The Mill on the Floss · Character

Lawyer Wakem

The cool, iron-gray attorney whose grudge against the irascible miller Tulliver hardens into a campaign to take the mill — and whose son will complicate everything.

supporting

Also known as Mr. Wakem, Wakem, old Wakem, lawyer Wakem

First appearance: xiii mr tulliver further entangles the skein of life

As a supporting figure in The Mill on the Floss, Lawyer Wakem is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Wakem is the shrewd lawyer Tulliver blames for every legal entanglement, and the enmity runs deep enough that the miller reads malice into chance itself. Yet the novel lets us see him plainly: a punctual, aquiline-nosed professional who listens courteously even to Mrs. Tulliver's pickle-errand plea, and whose motives may be less diabolical than Tulliver's fevered portrait suggests. His feud with the Tullivers drives the lawsuit, the loss of the mill, and the bitter inheritance Tom and Maggie must carry into adulthood.

See Lawyer Wakem in xiii mr tulliver further entangles the skein of life Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Character Web

24 connections

A slice of how Lawyer Wakem sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Major characters and family
Minor characters and background

+19 more in the full Character Web

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

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 reading

In the story

Lawyer Wakem appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

II: The Christmas Holidays
The object of Mr. Tulliver's deep resentment, believed to be behind Pivart's irrigation scheme and other legal troubles; his son is to attend the same school as Tom.
What Had Happened at Home
Revealed to have acquired the mortgage on Tulliver's property, causing Mr. Tulliver's collapse.
VII: How a Hen Takes to Stratagem
The attorney whom Mrs. Tulliver visits; described as having an aquiline nose and iron-gray hair, and is the object of Mr. Tulliver's long-standing enmity.
In the Red Deeps
Philip's father, who accompanies Philip to the mill yard and is seen by Maggie. His presence prevents Maggie from greeting Philip freely.
A Day of Reckoning
Meets Mr. Tulliver by the mill gates and provokes him with a condescending remark about farming.
Showing That Tom Had Opened the Oyster
Wakem is mentioned as the current owner of the mill, having outbid Mr. Deane's firm. His management through young Jetsome is causing the mill to decline.
Wakem in a New Light
Angrily resists Philip's plan to marry Maggie, citing old grievances with the Tullivers, but is ultimately moved by Philip's arguments.
IX: Charity in Full-Dress
Visits Maggie's stall at the bazaar, behaves kindly and tactfully, and mentions his son Philip.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Lawyer Wakem unlock in the free preview.

See Lawyer Wakem in xiii mr tulliver further entangles the skein of life