Book I: Boy and Girl
Presented as the favored son, practical and dutiful, but less intellectually inclined than Maggie; his education is a central concern for Mr. Tulliver.
Mr. Tulliver, of Dorlcote Mill, Declares His Resolution About Tom
Subject of his father's educational plans; described as slowish and taking after his mother's family.
Mr. Riley Gives His Advice Concerning a School for Tom
The subject of the discussion about his future education.
Tom Is Expected
Expected home from school; Maggie eagerly anticipates his return and worries about his anger over the dead rabbits.
Tom Comes Home
Tom returns from school, brings Maggie a fishing line, and asserts his authority while showing affection for his sister.
VI: The Aunts and Uncles Are Coming
Demonstrates a rigid sense of fairness and justice, feeling aggrieved when Maggie does not reciprocate his generosity.
Enter the Aunts and Uncles
Shows hardness toward Maggie's grief; subject of his father's schooling announcement.
Mr. Tulliver Shows His Weaker Side
Mentioned in Mr. Tulliver's thoughts about his duty to Maggie.
To Garum Firs
Proud of his best blue suit and card-house building; tells Maggie he wishes Lucy were his sister instead.
Maggie Behaves Worse Than She Expected
Prefers Lucy's company, slaps Maggie after she pushes Lucy, and threatens to tell their mother.
XI: Maggie Tries to Run Away from Her Shadow
Angry with Maggie, prompting her decision to run away; later refrains from taunting her after their father's intervention.
Mr. Tulliver Further Entangles the Skein of Life
Teases Maggie about aunt Glegg's visit; prepares to go to school.
Book II: School-Time
Begins his formal education at King's Lorton under Mr. Stelling, struggling with Latin and classical subjects.
Tom's "First Half"
Struggles with his new school at King's Lorton, feeling isolated and overwhelmed by Latin and Euclid; dismisses Maggie's intellectual abilities.
II: The Christmas Holidays
Uncomfortable with his father's irritable talk about quarreling, he learns that Philip Wakem will be at Mr. Stelling's school and worries about attending with the son of his father's enemy.
The New Schoolfellow
Returns to school and meets Philip Wakem; initially prejudiced but gradually impressed by Philip's drawing and stories.
IV: “The Young Idea”
Struggles with abstract learning but improves under Mr. Stelling's relaxed regimen; enjoys drilling with Mr. Poulter and Philip's stories.
Maggie's Second Visit
Still resentful toward Philip, shows off a sword to Maggie, and accidentally injures himself.
A Love-Scene
Injured his foot and fears lameness; shows bravery and later gratitude toward Philip.
The Golden Gates Are Passed
Receives the news of his father's downfall with a rigid, tearless shock; his proud sense of family respectability is shattered.
Book III: The Downfall
Returns from school and is forced to take on adult responsibilities in the wake of his father's ruin.
What Had Happened at Home
Returns home from school; vows revenge on Wakem and forbids Maggie from speaking to Philip.
Mrs. Tulliver's Teraphim, or Household Gods
Shocked by the bailiff's presence, he resolves to take responsibility for his mother and seeks a situation to earn money.
The Family Council
Shows remarkable self-command and practical judgment for a fifteen-year-old, proposing to his aunts that they advance their inheritance to save his mother's furniture. He also recalls his father's words about not distressing the Mosses, demonstrating loyalty and a sense of duty.
A Vanishing Gleam
Helps search the chest, receives instructions about paying Luke and forgiving the Moss debt.
Tom Applies His Knife to the Oyster
Tom is determined to find work and restore his family's fortunes, showing a proud and self-reliant nature. He feels indignation toward his father's imprudence but resolves to ask no one for help beyond fair pay for work.
VI: Tending to Refute the Popular Prejudice Against the Present of a Pocketknife
Tom is present in the parlour after the sale, feeling the bareness of the room and receiving Bob Jakin's visit.
VII: How a Hen Takes to Stratagem
Begins working in a warehouse and taking evening lessons in bookkeeping; struggles with the shame of his father's bankruptcy and the harshness of his new life.
Daylight on the Wreck
Supports his father, carries the leg-rest, and firmly opposes his mother's suggestion to accept Wakem's offer.
IX: An Item Added to the Family Register
Gloomily writes his father's dictated words in the Bible, despite Maggie's objections.
Book IV: The Valley of Humiliation
Tom returns from school to face the family's ruin, taking on a stern and practical role as he tries to salvage what remains of their honor and livelihood.
I: A Variation of Protestantism Unknown to Bossuet
Mentioned alongside Maggie as a young person shaped by the family's restrictive environment.
II: The Torn Nest Is Pierced by the Thorns
Becomes more silent and abstracted at home, focusing his energy on ambitious resistance to misfortune and helping his father save money.
A Voice from the Past
Reproves Maggie for lowering herself by seeking sewing work; shows practical concern but lacks emotional understanding.
Book V: Wheat and Tares
Remains rigid in his hatred for the Wakems, disapproving of Maggie's association with Philip and reinforcing family loyalty.
Aunt Glegg Learns the Breadth of Bob's Thumb
Tom is industrious and self-denying, working to pay off his father's debts and engaging in a trading venture with Bob Jakin.
III: The Wavering Balance
Referenced as the brother whose forgiveness Maggie always longed for, contrasting with her current conflict.
IV: Another Love-Scene
Maggie recalls the days when Tom was good to her, linking her happiness with Philip to those childhood memories.
The Cloven Tree
Confronts Philip and Maggie, forbids their relationship, and harshly criticizes Maggie's conduct.
VI: The Hard-Won Triumph
Returns home with news of his financial success, pays off his father's debts, and earns his father's pride.
A Day of Reckoning
Returns home after the creditors' dinner, dejected by his father's outburst; present at his father's death and reconciles with Maggie.
A Duet in Paradise
Maggie's brother, who refuses to be in the same room as Philip Wakem and is praised by Lucy for his principles.
First Impressions
Maggie mentions that Tom will not see Philip Wakem if he can avoid it.
Confidential Moments
Referenced as the one who imposed a promise on Maggie not to speak to Philip without his knowledge and consent.
IV: Brother and Sister
Living at Bob Jakin's house; expresses distrust of Maggie's judgment; reluctantly allows her to see Philip Wakem occasionally.
Showing That Tom Had Opened the Oyster
Tom is offered a partnership in the firm, reflecting his growth and success in business. He reveals his deep attachment to the family mill and his promise to his father.
Philip Re-Enters
Mentioned as having released Maggie from her promise regarding Philip, and as someone Maggie cannot live with.
Wakem in a New Light
Mentioned as having forbidden Maggie from seeing Philip and as a source of resentment for Wakem.
IX: Charity in Full-Dress
Referenced as opposing Maggie's marriage to Philip; Lucy hopes the good news about the Mill will soften him.
X: The Spell Seems Broken
Referenced as the brother whose tie is strongest for Maggie; not present in the chapter.
A Family Party
Returns from Newcastle; his improved fortunes are celebrated; he refuses to sanction Maggie's marriage with Philip Wakem due to prejudice.
Waking
Maggie thinks of her brother as part of the home she seeks.
Book VII: The Final Rescue
Rejects Maggie for her actions, but reconciles with her during the flood before both drown.
The Return to the Mill
Now master of the mill, he confronts Maggie with cold inflexibility and harsh judgment, refusing her a home.
II: St. Ogg’s Passes Judgment
Rejects Maggie, turning her from his door; is seen as a respectable young man by society.
III: Showing That Old Acquaintances Are Capable of Surprising Us
Remains rigidly unforgiving of Maggie, driven by personal pride and a sense of demonstrated facts.
Conclusion
Buried in the tomb with Maggie after the flood.
