Applying Psychological Theories to Maggie's Decision on Love and Marriage in The Mill on the Floss

Many people see marriage as a very important event in their lives, whereas others take marriage not as seriously. Some people may have extravagant weddings that are attended by all their loved ones, friends, and colleagues; others may choose a private wedding with a small gathering of their closest and most trusted loved ones. It is also not uncommon for people to elope and even hold spontaneous weddings that may be due to truth-or-dare games, curiosity, or drunkenness. No matter how one chooses to arrange his/her marriage ceremony, love is frequently the basis of marriage.

It has become widely accepted that love should be the only basis of marriage (qtd. in Berscheid and Walster 1953). The notion of marrying for love is so strong and deeply engrained in today's society that many people may be appalled upon hearing that someone has married for reasons other than love. Despite the prevalent notion that one should only marry for love, some people still marry for other reasons besides love. Some people marry for the purpose of maintaining or acquiring fortunes. Others may be obligated to marry in order to maintain or even salvage the family name, either through marrying their own relatives, friends, or strangers. Maggie Tulliver, the heroine from The Mill on the Floss (Eliot 1985), is an example of someone who feels obligated to marry the man she does not love for the purpose of maintaining her honor and the family name.