhood and memory; Pride and loyalty. Pick one moment in the story for each.
  10. Day elevenForm: study how the story is told: the narrator, the order of events and the settings.
  11. Day twelvePractice: plan and write an essay on one theme, then read your argument back and test it against the story.
  12. Day thirteenPractice: try a second question with a different focus, such as a character or the form.
  13. Day fourteenRecap: reread your notes and the summary, say the plot out loud once, then rest.

From the boards' published specifications and final summer 2027 timetables, read on 23 October 2026. Ask your school which board and papers you sit.

Questions

What is The Mill on the Floss about?

The Mill on the Floss is about a brother and sister whose love is tested by family hardship and social expectations. Maggie's desire for learning and affection conflicts with Tom's commitment to rules and the family name.

Who are the main characters in The Mill on the Floss?

The main characters are Maggie Tulliver and her older brother, Tom Tulliver, whose contrasting temperaments shape the story. Mr Tulliver and Mrs Tulliver shape their family world, while Philip Wakem becomes Maggie's friend despite the family feud.

What are the main themes of The Mill on the Floss?

The main themes are love and duty, social judgment, childhood memory, family pride and the limits placed on women. Maggie's struggle connects these concerns by showing how personal longing comes into conflict with loyalty and community expectations.

Is The Mill on the Floss a set text for A level English Literature?

Yes. OCR names it as a suggested text for the comparative study (Women in Literature): Paper 2 (H472/02).

When are the A level English Literature exams in 2027?

The summer 2027 A level exams run from 10 May to 22 June 2027. OCR: Paper 2 (H472/02), Thursday 20 May 2027, morning.

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