The Mill On The Floss

Throughout the novel Tom is shown as someone very arrogant and abrupt in the way he talks to people and feels he has the authority to question others in an interrogatory manner. In his first meeting with Nick he

Compare the views of relationships in ‘The Unequal Fetters’ with those in ‘To his Coy Mistress’. What is suggested about the different ways in which men and women view love?

It is fitting how after sending the text above Maggie speculated if Lacey “even knew what she was talking about” (45). Maggie and Lacey clearly do not connect in regards to the standard mother-daughter relationship, as they struggle to find a way communicate. Thus, these communication problems have taken over Maggie’s relationship with Lacey, which unfortunately further heighten Maggie’s seclusion from this society.

As the novel progresses, Tom transforms from this selfish nature to become a caring person. Several examples of this transformation are seen throughout various chapters. When the Joads are traveling west to California with the Wilson’s, Tom offers to help them when their car breaks down. “Tom said nervously, ‘Look Al. I done my time, an’ now it’s done… Let’s jus’ try an’ get a con-rod an’ the hell with the res’ of it.’” Tom is showing a little more care for other people’s problems, however, he still has a selfish side because he still does not regret killing a man. He knew he had to pay for it by going to prison, but he still believes he did nothing wrong by taking a man’s life. By offering to help out with the Wilson’s’ car, he is on his way to becoming a less selfish person. As the book draws to a close, Tom stumbles upon Jim Casy again, who is murdered in front of his own eyes. As a result, he is thrown into a silent rage and kills another man which causes him to hide in the forest. He realizes that he is a danger to his family, so he sacrifices his safety in order for his family to be safe. ‘“Ya can’t do that, Ma. I tell you I’m jus’ a danger to ya,”’ (391). There is a clear transition from Tom acting selfish at the beginning of the book to him acting completely selfless at the end. This selflessness also contributed to him being a figure committed to bettering the

Before the story is too far, there is already signs of Tom’s supercilious manner when Nick first meets up with him. Nick describes Tom like he “established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward…”(11). This is the first of many signs that show Tom’s supercilious manner and how he acts like he is better than anyone else. After a short time, Tom shows another sign of irreverence. Nick describes Tom’s treatment of others when he states, “After an infinitesimal hesitation, he included Daisy”(18).

The author continuously characterizes Tom Walker in a way that makes the readers pity and resent him to not want to follow the example of his life. For example, after Tom's wife takes all their valuables and tries to strike a bargain with the devil when Tom wouldn’t do it himself, he goes looking for her in the woods. Irving shows just how little Tom cared about his wife when he describes his reaction to her disappearance and death. He is more concerned about the safety of his silverware, which she had taken with her. "He leaped with joy; for he recognized his wife's apron, and supposed it to contain the household valuables.” That shows that he is really greedy and ruthless. However, Tom shows no remorse for his dead wife and has evidence that shows that his wife had beaten up even the

Throughout the reading, Tom is viewed as an irresponsible husband and father figure because of how he frequently relinquishes his duties as a man. After he gets married to Daisy, they eventually have a daughter. However, due to Tom’s nonchalant nature, he doesn’t feel obliged to handle any responsibilities concerning his marriage. He becomes an alcoholic and he is pictured as a very arrogant man due to his wealth. His cruel nature was depicted by the author when Nick states that “His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed. There was a touch of paternal contempt in it, even toward people he liked—and there were men at New Haven who had hated his guts” (Fitzgerald 9). This statement proves how rude Tom was.

Maggie is not is not the attractive sister. As she is described she is a thin and awkward girl. Mama also noted that

Tom rejects to tell Legree where Cassy and Emmeline have left and Legree orders his overseers to slaughter Tom. As Tom is painfully dying, he forgives the overseers who have crushed him. Both men soon become Christians. Very shortly before Tom’s death George Shelby arrives to buy Tom’s freedom but it’s too late and he’s already dead.

Jane Austen’s novel, Northanger Abbey, seeks to explore the effect of wealth on society. Throughout the novel, this portrayal of wealth assumes an increasingly critical tone, and is thus used to suggest the negative impact of financial goals in a relationship. This is shown in the contrast between Catherine’s relationship with Mr. Tilney, and Isabella’s promiscuous ways. In this dynamic, Catherine remains pure, engaged to a poor clergyman, whereas her friend Isabella ensnares men in the hopes of gaining wealth and societal status. Through this dynamic, Austen provides an example of the British Romantic ideal that both love and the individual are only pure and righteous when freed from the constraints of society and affluence. Ironically, the Gothic novels that were prevalent in the later part of the British Romantic Period are frequently cited as a source of misfortune throughout the novel. Catherine, who is portrayed as good and pure, is misled into believing that the stories spun in Gothic novels are applicable to her own life. Her friend, Isabella, is also portrayed as a lover of the genre, which is Austen’s way of hinting at Isabella’s future sins. Although the Gothics influence both Catherine and Isabella, Austen portrays the characters as opposites-one the promiscuous villain and one the victim of the heroic tale. Austen continuously comments on the nature of heroism, and thus mocks the timid Catherine while ironically branding her a

Tom does not care about anyone else in the process of getting what he wants. Daisy is never being treated how she really should and one of the only things keeping them together is there child. Tom is not the person to ever with acquainted with, his personality is lacking all of the good things like Gatsby has. He will never be good enough for Daisy but she just will not see that.

He’s always playing hooky. However, he’s also saving lives, such as Muff Potter’s. He tries to teach Huck the ways of robbers and pirates, all the while trying to get him to go back to the Widow’s and live in society. Most readers are familiar with his mischievous deeds, though we shouldn’t forget about when Becky rips the teacher’s anatomy book. Tom took accountability for tearing it when Ms. Dobbins’ urged the culprit to come clean. Though this brings more uncertainty, as there are some hints that Tom was still getting pleasure from taking the blame, such as when the book states that the adoration in Becky’s eyes is so valuable that it is worth one thousand floggings from Ms. Dobbins. These examples are some of the main reasons for the disarray in Tom’s

This shows the reader that Tom still believes in his own violent system of justice. Instead of coming up with a peaceful way to leave, Tom immediately thinks of a violent way to stop the police even if it might lead to him going to jail. Tom until the near end of the novel is a very violent and careless person.

Tom had a double role in the play as both the narrator and a main character that lived through a recollection of what life was like living with his mother and sister before he abandoned them to seek adventure. Tom’s behavior in the play could lead to question if his memory is truly accurate. SparkNotes comments, “…But at the same time, he demonstrates real and sometimes juvenile emotions as he takes part in the play’s action. This duality can frustrate our understanding of Tom, as it is hard to decide whether he is a character whose assessments should be trusted or one who allows his emotions to affect his judgment” (SparkNotes.com). Through his behavior a person is reminded that memory can be flawed by emotions or time elapsing, this would need to be taken into account when analysis of such a character is done. Tom is full of contradictions as he reads literature, writes poetry, and dreams of an escape; however he also felt bound by duty to his sister and mother. Another contradiction was that while he professed to care about his sister as seen in his ending comments in the play, “…I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be!...” (Williams), Tom never went back to reconnect with his sister. This could be because of the great shame he felt for abandoning his sister or because of another reason. He stated that he had been in several cities over the years but never speaks of going back to St. Louis, making it unclear if he

The failings of not marrying for love are again made apparent by Austen through the account of Lydia and Wickham and their shortfalls. Lydia and Wickham’s relationship was built on a mixture of youthful attraction and naivety. In the letter she sends to Harriet,