Growing into a young woman, Maggie Tulliver finds herself unable to deal with her brother, Tom, or his realism and bourgeois standards. Unlike Tom, she has a spirited and lively imagination which makes her an outsider in her own society. Because she cannot adapt to the rules and standards of her community, and because she is rejected by everyone, Maggie suffers and faces many tragedies in her life that finally leads to her death. The novel also deals with other related themes, such as jealousy, anger, and the importance of women in the society.