Question

Which line in this excerpt from George Eliot's The Mill on the Floss is an example of direct characterization? "What! hasn't she been playing with you all this while?" said the father. "She'd been thinking o' nothing but your coming home." "I haven't seen her this two hours," says Tom, commencing on the plumcake. "Goodness heart; she's got drownded!" exclaimed Mrs. Tulliver, rising from her seat and running to the window. "How could you let her do so?" she added, as became a fearful woman, accusing she didn't know whom of she didn't know what. "Nay, nay, she's none drownded," said Mr. Tulliver. "You've been naughty to her, I doubt, Tom?" "I'm sure I haven't, father," said Tom, indignantly. "I think she's in the house." "Perhaps up in that attic," said Mrs. Tulliver, "a-singing and talking to herself, and forgetting all about meal-times." "You go and fetch her down, Tom," said Mr. Tulliver, rather sharply,–his perspicacity or his fatherly fondness for Maggie making him suspect that the lad had been hard upon "the little un," else she would never have left his side. "And be good to her, do you hear? Else I'll let you know better." Tom never disobeyed his father, for Mr. Tulliver was a peremptory man, and, as he said, would never let anybody get hold of his whip-hand; but he went out rather sullenly, carrying his piece of plumcake, and not intending to reprieve Maggie's punishment, which was no more than she deserved.

Answer 1

The Line that contains the sentence "Tom never disobeyed his father, for Mr. Tulliver was a peremptory man"

Answer 2

The answer is: Tom never disobeyed his father, for Mr. Tulliver was a peremptory man, and, as he said, would never let anybody get hold of his whip-hand

A direct characterization is when the narrator describes a character on a direct, straightforward manner to allow the reader know the motivation of this character, the fear love or another feeling that drives him/her to act. In this line is described what Tom did “not disobeyed” and why it was “Mr. Tulliver was a peremptory man”