Study notes: Anne of Green Gables
Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert ask for a boy to help on the farm and get Anne Shirley, an orphan who talks in long, bright sentences. She dyes her hair, cracks a slate on a boy’s head, and wants a dress with puffed sleeves. The book is funny first. Under the jokes, Anne is a child who has been moved too many times and is waiting to be kept. Prince Edward Island is painted in detail: roads, school, and a neighbor who judges everyone.
Themes
Imagination as a way to survive. Belonging is a decision adults make. Mistakes can be repaired.
People to follow
Anne Shirley, Marilla, Matthew, Diana Barry, and Gilbert Blythe.
Talk about
- Why does Anne rename the places around her?
- How does Marilla change without making a speech about it?
- Which mistake should have been easy to forgive?
Public-domain text.