Autobiographical elements in the mill on the floss:

The mill on the floss is an autobiographical novel of George Eliot. In the novel,
Maggie’s life is the true embodiment of George Eliot’s life. All the life incidents, tragedies and
relations of Maggie were as same as that of the writer George Eliot. Both of them were also
emotionally and spiritually alike.
In terms of physical appearance and nature, Just like Maggie; her creator George Eliot
was also not so much careful about her looks but instead she always kept herself busy with
bookish knowledge. She had messy hair look, was dirty and ill-mannered in her childhood.
She also used to leave her hair untie and in terms of family relations, Maggie was not in good
terms with her mother just as George Eliot but she used to adore her elder brother Isaac as
Maggie adored her brother Tom.
" I don't love you Maggie'
'oh Tom, don't say that,' begged Maggie. 'I am sorry.
It was an accident, tom. Please forgive me."
Just like Maggie, George Eliot was also her father’s favorite. He likes her cleverness
which he believed that she took after his family but at the mean time both fathers were also
of the same view that for girls there’s no use of such cleverness.
‘a woman’s no business wi’ being so clever; it’ll turn to trouble’
Just like Mrs. Tulliver, George Eliot’s mother was also one of four sisters of Pearson
family with social and financial superiority. She also don’t like her aunts just like Maggie. In
the novel Maggie’s cousin Lucy is the true representation of Eliot’s sister Christiana who was
neat, well-dressed and good-mannered girl in contrast to Eliot.
As long as Eliot’s love life is concerned, she also fell in love with a married man just
like Maggie who fell in love with a man who was engaged to her cousin Lucy. Maggie flee
away with Stephan even without getting married which lead her to her poor relations with
her brother Tom, just like Eliot who also lost her attachment with her brother Isaac when he
came to know about her relation with Henry who was already married. Although Eliot got
married to Henry but she lead a sinful life as that of Maggie because they both did not listen
to their brother’s advice.
The incident of death of Maggie by drowning also had some reflection of Eliot’s life
incident where she saw many people dying and crying after drowning in flood. Her
grandfather George also died by drowning in that flood.
Based on these above mentioned points it is not difficult to conclude that the novel
“the mill on the Floss” is an autobiographical novel which represented Eliot’s life in a way that
none of her novel ever did before.