Water, the River, and Floods
Given the ending of this novel, it’s not really surprising that water and floods are an important symbol. In fact, water and flood imagery is found throughout the novel, and the river itself...
Music and Sound
Music and sound are probably the most frequently repeated symbols in the entire book and, as a result, music and sound represent a lot of different things. Music and sound have the ability to creat...
Maggie's Hair, Eyes, and Skin
Maggie’s "dark" coloring (her hair, her skin, and her eyes) might seem like weird symbols. They are certainly mentioned enough to qualify them as motifs, or repeating themes and images. We st...
Animal Comparisons
Lucy, Maggie, and Tom are all compared to animals, generally dogs, throughout this text. Animals seem somehow related to childhood and to innocence more generally. Maggie is compared to multiple an...
"Going to Law"
This phrase is repeated throughout the book, generally in regards to Mr. Tulliver. "Going to law" is essentially a sort of old-fashioned way of saying "getting involved in legal proceedings," or a...