Chapter 10
When Jealousy Takes Control
Maggie Behaves Worse Than She Expected The startling object which thus made an epoch for uncle Pullet was no other than little Lucy, with one side of her person, from her small foot to her bonnet-crown, wet and discoloured with mud, holding out two tiny blackened hands, and making a very piteous face. To account for this unprecedented apparition in aunt Pullet’s parlour, we must return to the moment when the three children went to play out of doors, and the small demons who had taken possession of Maggie’s soul at an early period of the day had returned in…
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Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Here, Lucy, you come along with me"
Context: Tom completely ignores Maggie and invites only Lucy to see the toads
This simple invitation becomes the trigger for disaster. Tom's casual dismissal of Maggie shows how thoughtlessly we can wound someone by excluding them, especially when they're already feeling vulnerable.
In Today's Words:
Come on, Lucy, let's go - you're the only one I want to hang out with The same pressure shows up today when family duty, gossip, or fear of being 'too much' keeps people from choosing what their inner life actually needs. The same pressure shows up today when family duty, gossip, or fear of
"looking like a small Medusa with her snakes cropped"
Context: Describing how Maggie appears as she watches Tom favor Lucy over her
Eliot transforms Maggie into a mythological monster, showing how jealousy can make us look and feel monstrous. The image captures both Maggie's fury and her powerlessness.
In Today's Words:
She looked absolutely furious, like she could kill someone with just a look The same pressure shows up today when family duty, gossip, or fear of being 'too much' keeps people from choosing what their inner life actually needs. The same pressure shows up today when family duty, gossip, or fear of being 'too much'
"Lucy wished Maggie to enjoy the spectacle also"
Context: Lucy innocently wants to include Maggie in the fun with the toad
This shows Lucy's genuine kindness and makes Maggie's eventual attack even more tragic. Lucy has no idea she's become a threat in Maggie's mind - she actually wants to include her.
In Today's Words:
Lucy wanted Maggie to have fun too - she wasn't trying to steal Tom away The same pressure shows up today when family duty, gossip, or fear of being 'too much' keeps people from choosing what their inner life actually needs. The same pressure shows up today when family duty, gossip, or fear of being
"Lucy, with one side of her person, from her small foot to her bonnet-crown, wet and discoloured with mud, holding out two tiny blackened hands, and making a very piteous face."
Context: From the opening of the chapter
This line anchors the scene's pressure and shows how provincial judgment, family debt, or forbidden feeling can harden before anyone offers mercy.
In Today's Words:
In plain terms, the passage says: Lucy, with one side of her person, from her small foot to her bonnet-crown, wet and discoloured with mud, holding out two tiny blackened han Readers still recognize the same dynamic when society punishes feeling in women while excusing the men who shape their choices.
Thematic Threads
Jealousy
In This Chapter
Maggie's raw jealousy of Lucy's easy acceptance by Tom drives her to violence
Development
Builds on earlier chapters showing Maggie's need for Tom's approval
In Your Life:
You might feel this when a coworker gets the recognition or opportunities you wanted
Class Anxiety
In This Chapter
The adults are mortified by the children's behavior, seeing it as a threat to family respectability
Development
Continues the theme of how the Tullivers worry about their social standing
In Your Life:
You might feel this pressure when your family's actions reflect on your reputation at work or in your community
Powerlessness
In This Chapter
Maggie has no real power over Tom's affections, so she strikes at Lucy instead
Development
Expands on Maggie's ongoing struggle with having no control in her world
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you feel helpless in a situation and look for someone else to blame or control
Consequences
In This Chapter
Maggie's impulsive act creates chaos for everyone and solves nothing
Development
Reinforces the pattern of Maggie's actions backfiring
In Your Life:
You might see this when your emotional reactions make situations worse instead of better
Maternal Guilt
In This Chapter
Mrs. Tulliver immediately blames herself as a bad mother when Maggie misbehaves
Development
Shows how mothers in this world are held responsible for children's every action
In Your Life:
You might feel this automatic self-blame when things go wrong in your family or workplace
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
This is not a test. Five prompts guide you through the chapter, from how it opens to how it closes, so you notice context and rhythm rather than facts to memorize. Sit with each question in your own words. When you see "One way to read it," treat it as a starting point, not the only answer.
- 1
What situation opens "When Jealousy Takes Control", and what is at stake for Maggie or the people around her?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
Maggie's jealousy reaches a boiling point when Tom ignores her to play with their cousin Lucy instead.
- 2
How does the middle of "When Jealousy Takes Control" test loyalty, pride, or survival under provincial judgment?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
When the adults go looking for Maggie to punish her, they discover she's vanished entirely, sending her mother into a panic about drowning.
- 3
Where in "When Jealousy Takes Control" do family obligation and personal desire pull in opposite directions?
application • mediumOne way to read it
When the adults go looking for Maggie to punish her, they discover she's vanished entirely, sending her mother into a panic about drowning.
- 4
What does the closing movement of "When Jealousy Takes Control" suggest about love, reputation, or self-knowledge?
application • deepOne way to read it
The chapter also reveals the class anxieties of the time, the adults are mortified by the children's 'improper' behavior, seeing it as a reflection of their family's respectability.
- 5
After "When Jealousy Takes Control", what would you do differently if you were trying to honor family without surrendering your values?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
The chapter also reveals the class anxieties of the time, the adults are mortified by the children's 'improper' behavior, seeing it as a reflection of their family's respectability.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map the Real Target
Think of a recent time when you felt angry or hurt by someone's actions. Draw or write out: Who actually hurt you? Who did you want to lash out at? Who would be the easiest/safest target? Now trace why those three people might be different and what that reveals about power dynamics in your situation.
Consider:
- •Notice if the person who hurt you holds more power or authority than you do
- •Consider whether the 'easy target' has done anything wrong or is just convenient
- •Think about what you really need - acknowledgment, change, or just to be heard
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you either misdirected your anger at the wrong person, or when you became someone else's target for pain you didn't cause. What would you do differently now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 11: Maggie's Great Escape Goes Wrong
With everyone searching for her and her mother fearing the worst, Maggie has disappeared completely. Where has she gone, and what desperate plan is forming in her young mind as she tries to escape the consequences of her actions?
