Bob Jakin was one of Tom’s childhood friends. However, their friendship ended when he and Tom had a fight over a coin, and Tom was angered that Bob tried to “cheat.” As adults, however, Bob proves a true friend to Tom and Maggie, whom he adores. He tries to give them his life savings to help them after the bankruptcy, and he partners with Tom in a prosperous investment that earns the Tullivers hundreds of pounds. When Maggie is disgraced after her elopement, he takes her and Mrs. Tulliver into his home and cares for her. Although Bob is not very articulate, he is very intelligent, as demonstrated by his investment savvy and brilliant salesmanship (he even manages to sell linens to the notoriously stingy Mrs. Glegg). Bob’s friendship is a constant source of stability to both Tom and Maggie throughout the novel.
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Bob Jakin Character Timeline in The Mill on the Floss
The timeline below shows where the character Bob Jakin appears in The Mill on the Floss. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 1, Chapter 6
...Maggie miserable. When she finds Tom again, he is with a local “naughty” boy named Bob Jakin, whose job is to scare the birds. Tom admires Bob’s knowledge of different types...
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Tom and Bob walk along the river with the Tullivers’ dog, Yap, to go rat-catching. They play heads...
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Book 3, Chapter 6
...mood. But at tea-time, a visitor comes to see Tom in the study. It is Bob Jakin, the local boy whom Tom had fought with as a child. Tom is at...
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Book 4, Chapter 3
One day, the Tullivers receive a visit from Bob Jakin, Tom’s childhood friend. Bob brings a package of books for Maggie, concerned that the...
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As she looks through Bob’s package, Maggie finds a book by Thomas a Kempis, a fifteenth-century Christian writer. Maggie is...
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Book 5, Chapter 2
...and has gained the respect of his Dodson aunts and uncles. One evening, Tom encounters Bob Jakin, who offers to include Tom in a business venture involving shipping goods to foreign...
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...Glegg to provide the startup funds to invest in the shipping business. When Tom and Bob visit the Gleggs, Bob not only convinces Mr. Glegg to invest in the shipping business,...
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Book 5, Chapter 6
...full. Mr. Tulliver is delighted and wants to hear all about Tom’s business venture with Bob Jakin. That night, even after all this joy, Mr. Tulliver wakes from a nightmare and...
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Book 6, Chapter 4
Maggie goes to visit Tom at Bob Jakin’s house, where Tom is now lodging after the loss of Dorlcote Mill. She tells...
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Book 7, Chapter 1
...a mother!” and packs her things to leave Dorlcote Mill with Maggie. They go to Bob Jakin, who takes them in. Bob shows Maggie his baby daughter, who he has named...
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Book 7, Chapter 5
...so, she feels a pooling of water at her feet. She runs upstairs to wake Bob and tell him to evacuate his family. Thinking of Tom at Dorlcote Mill, she runs...
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