Unto This Last · Character

John Stuart Mill

The era's most respected economist-philosopher, invoked by the narrator as the polished voice of a science that calls itself the art of getting rich.

supporting

Also known as Mr. J. S. Mill, Mr. Mill, Mill

First appearance: Unto This Last

As a supporting figure in Unto This Last, John Stuart Mill is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Referenced as a representative of classical political economy whose theories on produce and value are critiqued by Ruskin.

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Mill stands in the text as the respectable face of orthodox political economy — the man whose definitions the narrator quotes in order to dismantle them. The tension is one of reverence turned against itself: the narrator treats Mill as a serious thinker while insisting his 'science of getting rich' quietly ignores the laws of distribution that decide whether wealth becomes water of life or water of Marah. He matters because toppling Mill's framing is how the book clears ground for its own argument.

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Character Web

3 connections

A slice of how John Stuart Mill sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Psychological
Professional
Social

Character groups

Economic and mythological critics
Protagonist
Literary economic archetypes

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Breaking point

In this passage, the emotional and psychological peak occurs when Ruskin directly challenges John Stuart Mill’…

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Relationships

Unknown Narrator
psychological · negative
The narrator critiques Mill's utilitarian framework, arguing it dehumanizes labor. How this plays out →
David Ricardo
professional · ambivalent
The Servant
social · negative
Unknown Narrator
psychological · negative
The narrator critiques Mill's utilitarian framework, arguing it dehumanizes labor. How this plays out →

Unknown Narrator
The narrator critiques Mill's utilitarian framework, arguing it dehumanizes labor.
David Ricardo
Ricardo and Mill are linked as intellectual predecessors and successors in classical political economy.
The Servant
Mill's abstract economic theories are contrasted with the real-life plight of the Servant.
Unknown Narrator
The narrator engages with Mill's economic theories, critiquing and deconstructing them as a form of intellectual manipulation.

Relationship notes

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In the story

John Stuart Mill appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Unto This Last
Referenced as a representative of classical political economy whose theories on produce and value are critiqued by Ruskin.
I: The Roots of Honour
Referenced indirectly through the critique of political economy, though not named in this chapter.
IV: Ad Valorem
Ruskin directly engages with Mill's definitions of capital, productive labor, and consumption, pointing out inconsistencies.
Endnotes
Referenced for his definitions of labor and value; Ruskin critiques Mill's omission of moral and passionate elements.

Chapter companion notes

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