The Conflict between Love and Duty in George Eliot’s Novel “The Mill on the Floss”

Conflict means any incompatibility, as of two things that cannot be simultaneously fulfilled. In psychological terms, it is often described as a struggle taking place between conscious and unconscious forces. It is a literary device used by many writers to develop a complicated situation, dilemma, which needs to be resolved by the process of decision-making. Conflict is the essential element of any action as per Aristotle it is the soul of any play. The dealing of the conflict reflects the personality of the characters. We can noticeably judge the characters build in by this trait as in Shakespeare’sHamlet- to be, or not to be. Similarly, in George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss, conflict is used at various levels. 

Maggie, the central figure is involved in different levels conflicts-inner and outer. Perhaps it is more correct to say that Maggie is involved in a triple conflict. She struggles on three fronts- firstly, on the internal level within her divided self, between compulsions and reason, and between passion and duty; secondly, on an external level, her temperament clashing with Tom, thirdly, again on an external level, her clashing with her environment and other outside events. It is obvious that the story of The Mill on the Floss is chiefly concerned with Maggie’s suffering and to a lesser extent, the suffering of other characters such as Mr. and Mrs. Tulliver, Tom, Philip, Stephen, and Lucy.  

We observe Maggie’s unhappiness as the major concern; she suffers as a child and as a grown-up girl, till in the end she is drowned in the flooded river. Her internal conflict is made possible because of her sensibility and desire for affection, her inability to conform to her surroundings, delicately develop a conscience. Such a nature is made for suffering. She is intelligent, warm-hearted, and imaginative. She is desperately lonely with no one to share her interests with. Maggie loves her brother, Tom, and desires for his affection which Tom, being what he is, cannot give. She suffers precisely because she sensitively reacts to all. The moral scruples of a finely developed conscience create in Maggie the terrible mental conflict of divided loyalties between self-satisfaction and duty to others. She meets Philip Wakem and experiences an attraction towards a kindred soul. If Maggie was not so sensitive and loving, she would have run off with Philip not even caring about family loyalties. But she is aware that her affection for Philip will hurt her family, whom she loves greatly. The conflict may not have resulted if fate in a cruel stroke had not decreed that Maggie is drawn towards Philip, her father’s enemy son. Philip had warned Maggie that her suppressed emotions will extract their penalty one day. They indeed do, and Maggie realizes it too late.

The main factor, however, is Maggie’s character which makes her suffer and give in to Tom’s ill-treatment. In the affair with Stephen Guest, again Maggie suffers because of fate as well as character. It is fate or chance that the man with whom she falls in love is virtually engaged to her cousin Lucy. Maggie is once again in a dilemma of conflict, a much stronger one this time, between duty and desire, love for Stephen, and fondness for Lucy and Philip. Stephen finds Maggie attractive and is almost immediately swept off his feet by her on meeting her. But Maggie is not unaffected by the handsome, strong young Stephen with all the polite manners of the upper-class society to which he belongs. His attentions are flattering to the young Maggie who has so far led a secluded life. She is physically attracted to Stephen who seems to belong to a world of beauty, love, and delight. She even cannot help but enjoy his attentions, especially when he is closely associated with her cousin Lucy with whom Maggie has been unfavorably compared from her childhood.  Hence, in her elopement with Stephen, she cannot be much blamed for active participation as for passive compliance. A sanity girl would not have gone with him in the first place. A lesser girl would have agreed to marry Stephen. Being a human being with passion as well as a highly developed conscience, Maggie decides on a noble course of action. Maggie does not yield to the passion ultimately. These self-sacrifices, of course, come late when the damage has already been done to the people she loves as well as to herself, that is the very tragedy of Maggie. Her final decision to sacrifice her happiness with Stephen comes when she burns his letter. This is the true renunciation. Maggie renounces Stephen and overcomes temptation; one can talk of her nobility, self-sacrifice, her great triumph over temptation. Her renunciation does not have the effect she desired it to have; Philip and Lucy, whom she wanted to save from unhappiness, are still left with the feeling of being unloved.   

Maggie’s conflict between duty and personal happiness, loyalty to other and personal desire is acute and painful. Stephen’s letter asking her to marry him despite everything is the final test. The battle of emotions in her mind is amazing. It is indeed the greatest moment of temptation. She almost surrenders and writes ‘come’ to Stephen. At last, with superhuman efforts, she overcomes it and decides on a course of self-sacrifice. She has asked in distress to God that there is any happiness in love that could make her forget their pain, which she means to Lucy and Philip. She realizes that she cannot achieve real happiness as being Stephen’s wife, for her conscience will pose a great burden for her. Her wish for whole life and fulfillment of the desires of the senses contend with the wish for renunciation of these very earthly desires. The conflict with outer forces mingles with the conflict in Maggie’s mind between opposing loves. If the relationship with Philip was fraught with tension and mental conflict, Maggie’s meeting with Stephen leads to a worse conflict. But Maggie’s worth has been realized at last.