the mill on the floss question?

Question

What do people think of stephen guest and what are his good and bad points e.g. goes off with Maggie when engaged to Lucy

Answer 1

There is a very interesting passage in the book where the author juxtaposes two possible scenarios: one in which Philip and Maggie return married after their elopement and settle down as a respectable couple in the neighbourhood on everyone's visiting list, and the other, which is the actual state of affairs, where he fails to make an honest woman of Maggie and she, rather than he, is savagely judged by society. This contrast between the way in which the behaviour of men and woman is judged by the world is also a theme of Thomas Hardy in more than one of his novels, especially "Tess of the Durbervilles". The reader is aware of the charm of Stephen Guest and the reason why Maggie was swept off her feet, but at the same time deplores his infidelity to Lucy, which augurs ill for the future happiness of Maggie. An attractive, but dangerous, young man with very little notion of duty, sadly contrasted to the delightful , dutiful, plodding Philip Wakeham, who is loyal to Maggie all his life. There may be something of the author's own experience in all this: she did the unthinkable thing of going off to live with a married man who certainly had a powerful influence over her and perhaps infatuated her to the same degree as Stephen Guest did Maggie. So shocking was this affair that his name of Cross was engraved on her tombstone, to give a feeling of respectability to the liaison.

Answer 2

stephen should never have gone off with Maggie.Her looks might have grabbed his attention but he should have never dumped Lucy.If it wasn't for Lucy he would have never come to know of Maggie.But love is a strange thing....its hard to say what would happen next. I wouldn't blame stephen for falling in love with Maggie but at the same tme he spoils her life. If it wasn't for him she would have married Philip and lived a happy life.