When siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert send for an orphan to help them on their farm, Green Gables, they expect a boy to be waiting at Bright River station. Instead, a skinny, talkative, red haired 11-year-old girl called Anne Shirley awaits them.
“Anne spelled with an E” – if you please
The painfully shy Matthew finds himself charmed by the chatty little girl who is captivated by the natural beauty of Prince Edward Island and quickly sets about renaming the brooks, fields, and meadows they pass by.
“But they shouldn’t call that lovely place the Avenue. There is no meaning in a name like that. They should call it—let me see—the White Way of Delight. Isn’t that a nice imaginative name? When I don’t like the name of a place or a person, I always imagine a new one and always think of them so.”
LM Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, Chapter 2
Upon arriving at the farm, Marilla Cuthbert is “surprised” to see “the odd little figure in the stiff, ugly dress, with the long braids of red hair and the eager, luminous eyes”. Less than impressed by Anne’s constant chattering and flights of fancy, Marilla is nevertheless sympathetic to the girl’s tragic personal history. She is also charmed by her warmth and humorous ways – although she would never admit that to anyone.
Rather than send her back to the orphanage, Marilla lets the Anne stay at Green Gables so she can bring her up right. In doing so, the Cuthbert siblings give the little girl her first stable and permanent home.
Anne quickly puts down roots and thrives in the clean air and natural beauty of Green Gables. She makes friends, excels at school, gets into scrapes and shenanigans and, often to Marilla’s chagrin, continues to daydream and imagine. And yet, for all her flights of fancy, when it comes to travel, Anne is a remarkably grounded and philosophical soul.
After a particularly exciting four day trip to Charlottetown, where Anne visits the exhibition, attends a concert, has her fortune told and eats ice cream in a restaurant at 11 o’clock at night, she returns to Green Gables with stories to share:
After supper Anne sat before the fire between Matthew and Marilla and gave them a full account of her visit – “I’ve had a splendid time,” she concluded happily, “and I feel that it marks an epoch in my life. But the best of it all was the coming home.”
LM Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, Chapter 29
It’s an interesting take from a character so young and so fond of fantastical thinking. One might expect the young and imaginative Anne to be swept up in the excitement and possibility of travel. Instead, she is remarkably pragmatic about the experience. She’s grateful for the opportunity, she enjoys herself, but she’s happiest at home. For all her daydreaming and wild imaginings, Anne Shirley knows where the grass is greener.
Anne of Green Gables (and many other classic books) can be downloaded FOR FREE at Project Gutenberg.
Am I Reading Too Much into This? 