The Mill on the Floss · Chapter
Book VI: The Great Temptation explained
Maggie Tulliver faces intense emotional turmoil as she is drawn into a passionate but forbidden relationship with Stephen Guest, who is engaged to her cousin Lucy Deane.
What happens
Maggie Tulliver faces intense emotional turmoil as she is drawn into a passionate but forbidden relationship with Stephen Guest, who is engaged to her cousin Lucy Deane. The chapter explores the conflict between her desires and her sense of duty, leading to a crisis of conscience.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this excerpt, the emotional/psychological peak occurs when Maggie, despite her "heavy heart" and initial re…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Passion vs. Duty
Maggie is torn between her passionate attraction to Stephen and her duty to Lucy and her own moral principles.
- Gender Roles and Limitations
Maggie's struggle highlights the limited choices available to women, who were judged harshly for romantic transgressions.
Characters to notice
- Maggie Tulliver
Struggles with her feelings for Stephen Guest and the moral implications of her actions.
- Stephen Guest
Pursues Maggie despite his engagement to Lucy, representing the temptation she faces.
- Lucy Deane
Maggie's cousin and Stephen's fiancée, whose trust is betrayed by the developing relationship.
- Philip Wakem
Maggie's former love, whose memory adds to her internal conflict.
Key passages
“The great temptation of Maggie's life was now upon her.”
Maggie faced the most significant moral test of her life.
Sets the central conflict of the chapter.
