Anne of Avonlea Study Guide

Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery

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Contents
Anne of Avonlea Study Guide...................................................................................................... 1

Contents...................................................................................................................................... 2

Plot Summary.............................................................................................................................. 3

Chapters 1 - 3: An Irate Neighbor, Selling in Haste and Repenting at Leisure, Mr. Harrison at
Home........................................................................................................................................... 5

Chapters 4 - 6: Different Opinions, A Full-Fledged Schoolma'am, All Sorts and Conditions.........7

Chapters 7 - 9: The Pointing of Duty, Marilla Adopts Twins, A Question of Color.........................9

Chapter 10 - 12: Davy in Search of a Sensation, Facts and Fancies, A Jonah Day................... 12

Chapter 13 - 15: A Golden Picnic, A Danger Averted, The Beginning of Vacation...................... 15

Chapter 16 - 18: The Substance of Things Hoped For, A Chapter of Accidents, An Adventure of
the Tory Road............................................................................................................................ 18

Chapter 19 - 20: Just a Happy Day, The Way It Often Happens................................................ 21

Chapter 21 - 23: Sweet Miss Lavendar, Odds and Ends, Miss Lavendar's Romance................24

Chapter 24 - 25: A Prophet in His Own Country, An Avonlea Scandal........................................ 27

Chapter 26 - 27: Around the Bend, An Afternoon at the Stone House........................................ 29

Chapter 28 - 30: The Prince Comes Back to the Enchanted Palace, Poetry and Prose, A
Wedding at the Stone House..................................................................................................... 31

Characters................................................................................................................................. 34

Objects/Places........................................................................................................................... 40

Themes...................................................................................................................................... 43

Style........................................................................................................................................... 46

Quotes....................................................................................................................................... 49

Topics for Discussion................................................................................................................. 51

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Plot Summary
Anne Shirley has put off earning her bachelor's degree in order to stay home and help
her guardian, Marilla Cuthbert, run their household at Green Gables in the wake of the
death of Marilla's brother Matthew. As Anne Shirley prepares to take on the challenges
of teaching elementary school, she worries about achieving her ideals of drawing out
the best in each of her students. She vows never to whip them despite the opinions of
her friends and colleagues. Despite a bumpy start, Anne learns to enjoy the routine of
teaching, though one contemptuous student, Anthony Pye, remains a thorn in her side.
She takes solace in a new student named Paul Irving, who is a kindred spirit,
appreciating life's fanciful imaginings, as Anne does.

At home, Marilla adopts six-year-old twins, Davy and Dora Keith, the children of her
third cousin, who had no one else to care for them. Dora is a well-behaved angel, but
Davy tests Marilla's patience, frequently getting into trouble , asking sacrilegious
questions about God, and taking glee in his naughty behavior. Despite his faults, Davy's
charm and exuberance leads both Anne and Marilla to secretly favor him over Dora.

At school, Anne is forced to submit her ideals to reality when Anthony Pye puts a toad in
her drawer and she snaps, whipping him. Although Anne is mortified with herself and
her failure, Anthony learns to respect her as an authority, proving to Anne that in this
instance, she did the right thing despite herself. Meanwhile, Anne and her friends Diana
Barry and Gilbert Blythe head up an organization called the Avonlea Village
Improvement Society (A.V.I.S.) to enhance and beautify their community. Despite initial
reluctance from residents, the town rallies behind them and the society plants flowers
and trees, re-shingles the town hall, and keeps advertising off the fences of the roads
leading into town. Anne has many adventures pursuing the goals of the A.V.I.S.

Throughout the novel, Anne is described as adventurous and accident prone. She
befriends quirky people, discovers natural wonders, and occasionally gets stuck in the
roof of the duck shed. Through it all she maintains an impenetrable optimism that no
matter how bad things seem, tomorrow is a new day, unmarked as a clean slate. She
has high ideals about more than just teaching methods, but life constantly forces her to
adjust those ideals in the face of a an imperfect reality. In one successful adventure,
Anne meets a new friend, Miss Lavendar Lewis in a secluded cottage near Avonlea. As
she did with Paul Irving, Anne immediately recognizes Miss Lavendar as a kindred
spirit, full of whimsy and poetry. Anne is taken with the long-ago failed romance of Miss
Lavendar and Stephen Irving, Paul's father. By bringing Miss Lavendar and Paul
together, Anne believes she acts as an instrument of fate, ultimately leading to the
reunion of Lavendar and Stephen.

When the husband of Marilla's good friend Rachel Lynde dies, Marilla invites her to live
at Green Gables in order to give Anne the opportunity to go to college. Despite her
contentment with teaching, Anne is ready to pursue her greater ambitions. She realizes
adulthood is encroaching when Diana accepts the proposal of a young man named
Fred Wright, who is not the romantic ideal they once dreamed of together. Despite the

3
seeming romance of the wedding of Miss Lavendar and Stephen Irving, Anne
recognizes adult life might be less glamorous than she hopes, and such romance can
come at a high price. When she intuits that her childhood friend Gilbert has strong
feelings for her, Anne momentarily sees a possibility outside the idealized fantasies she
cherishes. She knows it is time to take a firm step into adulthood.

4
Chapters 1 - 3: An Irate Neighbor, Selling
in Haste and Repenting at Leisure, Mr.
Harrison at Home
Chapters 1 - 3: An Irate Neighbor, Selling in Haste and
Repenting at Leisure, Mr. Harrison at Home Summary
As Anne Shirley sits dreaming about her soon-to-begin job as the Avonlea
schoolteacher, she receives an unexpected visit from a new neighbor, Mr. J.A. Harrison.
Mr. Harrison is infuriated that Anne's cow, Dolly, has gotten into his oat field again. Mr.
Harrison already warned Marilla Cuthbert, Anne's guardian, not to let the cow wander
onto his property. At sixteen, Anne is quick-tempered and she rebukes Mr. Harrison for
letting his fences fall into disrepair. Mr. Harrison leaves in a huff, and Anne contemplates
the impending sale of Dolly along with the Cuthbert farm's other livestock.

Anne describes the incident to Marilla when Marilla returns from visiting an ailing distant
relative, whose death would leave behind a set of orphaned twins, Davy and Dora.
Marilla's longtime friend and neighbor, Mrs. Rachel Lynde, arrives, armed with the latest
town gossip. Mrs. Lynde questions Anne's desire to start an Avonlea Village
Improvement Society, believing change is akin to evil. But Anne is stubborn and she is
determined to make Avonlea a lovelier community.

Upon returning from a pleasant shopping excursion with her best friend Diana Barry,
Anne discovers Dolly once again in Mr. Harrison's field. Determined to get Dolly home
before Mr. Harrison sees her, Anne and Diana chase the cow around the field. Muddy
and frustrated, Anne sells Dolly on the spot to a passing neighbor, Mr. Shearer.
However, when she gets home she discovers Dolly locked in her pen, and realizes she
has accidentally sold Mr. Harrison's own cow. Taking the money she received for Dolly
and a freshly baked cake, Anne swallows her pride and goes to Mr. Harrison's to
apologize and make a peace offering.

Anne fears Mr. Harrison's wrath, but regains her pride and courage when his pet parrot
Ginger calls her a "redheaded snippet," a phrase Ginger clearly learned from his
master. Mr. Harrison, embarrassed by his own fit of temper with Anne, quickly forgives
her and invites her to tea. Though appalled by his housekeeping skills, Anne accepts,
and they have a pleasant conversation as they discover each other's quirks. Anne is
happy to put the incident behind her and looks forward to getting to know Mr. Harrison
better.

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Chapters 1 - 3: An Irate Neighbor, Selling in Haste and
Repenting at Leisure, Mr. Harrison at Home Analysis
"Anne of Avonlea" is the second novel in a series by L.M. Montgomery about the
orphan, Anne Shirley. This novel picks up a few months after the end of the first
installment, "Anne of Green Gables". Montgomery uses Chapter 1 to reacquaint readers
with the main characters, while using straightforward exposition to introduce new
characters in the world of Avonlea: Mr. Harrison, Davy and Dora Keith, Paul Irving, and
Priscilla Grant. Mrs. Lynde is particularly useful in delivering this exposition, given her
reputation as town gossip. She visits Green Gables merely to tell Marilla and Anne, and
by extension, the reader, about these new Avonlea inhabitants who will play major roles
in the novel. In particular, she gives a lot of information about Paul Irving: a new pupil for
Anne at the Avonlea school. Paul's father Stephen grew up in Avonlea and is sending
Paul from their home in the United States to live with Paul's grandmother. Readers can
assume from the amount of detail that Paul and his back story will be important to the
plot.

Diana Barry is Anne's first real friend, an immediate "kindred spirit" when Anne arrived in
Avonlea four years earlier. But readers will note a gentle divide between them and their
worldviews: Anne is prone to flights of fancy and romantic musings, imagining the inner
life of everything in the natural world around her. Diana is too grounded and pragmatic
to fully appreciate Anne's whimsy. Anne "loved Diana dearly and they had always been
good comrades. But she had long ago learned that when she wandered into the realm
of fancy, she must go alone" (Page 13). Anne dreams bigger than Diana, and she will
not be satisfied with the same kind of life she knows Diana will settle for. Though they
may always remain friends, it is safe to assume Anne's destiny may lie outside Avonlea
while Diana's does not.

One key to Anne's personality is her ability to empathize with people of diverse
personalities and quirks. Anne does not judge others, and tries to find the good in
everyone. Montgomery likes to create vivid characters, and Anne's sympathetic
openness gives these quirky characters creates humor in their anecdotes. Anne's
willingness to listen creates a stand-in for the reader: Anne and the reader together act
as an audience for the misadventures of the characters who inhabit Avonlea, and
readers note throughout the novel that rather than an overarching plot focused on Anne,
much of the narrative focuses on these tangential vignettes.

Readers may note the subtle humor Montgomery employs regarding Mr. Harrison's
parrot, Ginger. Ginger mimics Mr. Harrison's disparaging comment about Anne as a
"redheaded snippet" - but "ginger" is another way of referring to redheads. The name is
also ironic because the parrot is green and gold. Mr. Harrison defends Ginger
vehemently, claiming, "That bird has cost me a good deal one way and
another...Nothing would induce me to give that bird up...nothing in the world, miss"
(Page 23). Given Mr. Harrison's unnecessarily impassioned delivery of this statement,
readers can expect to discover more about Ginger's cryptic history later in the novel.

6
Chapters 4 - 6: Different Opinions, A
Full-Fledged Schoolma'am, All Sorts and
Conditions
Chapters 4 - 6: Different Opinions, A Full-Fledged
Schoolma'am, All Sorts and Conditions Summary
Anne and her friends Jane Andrews and Gilbert Blythe nervously anticipate the
beginning of the school year, as all three will be brand new teachers at area schools.
Jane firmly claims she will use corporal punishment if her students misbehave. Her
goals are to run an orderly classroom, teach what the school district devises, and get on
the School Inspector's honor roll. Anne has more idealistic plans: she intends to win
over her students with affections and bring about the very best in each individual
student. She vehemently opposes physically harming her students. Gilbert, who has
deep feelings for Anne but also believes corporal punishment may be necessary for
particularly ill-behaved students, takes a middle road of using corporal punishment as a
last resort. His stance disappoints Anne. Anne visits Mr. Harrison who also urges her to
whip her students if they get out of line, but Anne stubbornly refuses to consider it.

Anne anxiously arrives for her first day of teaching, forgetting her well-prepared
welcome speech and instead simply trying to get through the day. Everything goes
reasonably well, except an incident with new student Anthony Pye, who is not receptive
to Anne's technique of disciplining him with reason and kindness. Anne wonders if any
her students might rise to greatness one day, particularly Paul Irving, with whom she
feels an instant bond. After being admonished by a student's parent for mispronouncing
his name, an overwhelmed Anne heads home but feels invigorated when Paul meets
her to give her a bouquet and to tell her that he likes her. Gossipy Mrs. Lynde also
appears at Green Gables to announce she asked all the students how Anne did, and
they all liked her.

For the first project of the Avonlea Improvement Society, Anne and Diana solicit
residents for donations to re-roof and paint the town's hall. Despite reluctance and
ridicule, the society is determined to accomplish their goals. Anne and Diana have to
solicit some of Avonlea's stingiest residents. A pair of old maid sisters (Eliza and
Catherine Andrews) argue from opposite ends of the spectrum of pessimism and
optimism about whether the world is getting better or worse. Eliza sourly refuses to give
to the hall fund, but Catherine sneaks out to give the girls a small contribution. A Mr.
Daniel Blair gives them money after they generously and hurriedly help him bake a
cake, but some neighbors pretend not even to be home when Anne and Diana
approach. The girls manage to get money from a particularly frugal man who is elated
over his newborn son, but Mr. Harrison, even though he believes in the society's
mission, refuses to give Anne anything at all. While Anne is prone to optimism and a

7
firm belief in the beauty of the world, her petty and ungenerous neighbors almost turn
her into a pessimist.

Chapters 4 - 6: Different Opinions, A Full-Fledged

Schoolma'am, All Sorts and Conditions Analysis
Keen readers of Chapter 4 will recognize that the entire chapter focuses on the topic of
corporal punishment. Anne's continuous and absolute declarations that she would never
even consider whipping her students foreshadows that Anne will be put to the test in this
resolution, and will most likely fail. Modern readers will also note this debate seems
outdated, as corporal punishment in schools has long been banned in western world.
Jane Andrews clearly represents the prevailing attitude within the context of the novel,
in the late nineteenth century, and Anne's mindset subtly sets her apart as more
humanitarian and forward-thinking than her contemporaries. Anne's vehemence against
corporal punishment reflects her progressive ideas about teaching, and her idealized
vision of what a good teacher should be. Anne claims, "There is some good in every
person if you can find it. It is a teacher's duty to find and develop it...It's far more
important to influence the children aright than it is even to teach them the three R's"
(Page 28). Anne has lofty ambitions for herself as a teacher, and her idealistic nature
dovetails with her optimism. Anne believes each student is inherently good and wants a
teacher who will incite them to academic glory. Jane Andrews, whether readers consider
her a realist or a pessimist, fully expects her students to misbehave and require stern
discipline. For Anne, even when Anthony Pye resentfully listens to her speech about
good behavior, Anne believes he "looks as if he might be a rather nice boy if one ever
got behind his sullenness" (Page 34).

Anne's dreamy optimism constantly butts heads with the general population's more
pessimistic nature, and this greater philosophical debate is laid out forthrightly in
Chapter 6's argument between the Andrews sisters. There is nothing subtle about the
dialogue when Catherine claims, "Well, I always like to look on the bright side," Eliza
immediately retorts, "There isn't any bright side" (Page 43). Anne, and the novel by
extension, makes the argument for optimism. No matter how low Anne feels about a
situation, she always bounces back to find the silver lining in any given cloud. Marilla
quotes back to Anne the philosophy Anne has lived by since she was a child: "This
day's done and there's a new one coming tomorrow, with no mistakes in it yet" (Page
98). Anne will always encounter people like Eliza Andrews in the world, but each one
will have a counterpoint like her sister Catherine, who sneaks out to donate to the
A.V.I.S. despite Eliza's opinion, and who will thus always renew Anne's faith in humanity.

8
Chapters 7 - 9: The Pointing of Duty,
Marilla Adopts Twins, A Question of
Color
Chapters 7 - 9: The Pointing of Duty, Marilla Adopts
Twins, A Question of Color Summary
Gilbert visits Anne while she works at her own writing, though she is frustrated that the
words don't flow from her head to paper as smoothly as she'd like. She also has little
time to write given the responsibilities of teaching. Despite all her efforts, Anthony Pye
still does not like her, though the rest of her students do. Gilbert announces that after
teaching for a few years he intends to become a doctor, to give back to the world what
he has gotten. Anne hopes to give beauty back to the world through her writing.

Marilla arrives home from visiting the Keiths and claims that the twins' uncle cannot take
them until spring. Their mother would like Marilla to look after them in the interim. Anne
is enthusiastic about taking in Davy and Dora, but Marilla can only see all the extra
responsibilities taking them in will entail. Anne prevails upon her sense of duty, however,
and Marilla concedes.

Mrs. Lynde sees Marilla driving home from Mary Keith's funeral with the twins,
reminding her of Matthew Cuthbert's similar drive with the orphaned Anne which she
witnessed years before. Even on the drive to Green Gables, Davy exasperates Marilla
with his cheerfully naughty behavior. Anne greets the twins warmly, but Davy continues
his bad behavior by stealing Dora's dessert when he isn't allowed to have more of his
own. Anne tries to talk Davy into being a gentleman, but Davy has no interest. She can
only reason with him by holding up Paul Irving as a shining example of good behavior -
Davy is jealous of how much Anne admires Paul, but he can't seem to help himself. The
next day, he puts a caterpillar down the dress of a girl sitting in front of him at church
and challenges Dora to walk along the pigpen fence, which leads inevitably to her falling
into a muddy mess. Not even being sent to bed without supper can dampen Davy's
enthusiasm for his exploits. Marilla is exhausted by Davy's antics, but Anne has faith
that she can reason with Davy and make him see the error of his ways.

Soon after, Anne and Mr. Harrison debate the merits of absolute honesty versus tact.
Mr. Harrison claims to believe in telling the absolute truth at all times, but Anne points
out he actually only tells the unpleasant part of the truth, leaving out any positives that
might be inherent in a situation or person. Anne rejects Mr. Harrison excuse that his
bluntness is a habit. Anne wishes Mr. Harrison would try a little harder to be friendly to
Mrs. Lynde, whose heart is in the right place even if she is occasionally abrasive.

The Avonlea Improvement Society's project to re-shingle and paint the hall goes ahead
under the supervision of members of the Pye family, who buy the paint in town and do

9
the labor. But the Avonlea natives are appalled to find that due to a miscommunication
among the Pyes, the hall has been painted a garish blue instead of the green the
A.V.I.S. chose. The Society is embarrassed and devastated, but the mishap produces a
surprising effect: instead of mocking the A.V.I.S.'s efforts, the town rallies behind them,
blaming the Pyes for the error, and urging the Improvers to continue to work for a better
community.

Chapters 7 - 9: The Pointing of Duty, Marilla Adopts

Twins, A Question of Color Analysis
The world of "Anne of Avonlea" is pre-feminism. In Chapter 3, when Anne visits Mr.
Harrison, she is quick to take on the work of making tea and straightening his kitchen. In
Chapter 6, when Anne and Diana arrive at Mr. Blair's house to solicit for the hall project,
they find him ineptly trying to bake a cake ("woman's work" in the novel's world) and
they immediately take over the baking. Though the A.V.I.S. is Anne's idea, Gilbert is
president, while Anne is only secretary. In Chapter 7 Anne reveals half her battle with
Anthony Pye: he has only had male teachers before and he believes "girl teachers are
no good" (Page 51). Despite teaching being one of a very few professions open to
women at the time, there were still people in late nineteenth century society who
believed a woman's place was solely in the home. This societal attitude is underscored
by the novel's setting: a small, rural town on an outlying island. Readers can safely
assume attitudes in such an isolated location would tend to be conservative, and this
may also explain Avonlea residents' attitude toward the A.V.I.S.: "There was some
disapproval, of course, and...which the Improvers felt much more keenly...a good deal of
ridicule" (Page 41). The town's overriding conservative nature does not favor change,
and worries how the younger generation intends to "improve" their home turf.

However there is a strange advantage (or perhaps disadvantage, depending on the

perspective) to this small town lifestyle: everyone knows everyone, and has strong
opinions about each of their neighbors. When the hall is inadvertently painted the wrong
color, the entire village comes together to scapegoat two members of the Pye family, a
lineage no one in Avonlea particularly likes. Avonlea is loyal to its own, and the
townsfolk believe the Pyes intentionally sabotaged the young people in the society. The
small size of the community allows for easy consensus building. This, combined with
the unpopularity of the Pye family, swings public sentiment in favor of the Improvement
Society. The hall blunder becomes the best thing that could have happened to the
Improvers, and gives them easy public support in future projects.

Another aspect of Avonlea's conservative nature lies in its strict adherence to Christian
principles, and a sense of duty toward the less fortunate. In Chapter 7, Anne leans on
Marilla's Christian values to encourage her to adopt the Keith twins, saying, "If Davy is
naughty it's all the more reason why he should have good training, isn't it, Marilla? If we
don't take them we don't know who will, nor what kind of influences may surround
them..." (Page 55). Though they may not have much at Green Gables, they are willing
to share it with those in need.

10
Anne works within the framework of her society. She does not rebel or rage against the
norms of her world, rather she sympathizes with them. She uses her empathy for the
feelings of those in her community to create strategies that will entice them to come
around to her way of thinking.. Anne influences people using her basic philosophy that
one gets more flies with honey than vinegar. It underlies her teaching methods, as well
as her interactions with her neighbors. When Mr. Harrison stubbornly holds to his
bluntness as his habit, Anne gently points out, "I don't think it's any help that it's your
habit. What would you think of a person who went about sticking pins and needles into
people saying, 'Excuse me, you mustn't mind it...it's just a habit I've got'" (Page 67). She
doesn't antagonize Mr. Harrison harshly, nor rebuke him, rather she uses logic to point
out the flaws in his thinking. In this case, she prods him into admitting Mrs. Lynde has
good qualities, and that he shouldn't feel the need to point out to Mrs. Lynde's face that
she is a "busybody." But her cheerful, low-key strategy for winning people over works for
her time and again.

Finally, keen readers will note an instance of foreshadowing in Chapter 8: "Thomas

Lynde lay more on the lounge nowadays than he had been used to do, but Mrs. Rachel,
who was so sharp noticing anything beyond her own household, had not yet noticed
this" (Page 56). The omniscient narrator offers a pointed commentary on Mrs. Lynde's
ironic observational skills. Rachel Lynde's husband will most likely become very ill or die
before the end of the novel.

11
Chapter 10 - 12: Davy in Search of a
Sensation, Facts and Fancies, A Jonah
Day
Chapter 10 - 12: Davy in Search of a Sensation, Facts
and Fancies, A Jonah Day Summary
Arriving home from school one day, Anne finds Marilla in a panic because Dora is
missing. They search everywhere for her with no result. Davy swears he hasn't seen her
since lunch, though he seems amused by their efforts to find her. Anne goes to Mr.
Harrison's to look for her and finds Dora locked in a tool shed. Dora explains that Davy
locked her in. Anne is devastated that Davy blatantly lied to her and Marilla, a much
more serious and intentionally malicious crime than his usual mischief. When she
rebukes him for his behavior, Davy is horrified that he has upset Anne. He claims he
never knew lying was wrong, and only thought the whole incident was a joke. He
promises he'll never lie again. Davy later tells Anne that Marilla should also be punished
for lying, since she told Davy that something bad would happen to him if he stopped
saying his prayers. Davy claims he hasn't prayed in a week and nothing has happened
to him. But Anne convinces Davy that the incident with Dora was the terrible thing, and
Marilla was right. Anne and Marilla are both amused by Davy's logic, and ruminate on
the fact that though Davy is endlessly troublesome, they love him more than well-
behaved Dora.

Anne writes a letter to a fellow teacher named Stella, describing how fascinating and
hilarious her students are. She tells of the various innocent mistakes they make, and
their dearest wishes which range from dolls to "being a widow" and "to be good without
having to take any trouble about it" (Page 85). Anne includes some letters her students
wrote to her as an assignment, which, again, range from a letter that announces it will
be about birds - but only describes cats; a plagiarized love letter a student found in her
mother's bureau; and Paul Irving's fancifully descriptive letter of his imaginary friends at
the shore, the Rock People, each with their own personality and adventures. Anne is
grateful that she never finds teaching monotonous.

Despite her good-natured attitude toward teaching, when Anne goes to school after
being up all night with a toothache, she is uncharacteristically harsh with her students.
When St. Clair Donnell arrives late and passes a package that Anne assumes is
contraband cake, Anne snaps and throws the package in the stove. The stove erupts
with fireworks, the true contents of the package, creating chaos in the classroom.
Anne's humiliation only worsens her mood. When her most troublesome student,
Anthony Pye, puts a mouse in her desk, Anne's temper reaches its breaking point.
When he unrepentantly admits his crime, Anne whips him with her blackboard pointer,
finally subduing his perpetual smirk.

12
Anne is mortified with herself, and is fearful she has forever changed her students'
perspective of her. She pours her heart out to Marilla, ashamed for stooping to corporal
punishment. Marilla soothes her and tells her to keep it in perspective: Anthony
deserved the punishment Anne gave him, Anne can't expect everyone to love her, and
tomorrow will be a new day for Anne to correct her shortcomings. Anne wakes up the
next morning feeling much better, but is wary when she meets Anthony on the road to
school. Anthony is nothing but pleasant, carrying her books and smiling at her. Anne
realizes that though Anthony may not like her, he now respects her. Despite this
accomplishment, Anne is still forced to take her lumps from Jane Andrews and Mr.
Harrison for reneging on her pledge.

Chapter 10 - 12: Davy in Search of a Sensation, Facts

and Fancies, A Jonah Day Analysis
In Chapter 10, Anne mentions Fred Wright to Diana when Diana invites her on an
outing: "I might...since Fred Wright is away in town," said Anne, with a rather too
innocent face. Diana blushed, tossed her head, and walked on. She did not look
offended, however." (Page 74) Fred Wright has only had peripheral mention in the novel
to this point, as a member of the A.V.I.S., and a friend of Gilbert. This casual
conversation foreshadows the growing romance between Diana and Fred. Given the
restricted roles of women within the context of the novel, and the fact that couples
married much younger in the late nineteenth century than they do today, readers may
anticipate this budding youthful love will climax in an engagement.

The incident of Davy locking Dora into Mr. Harrison's shed and lying about it reinforces
the strong Christian morals that infuse the novel. It offers a lesson on the harmfulness of
lying. It is interesting note the implication of Marilla and Anne's reaction to Davy's
apology and claim that he did not know lying was wrong; they recognize they cannot
expect him to know right from wrong if no one ever told him. This exchange sends the
message that morality is not an inherent trait, but a learned behavior. Marilla seems
surprised to realize that they have to teach Davy the basics of right and wrong. Perhaps
she relies on Biblical teachings about Original Sin. Because sin is innate in humankind,
Marilla assumes an understanding of sin and evil must also be innate. Despite the glee
Davy takes in his misbehavior (he knew locking Dora in the shed was wrong but he
justified it as necessary to fulfill his joke), Anne and Marilla don't believe Davy is innately
bad. They prefer his mischievous and curiosity to Dora's docile pliability, which sends a
mixed message about the virtues of Christian living. Though the novel solidly reinforces
Christian values, Montgomery sometimes subtly suggests that even Christianity must be
approached with a sense of humor or at the very least, without a rigid mindset. Being
born with Original Sin but not understand what sin is, and being a morally upstanding
person yet being dull because of one's predictability represent two paradoxes of
Christianity that Montgomery mildly ponders.

Though Chapter 11 does not add much to the overall plot of the novel, consisting
entirely of classroom anecdotes and reproduced children's assignments, Montgomery
uses the chapter to showcase her ability to mimic the style of children's speech and

13
writing. She realistically recreates the grammatical and spelling errors a child would
make, as well as using the simple language to create the cadence of a child's story. If
unnecessary to the overall arc, the chapter is amusing and smacks of true life - Anne
may often fantasize in a whimsical dreamland, but people generally relate to stories that
contain some underlying truth.

The title of Chapter 12, "A Jonah Day," refers to the Old Testament story about Jonah,
who was swallowed by a whale. On the day she breaks down and whips Anthony Pye,
Anne feels a similar level of despair and self-recrimination as the biblical Jonah. The
expectation that Anne would renege on her vehement opposition to corporal punishment
here comes to fruition. Though no one else blames her - in fact, everyone thinks she did
the right thing - Anne holds herself to a higher standard and is therefore filled with self-
loathing. She can no longer hold up her shiny ideal to "kill them with kindness." Though
Anne awakes the next morning hopeful and optimistic as ever, this represents an early
life lesson for Anne about the nature of ideals: great in theory, but extremely difficult in
real world scenarios. The incident may not lead Anne to cast aside her ideals, but it
does mark a possible first step down a path toward tempering her expectations, and
learning to be less hard on herself when she fails. Paradoxically, Anthony now respects
her. By acting in the aggressive and violent manner of a man, Anne proves to him that
she is "some good after all, even if [she is] a girl" (Page 100). When dealing with
characters like Anthony Pye, Anne can only overcome sexism by acting like a man.

14
Chapter 13 - 15: A Golden Picnic, A
Danger Averted, The Beginning of
Vacation
Chapter 13 - 15: A Golden Picnic, A Danger Averted,
The Beginning of Vacation Summary
Anne, whose birthday is in March, invites Diana, Priscilla, and Jane on a picnic on a
beautiful late spring Saturday that she is adopting for her birthday. The girls frolic
through the woods, discovering lovely nooks they've never noticed, naming the natural
features they stumble upon, and dancing like wood nymphs. They wander into the
remains of a flower garden, and Diana recognizes it as once belonging to a woman
named Hester Gray. She shares a romantic tale with her friends about Hester's history:
a local man named Jordan Gray met Hester in Boston, and she agreed to marry him if
he promised to take her away from city life. He brought her back to Avonlea and built
her a secluded woodland house, while Hester planted a spectacular garden. After only
four years of marriage, Hester died of consumption, but was granted her final wish of
dying in her garden. Anne is overwhelmed by the sweetness of the story. Though none
of the others share Anne's whimsical sentimentality, they all have a beautiful day. Anne
brings flowers from Hester's own garden to lay on her grave in the Avonlea churchyard.

Meanwhile, Marilla receives a letter from Davy and Dora's uncle that he will not be able
to take them until the fall. Anne and Marilla are both secretly relieved not to lose the
twins. Anne wonders if Davy's morality is improving alongside his manners when she
finds him eating an entire jar of preserves he was forbidden to touch. As usual, he
doesn't seem to understand why what he did was wrong.

The Avonlea Improvement Society, which has had some success since the fiasco of the
hall painting, has a meeting to discuss upcoming plans. They are horrified to learn that
local resident Judson Parker intends to rent out his fence to a medical advertising
company, which will make one of the main roads to town garish and tacky. Anne visits
Judson to plead with him to change his mind, but Judson refuses - money outweighs
public opinion in his mind. But at the very next Improvers meeting, Anne announces that
Judson will not lease his fence after all. All the society members are suspicious of how
Anne convinced him to submit to public will, but Anne omits the truth of Judson's change
of heart: Earlier that week, Anne overheard Judson accepting a bribe in exchange for
his vote in the upcoming election. Being known for such a crime would ruin Judson's
marriage prospects, so he promises Anne he will not advertise on his fence if she won't
tell anyone what she heard. Anne, who never had any intention of spreading the gossip
anyway, accepts his offer.

Anne reflects on an overall satisfying first year of school as she and Paul Irving visit the
church graveyard: she puts flowers on Matthew Cuthbert's grave (Matthew, Marilla's

15
brother, was responsible for Anne's adoption into the Green Gables household), as well
as Hester Gray. Paul visits his grandfather's grave and sets out flowers for his mother,
dead three years and buried far away in America. Paul anticipates his upcoming
birthday with excitement.

Mrs. Allan, the minister's wife, joins Anne in the cemetery and walks home with her.
They chat about the success of Anne's first year of teaching, though Anne ruefully
admits that she was forced to give up all her ideals about the role of the teacher over
the course of the year. Anne still regrets that she punished Anthony Pye in a fit of ill
temper rather than as a well-reasoned decision. Mrs. Allan reassures her that while
Anne may not have lived up to her ideals, the fact that she aspires to them keeps her on
an ever-evolving path in the right direction. Mrs. Allan asks if Anne is still considering
college, but Anne cannot be sure of her future given Marilla's poor eyesight and the
needs of the twins. She is content to hope it will work out and take comfort in her friends
and work.

Chapter 13 - 15: A Golden Picnic, A Danger Averted,

The Beginning of Vacation Analysis
Chapter 13 characterizes Anne's intense affinity for nature, with vivid descriptions of all
the features of the woods that the girls encounter. Throughout the novel, Anne has a
tendency to anthropomorphize nature, such as when she says, "We'll make friends with
wind and sky and sun, and bring home the spring in our hearts" (Page 101). She is
prone to literary devices like metaphor, referring to river as a poem, and claiming each
girl's soul is a different flower to match her personality (Page 110). Anne stands out from
her friends in the way she speaks and relates to nature. She is more attuned to it than
they are, but her enthusiasm draws them in and makes them think deeper, lovelier
thoughts than they would without her. Their personality differences are further
highlighted when Jane asks what they would wish for if they could have one wish
granted. Jane, Diana, and Priscilla all desire wealth or looks or notoriety, but Anne
wishes "it might be spring all the time and in everyone's heart and all our lives" (Page
105). Her wish is communal rather than egotistical, implying that her heart is more open
to inclusiveness than most girls her age. In her selfless optimism, she does not just
want or expect herself to be happy; she desires it for everyone.

Anne's response to the story of Hester Gray's garden and early death also surprises her
friends. She claims, "And she got just what she wanted, which is something very few
people do, I believe. She had four beautiful years before she died...four years of perfect
happiness, so I think she was to be envied more than pitied" (Page 108). She
recognizes in Hester Gray her own desire to live her ideals. Anne intuits that once a
person has achieved her ideal and felt that kind of contentment, there is nowhere left to
go and nothing to fear in death. Although she knows it is nearly impossible to achieve
such ideals, Anne still struggles with her own imperfections, beating herself up when
she doesn't live up to her own expectations. Mrs. Allan reminds her that "We must have
ideals and try to live up to them, even if we never quite succeed. Life would be a sorry
business without them. With them it's grand and great" (Page 129). This idealism

16
informs Anne's optimism: each day begins fresh with the potential to be perfect.
Reaching for goals is better than settling for mediocrity in Anne's eyes, and informs
much of her decision-making process.

Mrs. Allan asks Anne if she thinks she'll get to college as Gilbert is now planning to go.
Anne cannot see a "bend in the road" for her foreseeable future, as Marilla and the
twins need her at home. The extent to which they discuss college and the fervor Anne
feels about going foreshadow that Anne will come to that bend in the road sooner rather
than later.

17
Chapter 16 - 18: The Substance of
Things Hoped For, A Chapter of
Accidents, An Adventure of the Tory
Road
Chapter 16 - 18: The Substance of Things Hoped For,
A Chapter of Accidents, An Adventure of the Tory
Road Summary
Anne excitedly tells Marilla that Priscilla Grant will be bringing her famous novelist aunt,
Mrs. Morgan, to dine at Green Gables. Anne is beside herself with glee, much admiring
the work of Mrs. Morgan. She plans a simple but elegant menu, invites some friends,
and cleans the house from top to bottom. She wishes to emulate the dignity of Mrs.
Morgan's heroines, and hopes she will not find herself in one of the clumsy messes she
so often gets herself into. She gently bribes Davy with a beach picnic in order to gain his
promise to be on his best behavior.

Anne and Diana arise early on the day of Mrs. Morgan's visit to prepare. They arrange
floral bouquets, carefully cook, and dress with reference to Mrs. Morgan's heroines. Mr.
and Mrs. Allan and Miss Stacy, their former teacher, arrive for dinner, but an hour later
the guest of honor has not appeared. Davy inadvertently destroys Anne's pies when he
climbs on the pantry table to put something on a shelf. Even though it was an accident,
he is sent to his room without dinner. As the time ticks on, Anne must finally relent and
feed her guests without Mrs. Morgan, and she is horrified to discover that she, Diana,
and Marilla have each added sugar to the peas, rendering them inedible. During the
subdued and lackluster meal, a crash on the stairs reveals Davy, perched at the top
trying to spy, has accidentally knocked a shell down the steps, smashing a rare platter
Anne had mistakenly left there. Anne had borrowed the dish from Diana's Aunt
Josephine for a church function, and it is so rare it cannot be easily replaced. Later,
Marilla goes to town for the mail, which includes a letter from Priscilla explaining that
Mrs. Morgan had sprained her ankle and cannot travel to Avonlea after all. Despite
Anne's careful planning, the day is disastrous, but Anne keeps her blessings in
perspective and pulls herself out of her initial despair at the outcome.

Diana discovers there are two nearby neighbors who have platters similar to the one
that Davy broke. As Anne had an impending visit to Aunt Josephine, she is eager to find
a replacement dish, so she and Diana set out to see if they can purchase one. They
arrive at the home of the Copp sisters only to find they aren't home. The girls believe the
Copps' plate is more similar to Aunt Josephine's than the one belonging to another
neighbor named Wesley Keyson. They don't want to seek the other until they are
positive the Copps don't have what they are looking for. Anne climbs the roof of a small

18
duck shed in order to peek into the pantry window for the platter. Overjoyed at seeing it,
Anne falls through the shed roof and gets stuck half in and half out. Without an axe,
Diana cannot cut Anne out, and Anne refuses to let her go for help as she does not want
this particular humiliation to hit the town rumor mill. Even when it begins to rain, Anne
cheerfully bides her time with an umbrella, waiting for the Copps to return home and
meanwhile glad for the rain in the drought stricken area. She contentedly composes
fanciful vignettes in her head to pass the time. Sarah Copp arrives at home and
serenely deals with the spectacle of Anne topping her shed roof. She cuts Anne out and
is glad to have an excuse to finally tear the unused building down. Anne is so relieved
everything worked out so easily she readily agrees to Sarah's slightly high price for the
platter.

Chapter 16 - 18: The Substance of Things Hoped For,

A Chapter of Accidents, An Adventure of the Tory
Road Analysis
These three chapters encompass a small arc relating to Anne's attempted dinner on
behalf of Mrs. Morgan, from her anticipation, through the failed event itself, and dealing
with the aftermath of replacing the willowware plate. As soon as Anne begins imagining
the perfect meal and accompanying conversation, and says aloud, "I do hope
everything will go smoothly. Mrs. Morgan's heroines never get into scrapes or are taken
at a disadvantage, and they are always so self-possessed and such good
housekeepers" (Page 136), readers can foreshadow that Anne's carefully laid plans will
quickly go awry. These keen readers will quickly find proof of their prediction, as the
chapter relating the events of the dinner is entitled, "A Chapter of Accidents." Once
again Anne's ideals come crashing into reality, as everything about the dinner goes
badly, right down to an absent guest of honor.

Though Marilla admonishes her by saying, "It seems to me, Anne, that you are never
going to outgrow your fashion of setting your heart so on things and then crashing down
into despair because you don't get them" (Page 147). Anne's response offers a
surprising insight into her character: Anne prefers living in these emotional extremes to
having a mild temper. She'd rather experience the "depths of despair" if it means she
gets to continue to fly high on the feelings of hope and anticipation and joy. Running the
full emotional spectrum is a richer life to her than always hovering in the middle. Given
the Christian undertones to the novel - Anne's constant moralizing to Davy about his
behavior, the more overt missions work of the local church that are occasionally
mentioned in the text, the discussion of duty - there is something inherently Christian
about Anne's emotional life. Anne's mood swings run the gamut from the despair of
Jesus' death on Good Friday to the joy of his resurrection on Easter Sunday. The
central tenant of Christianity, this rebirth into a new life, is also the central tenant of
Anne's daily philosophy: each day is an opportunity to be reborn, to start fresh without
mistakes or sin or failure. Anne never stays in the "depths of despair" for long. She
always rises to try again to improve or succeed.

19
Readers will also note the subtle imposition of the author in these chapters. In Chapter
17 Montgomery writes, "There may have been two happier and more excited girls
somewhere in Canada or the United States at that moment, but I doubt it" (Page 140)
and in Chapter 18 Montgomery refers to an incident from the first novel of the Anne
series, writing, "if any of my readers are ignorant and curious, I must refer them to
Anne's earlier history" (Page 152). This device suits the anecdotal tone of the novel.
Montgomery intends to draw readers more directly into the action, as if the author is
speaking directly to them. Yet Montgomery does not use this direct address until nearly
halfway through the novel. She may distract some readers who suddenly wonder who
Montgomery "is" in this world, if they are supposed to understand her as a character
too. It may distance some readers, by bluntly reminding readers who are drawn into the
world the novel creates that Anne and her story are just that: a story in a book, being
imagined and written by a third party author. Each reader will react differently to this
abrupt first person narration, and it is not a given that everyone will respond positive to
Montgomery's intention to make readers feel included in Anne's world.

20
Chapter 19 - 20: Just a Happy Day, The
Way It Often Happens
Chapter 19 - 20: Just a Happy Day, The Way It Often
Happens Summary
Anne visits Paul at his grandmother's home near the shore. Paul is glad to see her, as
his grandmother is away and he is lonely. Paul shares some of his fanciful thoughts with
Anne about fairies and the nature of the moon. Mrs. Irving's housekeeper, Mary Jo,
believes Paul's crazy, but Anne's kindred soul understands him and assures him his
imaginative creations will lead him to a life of poetry. Paul shows Anne a picture of his
mother that his father sent him as a birthday gift. He worries a little that his father will
remarry and try to replace his revered mother. When they return home, Davy refuses to
say his prayers, believing there is no point in trying to behave well if Anne is going to
love Paul more than she loves Davy. Anne assures him she loves both boys equally but
differently, just as Davy loves Anne and Dora in different ways.

As the new school year approaches, Anne spends time with Gilbert, who cherishes a
deep but unspoken love for her, determined to be worthy enough to one day marry her,
though he recognizes she is not yet ready to broach the subject. Instead, they discuss
lighter topics such as the way the Avonlea Village Improvement Society has infiltrated
the town, with citizens now proactively working to beautify the community, and the fact
that Ruby Gillis, a school friend, will take over the Carmody school from Priscilla in the
coming year.

The next day Anne has a long to-do list to complete in solitude as Marilla and Dora
travel to Charlottetown with Mrs. Lynde, and Davy goes to help Mr. Harrison with a
project. Anne dons old, ill-fitting clothes in order to move feather stuffing into a new
mattress. In a fit of vanity she rubs a homemade freckle "remedy" that she found in a
magazine on her nose before she gets to work. Having successfully accomplished the
mattress re-ticking, a feather-covered Anne answers an unexpected knock on the door:
Priscilla has brought two guests without notice. Anne is sure the statuesque beauty is
Mrs. Morgan, but learns, to her surprise, the older stout lady with Priscilla is actually the
writer. Priscilla apologizes for the short notice but explains that she had a window of
opportunity and knew how much Anne wanted to meet Mrs. Morgan. Anne escorts her
guests into the parlor, mildly irritated that they look at her strangely just because she
was in the middle of a messy project. She begins to panic that she has no food to offer
her guests when Diana appears and points out her guests' funny looks are due to
Anne's bright red nose. Anne realizes that she accidentally dabbed it with dye rather
than the lotion, and rushes to clean herself up. In the meantime, Diana runs home and
returns with food and Anne whips together a few side dishes to share with the guests.
The girls are enchanted with Mrs. Morgan, who is clever and sympathetic without being
superior. Anne realizes the low-key informality of the day was far more enjoyable than if

21
she had been nervous about serving what she hoped was the best possible meal.
Further, she swears off ever trying any "beautifying" products ever again.

Chapter 19 - 20: Just a Happy Day, The Way It Often

Happens Analysis
Readers may note a recurring theme that represents part of the socio-economic fabric
of late nineteenth century Prince Edward Island: there is a marked prejudice against the
French, as when Paul says, "I've had serious thoughts of asking Young Mary Joe to sit
down and eat her tea with me, but I expect Grandma wouldn't approve. She says the
French have to be kept in their place." (Page 160-1) Canada was settled by both the
British and French, and clearly tensions existed between the two groups. The French
are a minority on P.E.I. and are looked down upon by the natives. This strange bit of
racism may chafe modern readers, who must take it as with a grain of salt. These
negative feelings toward one ethnic group were part of the socio-economic fabric of
Montgomery's world, and therefore they are interwoven into Anne's life. Anne herself
does not exhibit these racist tendencies, and Montgomery highlights the pureness of
Anne's character by demonstrating that her main issue with Young Mary Joe is not her
Frenchness, but the fact that she makes Paul feel crazy for having a vivid imagination.

Once again Anne's ideals shape her worldview. Though she notes her longtime friend
Gilbert has grown into an appealing young man, "he didn't look at all like her ideal man.
She and Diana had long ago decided what kind of a man they admired and their tastes
seemed exactly similar" (Page 167). Anne's ideals are tied to her youth. She has not yet
had enough life experience to see beyond her stubborn adherence to an arbitrary
perfection. Mrs. Allan starts to point out to Anne in Chapter 15 that there might be more
to life than friendship, but realizes that in Anne "there was still far more of the child than
the woman" (Page 131). Anne chooses to live at the ends of the emotional spectrum, a
fairly immature decision, which manifests in seeing the world in terms of black and
white. Gilbert is not the ideal Anne envisions in her mind, so to her he will never be a
suitable partner. Gilbert has an ideal mate too, and it is Anne and Anne alone, but he is
smart enough to recognize that Anne is not ready to hear it. Both of them have absolute
opinions about the other: Anne resolutely believes Gilbert will only ever be a friend, and
Gilbert firmly believes he will marry Anne. Conflict will certainly arise when they
inevitably confront their feelings head on.

Anne's ideals butt heads with reality when the long hoped for tea with Mrs. Morgan
finally manifests as a casual, thrown together affair. At the end of the day, Anne is
surprised to realize this meeting with Mrs. Morgan, though not the gloriously formal
fantasy Anne had imagined, was even better than she could have hoped for. Without
time to get nervous beforehand, she was able to be herself and really get to know Mrs.
Morgan. When Anne whipped Anthony Pye, she could not see the consequences
positively. Even though Anthony respected Anne more after his punishment and his
overall behavior in school improved, Anne could only see her own failure to live up to
her ideals and feel shame. In her meeting with Mrs. Morgan, Anne finally sees how the
impossibility of living out an ideal can result in a valuable and lovely experience.

22
Anne's obsession with ideals gives her an unusual habit of conflating physicality with
virtues like morality, wit, and success. For example, she tells Davy, "You are a
handsome boy, Davy...but you must live up to it and be just as nice and gentlemanly as
you look to be" (Page 173). Good looks equate to good behavior in her mind. Similarly,
when she sees one of Priscilla's unexpected guests, Mrs. Pendexter, she automatically
assumes she is Mrs. Morgan, a clever and poetical writer Anne admires, because she is
tall, elegant and beautiful. If she has some virtues, Anne assumes she must have them
all. About Mrs. Morgan, who is stout and gray-haired, Anne feels, "Mrs. Morgan's
appearance might be somewhat disappointing, as even her loyal worshipers had been
forced to admit to each other; but she proved to be a delightful conversationalist" (Page
178). Anne seems surprised that a person could be clever but frumpy. Her ideals are
always absolute, so a person who has any good qualities must somehow have them all.
As with the tea itself, Mrs. Morgan represents a message from the universe itself that
Anne needs to reevaluate her expectations and standards.

23
Chapter 21 - 23: Sweet Miss Lavendar,
Odds and Ends, Miss Lavendar's
Romance
Chapter 21 - 23: Sweet Miss Lavendar, Odds and
Ends, Miss Lavendar's Romance Summary
School starts again with Davy and Dora as students, and Davy adjusts to sitting still
better than everyone expected. Anne and Diana take a wrong turn while traversing a
supposed shortcut to a friend's house for tea, instead stumbling into a lovely secluded
cottage called Echo Lodge owned by Miss Lavendar Lewis. Diana rouses Anne's
curiosity about Miss Lavendar when she mentions Lavendar was once engaged to Paul
Irving's father, Stephen, before they quarreled and Stephen moved to Boston. Miss
Lavendar is now considered an "old maid," though she has a youthful appearance and
attitude. Upon meeting Anne and Diana for the first time, Miss Lavendar immediately
invites them to tea, which she has already prepared on the off-chance she would have
unexpected visitors. Miss Lavendar calls upon her housekeeping girl to assist with
serving the meal: Miss Lavendar calls the girl Charlotta the Fourth because she is the
fourth sister of the same family that has boarded with Miss Lavendar. Charlotta was the
eldest sister. The girl's name is actually Leonora, but Miss Lavendar could not be
bothered to remember any names after her first assistant.. The girls finds Miss
Lavendar eccentric but kind and interesting. She and Anne immediately bond over their
propensity for the poetic and fanciful. Miss Lavendar and Charlotta the Fourth are
delighted to have company in the isolated house. Miss Lavendar is surprised to learn
that Stephen Irving has a son who attends the Avonlea School, and Anne's inadvertent
mentioning of the Irvings has a palpable effect on Miss Lavendar, visibly deflating her.
Overall, Anne and Diana are enchanted with Echo Lodge and its inhabitants, and
promise to visit again soon.

Returning to Green Gables for supper, Anne and Marilla discuss Miss Lavendar, about
whom Marilla knows little beyond her kind but peculiar reputation. Marilla doesn't know
what happened between Miss Lavendar and Stephen Irving to end their engagement,
but assumes it must have been something big. Anne wonders if it might have been
something small, as "the little things in life often make more trouble than the big things"
(Page 195). They discuss the failing health of Mrs. Lynde's husband Thomas, who does
not seem long for the world despite Mrs. Lynde bossily cajoling him to exert his will to
get better. Marilla receives a letter from a friend of Davy and Dora's uncle, explaining
that the uncle has died and left a small trust of money to the children for their raising.
Marilla is relieved for the financial help, and Anne is relieved that the twins won't have to
leave Green Gables.

24
Having established a firm friendship with Miss Lavendar, Anne returns to Echo Lodge
one snowy winter evening to spend the night with her. Miss Lavendar and Anne laugh
and act like little girls until Miss Lavendar reveals her tortured history with Stephen
Irving: they knew each other from childhood and long intended to marry. During their
engagement, they had a small quarrel and when Stephen tried to make amends, Miss
Lavendar sent him away again. He never returned, moving to Boston instead. Pride
ruined the relationship on both sides. Miss Lavendar has nursed a broken-heart for
twenty-five years, but finds it less painful than a romantic novel reader might believe.
Miss Lavendar asks Anne to bring Paul to see her, as she wants to see how much he
resembles his father. Though it's hard for her at first, Miss Lavendar and Paul become
fast friends.

Chapter 21 - 23: Sweet Miss Lavendar, Odds and

Ends, Miss Lavendar's Romance Analysis
There are many examples of Anne's lyrical humanizing of nature in these chapters: for
example, Anne claims, "It's as if the year were kneeling to pray in a vast cathedral full of
mellow stained light, isn't it?" (Page 182) and refers to "patriarchal old firs" (Page 183).
The detailed focus on nature throughout the text, frequently including tree and flora,
may seem dated but it evokes vividly specific pictures of the environment of Prince
Edward Island. The emphasis on nature reiterates how important and inspirational the
outer world is to Anne, and by extension, Montgomery.

Readers will also note another instance of discrimination against the French, when
Marilla admonishes Davy with the threat, "if I ever catch you at such a trick again you'll
be made to wait for your meals till everyone else is done, like the French." (Page 194)
Marilla is held up as a model of virtuous Christian living, and the fact that she is
susceptible to such uncharitable harshness against an entire race of people
demonstrates how pervasive and entrenched racism was at the time Montgomery wrote
the novel. No character ever speaks up that such an attitude is wrong, suggesting that
no one at the time thought it was.

The introduction of Miss Lavendar as a major character with only ten chapters left in the
novel is an unusual structural choice and reinforces the anecdotal nature of the story,
rather than a plot circumnavigating a central arc or goal. Within these three chapters
Miss Lavendar's relationship with Paul Irving's father is discussed three times: it's
Diana's first reference point to tell Anne about Miss Lavendar when they come upon
Echo Lodge, Marilla and Anne discuss the mysterious circumstances of the broken
engagement, and finally Miss Lavendar tells Anne the entire story herself. Given the
repeated prominence of this information, as well as Anne's close relationship with Paul,
a link to the still distant Stephen, readers can infer a new resolution to the failed love
story will arise before the end of the novel.

Miss Lavendar gives Anne an understated warning against her idealism when she says,
"Dreams and make-believes are all very well in the daytime and the sunshine, but when
dark and storm come they fail to satisfy. One wants real things then. But you don't know

25
this... seventeen never knows it. At seventeen dreams do satisfy because you think the
realities are waiting for you further on" (Page 200). At 45, Miss Lavendar understands
how unreliable idealism is, but knows that Anne's youth and inexperience could not
possibly absorb such a lesson. Only a lifetime of having one's ideals battle against
reality will teach Anne the proper place for each. Anne has had glimpses of her ideals
failing her, with both positive and negative results, but she has yet to shed her eternal
optimism, continuing to believe her ideals are within reach. Miss Lavendar's lifetime of
experience cannot teach her otherwise.

26
Chapter 24 - 25: A Prophet in His Own
Country, An Avonlea Scandal
Chapter 24 - 25: A Prophet in His Own Country, An
Avonlea Scandal Summary
Gilbert and Anne write an anonymous set of "Avonlea Notes" for a Charlottetown
newspaper called "Daily Enterprise". Nobody suspects they are the pranksters behind
the notes, as they include a snide comment about Gilbert himself. One note gently
mocks a local character named Uncle Abe, renowned for making weather predictions
that are always exactly the opposite of what actually happens. The note claims Uncle
Abe has predicted a terrible storm for the evening of May 23 that will affect the entire
island. Uncle Abe is offended by the note, for though he did predict a bad storm, he
never assigned a date, and believes himself mocked. The spring weather is lovely,
inspiring Anne's poetic enthusiasm. But on the afternoon of May 23, the sky very
suddenly turns black and Anne dismisses her students immediately. The storm is
disastrous, destroying crops and property, and leaving drifts of knee-deep hail. Mr.
Harrison's parrot Ginger is killed when his house is struck by lightning. Uncle Abe
triumphantly takes credit for his prediction, after years of being a town joke, but Anne
and Gilbert wonder at the coincidence.

Another of Anne and Gilbert's comedic "notes" in the newspaper predicts the impending
marriage of Mr. Harrison to a spinster named Isabella Andrews, though Anne knows he
only goes to her house to play checkers with Isabella's brother Harmon. Right after the
storm Anne meets a woman looking for Mr. Harrison, and Anne is startled to learn that
she is Mr. Harrison's wife. A friend had forwarded Mrs. Harrison the Charlottetown
newspaper with the note about Mr. Harrison's upcoming nuptials and she has come to
ascertain if it is true. Mrs. Harrison and Mrs. Lynde become fast friends, bonding over
their disdain for Mr. Harrison's inept housekeeping. Mr. Harrison, secretly glad to have
his wife back, tells Anne their history: he only married Emily Scott at the behest of his
dying sister, who knew he would need someone to keep house for him when she was
gone. Emily accepted his proposal, and upon moving in, immediately started cleaning
and criticizing Mr. Harrison's grammar and habits. She particularly didn't like Ginger, the
parrot, whom Mr. Harrison received from his dead sailor brother. Ginger had the sailor's
habits of bad language. When Ginger embarrassed Mrs. Harrison by swearing in front
of two ministers and their wives, Mrs. Harrison left Mr. Harrison, giving him an ultimatum
to lose the parrot or lose her. Mr. Harrison initially felt bad about Ginger's behavior but
the ultimatum led him to stubbornly retrench into his own righteousness. Tired of the
town gossip, he moved to Avonlea, where no one ever asked him if he was married.
Now, he believes that with Ginger gone, both he and his wife will learn to compromise a
little better. Anne immediately likes Mrs. Harrison, who admits she is grateful to the
"observer" of the "Avonlea Notes," without whom she and her husband might not have
been reunited.

27
Chapter 24 - 25: A Prophet in His Own Country, An
Avonlea Scandal Analysis
These two chapters function as an aside, a small vignette away from the building arc of
Miss Lavendar's love life. In a roundabout way, the storm resolves a minor subplot that
has threaded an offhand way through the novel. One Avonlea resident, Levi Boulter has
an ugly, unused house on his property, which the A.V.I.S. has begged him to tear down
since its inception, but Levi has always refused to remove the eyesore. The destructive
storm destroys a great deal of the A.V.I.S.'s handiwork, including dozens of recently
planted trees, but lighting also strikes the ugly Boulter house, burning it to the ground.
Ever the optimist, Anne finds the silver lining in all the merciless devastation of the
storm.

The introduction of Mrs. Emily Harrison is rather unexpected, but keen readers will
remember Mr. Harrison's fervent attachment to Ginger in Chapter 3, avowing that
nothing could part him from his parrot. The payoff for that cryptic declaration arrives with
Mrs. Harrison. Ginger's bad manners drove a wedge between Mr. Harrison and his wife
that led to their separation and his arrival in Avonlea. A second silver lining from "Uncle
Abe's" storm can be found in Ginger's unfortunate death. In Ginger's absence, the
Harrison's marriage has a better chance to flourish.

Mrs. Harrison's arrival also gives readers further insights into attitudes toward women at
this time. As Davy contemplates rumors about why the Harrisons separated in the first
place, he declares, "I wouldn't leave my wife for anything like that. I'd just put my foot
down and say, 'Mrs. Davy, you've just got to do what'll please me, because I'm a man.'
That'd settle her pretty quick I guess." (Page 222) At the age of seven, Davy's views on
women are firmly entrenched. Like Anne, he has his own version of what an idealized
relationship between a man and a woman should be, though his vision is quite different
from hers. Mr. Harrison only marries Emily because he needs a woman to keep house
for him after his sister dies - clearly housework is "woman's" work, and even Mr.
Harrison's dying sister agrees, urging him into a marriage. Finally, Mr. Harrison says
Emily had dinner waiting for him when he returned home on the night of her arrival in
Avonlea: "She told me to eat it first and then we'd talk...by which I concluded that Emily
had learned some lessons about getting along with a man" (Page 224). This statement
equates to the modern cliché claiming the way to get to a man is through his stomach.
In the past, Mrs. Harrison was willing to leave her husband for neither living up to her
ideals nor being willing to compromise. This makes her akin to Anne, who always
stubbornly adheres to her ideals. It also sets her apart in light of traditional feminine
values: by walking away from her marriage Mrs. Harrison demonstrates she does not
need a man to support her if he is unwilling to compromise with her. Yet now Mrs.
Harrison returns to Mr. Harrison, who does not have to apologize for his past behavior.
Mrs. Harrison reinforces all the stereotypes of what a woman should be and do for her
husband, and what her role in society is. She may also be an example for Anne of the
wide gap between ideals (particularly in a partner) and the reality life offers.

28
Chapter 26 - 27: Around the Bend, An
Afternoon at the Stone House
Chapter 26 - 27: Around the Bend, An Afternoon at the
Stone House Summary
After Mr. Lynde finally succumbs to his illness and dies, Marilla starts thinking about
Anne's future. Knowing that Gilbert is already set to go away to college in the fall,
Marilla does not want Anne to sacrifice her dreams of education and formulates a plan:
she intends to ask Mrs. Lynde to move into Green Gables so that she does not have to
leave Avonlea. With Mrs. Lynde's help raising the twins and paying household
expenses, Anne would be free to follow her ambitions. Anne wonders if that living
arrangement might drive Marilla mad, but Marilla assures her she would rather have
Mrs. Lynde at Green Gables than lose her for good. Shocked, Anne digs out her old
dreams. Though she has come to love teaching, she knows she must take the
opportunity to attend college, as it may not come again. Diana is saddened that both
Anne and Gilbert, as well as the Reverend and Mrs. Allan, will all be leaving Avonlea,
wondering what will become of the Improvement Society without its leaders. She fears
the new friends Anne makes at Redmond will replace her, but Anne promises no one
can ever replace Diana, her first and most faithful friend.

Anne takes Paul to Echo Lodge to visit Miss Lavendar again. His sudden growth spurt
has him looking more and more like his father, and Miss Lavendar is noticeably wistful
around him. Though she understands Paul's whimsy and poetic inner life and responds
kindly and sympathetically to his musings, Anne finds Miss Lavendar's mood darker
than usual. Miss Lavendar is distraught at the prospect of losing Anne's company, and
finds herself sick of the small routine her life moves through. Charlotta confides in Anne
that she is worried about Miss Lavendar, finding her listless and disinterested ever since
Anne's first visit with Paul. Anne promises to visit for a full week during the summer to
liven things up. Paul tells Miss Lavendar he believes she would make as good and
sympathetic a mother as his own.

Chapter 26 - 27: Around the Bend, An Afternoon at the

Stone House Analysis
Keen readers will note the chapter title, "Around the Bend," refers back to Chapter 15,
when Mrs. Allan questions Anne about going to college, and Anne responds, "Perhaps
college may be around the bend in the road, but I haven't got to the bend yet." (Page
130) The death of Mr. Lynde catalyzes an unseen bend in Anne's road, providing Marilla
with a new support system in Mrs. Lynde for the house and the twins, and giving Anne a
chance to follow her dreams two years after the death of Matthew curbed them. Though
Anne has not actively sought her ambition, this chapter represents the climax of Anne's

29
journey in the novel. Mr. Lynde's death sets into motion a shift that will change Anne's
life from the course she has tread for two years.

Diana directly addresses Anne's relationship with Gilbert for the first time, asking if Anne
has feelings for him. Anne falls back on her girlish fantasies, claiming that her ideals on
what constitutes a perfect man won't ever change. Anne's attitude is nothing more than
stubborn, given what she has seen of Mrs. Harrison's adherence to an ideal, as well as
Miss Lavendar's obstinate pride that pushed Stephen Irving away from her. Anne would
rather die an old maid than accept anything less than her version of perfection. Given
Anne's complete lack of experience with romance, coupled with what readers know of
her idealism, her rigid mindset is not surprising. Yet here the omniscient narrator gives
readers a small insight into another bend that might arise in Anne's road. When Anne
firmly declares Gilbert will only ever be a friend, Montgomery writes, "said Anne calmly
and decidedly; she also thought she was speaking sincerely." (Page 235) The narrator
knows Anne's heart better than Anne knows it herself, and implies that while Anne
"thought" she was speaking sincerely, she may not yet know the full extent of her
feelings for Gilbert.

Like Anne often does, Miss Lavendar is cycling through a despair that will most likely
end in a rebirth: there is little chance that she and Stephen Irving will not be reunited,
fulfilling Anne's fantasies of star-crossed lovers finally finding their "happily ever after."
Yet the subtext of Miss Lavendar's despair merely reinforces the traditional values of
late nineteenth century society: Miss Lavendar is not a complete woman without a
husband and child. Short of fulfilling her expected role as a woman, Miss Lavendar
cannot be happy, and her growing despair demonstrates that. In the socio-economic
world of the novel, a woman cannot remain independent and not be considered
"eccentric."

30
Chapter 28 - 30: The Prince Comes Back
to the Enchanted Palace, Poetry and
Prose, A Wedding at the Stone House
Chapter 28 - 30: The Prince Comes Back to the
Enchanted Palace, Poetry and Prose, A Wedding at the
Stone House Summary
Anne has mixed emotions as the last day of school comes and goes, and she reflects
on how much more she has learned from her students than she has taught. Her
students and many parents are sorry to lose her, even though Jane Andrews, a very
competent teacher, will take over the school in the fall. Some neighbors think it is
arrogant of Anne to seek higher education rather than simply getting married.

Anne spends two weeks with Miss Lavendar to cheer her up. Anne pays a visit to Paul
Irving's house and discovers Stephen Irving has arrived unexpectedly, elating Paul.
Stephen mentions that Paul had written to him about visiting Miss Lavendar, and he
requests that Anne ask Miss Lavendar if he may visit her as well. Anne sets off to the
task immediately, and Miss Lavendar nonchalantly gives permission for her "old friend"
to come to Echo Lodge. Before the same night ends, Stephen Irving arrives at Echo
Lodge and proposes, while Anne and Charlotta hover nearby wondering at the romance
of the prince finally coming to the enchanted cottage to claim his princess. Paul could
not be happier with his father's choice for a second mother, and Charlotta is thrilled that
she will be able to continue to live with the family in Boston.

Anne spends the next month helping Miss Lavendar prepare for her wedding, as well as
making plans for her imminent departure for Redmond College. Anne is swept up in the
Echo Lodge romance, though Marilla tries to reframe the situation in practical terms for
her. Marilla realizes she can never change Anne's starry-eyed idealism, nor would she
truly want to. Anne is further stunned when Diana becomes engaged to a local young
man named Fred Wright. Though happy for her friend, Anne cannot help but feel a shift
and sees a chasm between herself and Diana, who is becoming an adult in ways Anne
is not ready for.

As Anne's departure approaches, she and Diana help with the final preparations for the
wedding at Echo Lodge, a small affair attended only by family and a few close friends.
Charlotta frets that the weather will be stormy or a disaster will strike, but though cloudy,
the wedding day passes beautifully and joyfully for all present. After seeing the Irvings
off, Anne and Charlotta clean and lock up Echo Lodge. Gilbert escorts Anne home and
Anne suddenly and briefly sees Gilbert - and the idea of love blossoming out of deep-
rooted friendship - as a possibility, but the notion quickly passes. Unbeknownst even to
herself, Anne is ready to follow Diana into the world of womanhood.

31
Chapter 28 - 30: The Prince Comes Back to the
Enchanted Palace, Poetry and Prose, A Wedding at the
Stone House Analysis
The final chapters of "Anne of Avonlea" fulfill Anne's wildest romantic fantasies, as the
thwarted love of Miss Lavendar and Stephen Irving finally blossoms. She idealizes the
situation, seeing the hand of fate crafting the reunion at every turn. However, reality's
first slap in Anne's face comes with Diana's announcement of her engagement to Fred
Wright. Fred is a far cry from the idealized romantic hero Anne and Diana always
desired. In Anne's eyes, Fred is ordinary and pedestrian. She feels almost betrayed that
Diana is willing to settle so far below their shared fantasy. Anne clings to her girlish
dreams of an idealized melancholy and brooding true love. She would rather die an old
maid than face the reality of a life that doesn't resemble the glamour of a romance
novel. Similarly, Anne's idealized visions of Miss Lavendar's romance must go head to
head with reality. Marilla gives an alternative version of events, in which a foolish quarrel
led to a lifetime of loneliness for Miss Lavendar, while Stephen now very practically
seeks a new wife to mother his son after an appropriate mourning period for his first
one. While Anne can't deny the essential truth of Marilla's analysis, she makes a choice:
"I think it's nicer...to look at it through poetry." (Page 264) Anne is romanticizing reality,
and she willingly and consciously decides to do so. At this point, readers might wonder
at Anne's willful adherence to her romantic fantasy. She obstinately ignores all the
hardship that Miss Lavendar has endured since Stephen Irving left, twenty-five years of
a broken heart that Miss Lavendar herself told Anne about. Anne glamorizes the fairy
tell aspects of the story: like a damsel in distress, Miss Lavendar "had to" go through
that period of privation in order to earn her "happily ever after." Anne holds on to an
"ends justifies the means" attitude toward romance. She has yet to mature, and it may
take Anne going through a painful hardship of her own to finally understand there is
more to life than romance.

This is a point that Gilbert drives home for Anne. Gilbert forces Anne to look at Miss
Lavendar's situation in another light when he says, "Wouldn't it have been more
beautiful still, Anne, if there had been no separation or misunderstanding...if they had
come hand in hand all the way through life, with no memories behind them but those
which belonged to each other." (Page 275-6) Gilbert pushes Anne to see there is little
romance in lost time. He subtly suggests that Anne view Miss Lavendar's story as a
cautionary tale against pride and overzealous idealization. Anne responds to Gilbert's
interpretation in a way that surprises herself. She suddenly sees that, "Perhaps, after
all, romance did not come into one's life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding
down; perhaps it crept to one's side like an old friend through quiet ways." (Page 276)
Anne's revelation lasts only a moment, but it creates a cliffhanger at the novel's. This
moment allows Anne a first stretch towards maturity, adulthood, and the mellowing of
stringent and unattainable ideals. Without this small reflection of self-awareness, Anne
as a character would stagnate, and her idealism would grow tedious to readers.

32
Modern readers may struggle with Montgomery's implicit message here: that only by
seriously considering her romantic prospects does Anne attain a first step into
"womanhood." Despite the fact that she has taught dozens of students for two years
and helped to raise two children at home, Anne is only a child until she turns her
thoughts toward marriage. However, the deeper message implies that by softening her
idealistic stance on romance, Anne takes a first step toward a more nuanced view of the
world, and such a nuanced view will make her more attuned to the struggles and
choices of others, as well as less strident in her expectations and disappointments. The
combined lessons of mortified shame at the failure of her teaching ideals, the happy
surprise of an imperfect meeting with Mrs. Morgan, and the over-glamorized costliness
of Miss Lavendar and Stephen Irving's reunion may propel Anne into the next chapter of
her life with a more even-minded approach, just as Marilla always hoped for her.

33
Characters
Anne Shirley
Anne Shirley is the sixteen-year-old protagonist of 'Anne of Avonlea', the second in an
eight-book series written by L.M. Montgomery. Anne's red hair has deepened to auburn,
her freckles have mostly faded; she is a tall and willowy woman physically, but she is
still a girl at heart. Anne has grown up enough to take on teaching at the Avonlea school
and helping to raise orphaned twins Davy and Dora Keith. While responsibility has
made Anne slightly more practical, she is still a starry-eyed dreamer, prone to romantic
fantasies and lofty ideals. Anne feels a fierce communion with the natural world, imbuing
the features of the landscape with their own set of feelings. Nature is alive to Anne in a
more literal way than to most people. Anne is an eternal optimist; even when an event
sends her to the depths of despair, she quickly bounces back to see the silver lining
within every cloud. Anne prefers an emotional life that swings between the extremes of
high and low: she would rather feel the worst despair in order to appreciate the intensity
of the sweetest joy, rather than living life on a monotonously even keel, never feeling
anything too deeply, good or bad. Anne is also fiercely loyal. For example, as she has
grown up, she has recognized that Diana Barry, her first true friend, does not share her
same hopes and dreams. Diana, who has a nature more earthbound than poetic,
cannot see the world as Anne sees it, and Anne has outgrown the need for their
friendship. But Anne would never dream of phasing Diana out of her life: Diana was
generous and loyal to Anne when Anne needed her the most, and Anne will return that
loyalty eternally. Similarly, Anne gave up a scholarship to go to college in order to stay
home and help Marilla, whose eyesight is failing, at Green Gables. Marilla took Anne in
against her better judgment, and Anne's gratitude pushes her to act selflessly when
Marilla needs the same help Anne once required.

Marilla Cuthbert
Marilla Cuthbert is Anne's guardian, who took her in four years prior to the start of the
novel, and she is mistress of Green Gables. Marilla is grounded and practical, and has
little use for Anne's poetical flights of fancy (though over the years she has grown to
love Anne and accepts her for all her quirks). When Anne sinks into a despairing funk,
Marilla is the first to advocate for an even temper, urging Anne to see life with a bit more
perspective rather than letting herself get worked up over day-to-day events that will
soon be forgotten. Marilla is bound by a Christian sense of duty, which guides her to
take in the Keith twins, who are only distantly related to her, when they have no other
family to turn to. She is acutely aware of the sacrifice Anne made so that she, Marilla,
could stay at Green Gables, and she actively seeks a way to give Anne another
opportunity to further her education. Though down-to-earth and unflappable, Marilla
finds herself more drawn to people like Anne and Davy Keith, the more trouble-making
of the twins, rather than his sister Dora, who is a quiet, obedient, and consequently dull
little girl, a state of events that surprises even Marilla herself. She recognizes that Anne

34
and Davy add a spice to life with their curiosity and imaginations that is lacking in
someone like Dora, who cannot deviate from the straight path set out before her.

Miss Rachel Lynde

Mrs. Rachel Lynde is Marilla's long time neighbor and the Avonlea town gossip. Mrs.
Lynde always speaks her mind, no matter how blunt and tactless she may come across.
Her meddlesome frankness often leads people to a bad first impression of her., Mrs.
Lynde has a conflicted relationship with Mr. Harrison, as he too has no fear of saying
whatever is on his mind no matter how offensive it might sound. They often butt heads
with their opinionated-ness. Though Anne recognizes Mrs. Lynde's frankness comes
across as abrasive, she sympathizes with Mrs. Lynde's good intentions: Mrs. Lynde tells
the truth in order to push people to improve themselves rather than wallowing in a lack
of self-awareness. Mrs. Lynde is also committed to Church activities and helping the
less fortunate through the church missions, and Anne respects her good heart, which is
perfectly capable of kindness. Mrs. Lynde is so busy minding everyone else's business
she doesn't notice the failing health of her own husband until it is too late.

Mr. Harrison
Mr. Harrison is Anne's new neighbor in Avonlea, a middle-aged man living alone.
Though he and Anne get off on the wrong foot when Anne's cow treads in Mr. Harrison's
fields and both their quick tempers flare, they eventually become good friends. A
seeming bachelor, Mr. Harrison causes scandal in the village with his bad
housekeeping. Further scandal arises when an unknown wife suddenly appears in
Avonlea to reclaim him. Mr. Harrison never denied being married, but no one ever
asked him directly - and he enjoys the misunderstanding as a joke. He excuses his
tactless behavior as "habit," but in truth Mr. Harrison takes a certain pleasure in being
prickly and goading people into a reaction to his bluntness.

Davy Keith
Davy Keith is one of six-year-old twins Marilla adopts when their mother, a distant
cousin, dies and their uncle in western Canada cannot take them in. Davy often
behaves badly, letting his immediate desires rule over a sense of propriety: he is greedy,
lazy, and prone to bad choices just to see how people will react, without considering the
consequences. He does not have a basic understanding of the difference between right
and wrong until Anne explains it to him, often after he has already misbehaved. He is a
handful for Marilla and Anne to contend with, asking inappropriate questions and
refusing to behave as he should, yet both Marilla and Anne prefer him to his sister Dora,
who is docile and bland. Davy, for all his faults, is charming and exuberant, and has a
certain talent for "making" people love him.

35
Dora Keith
Dora Keith is Davy's twin sister. Dora always behaves herself, not speaking unless
spoken to, doing her chores without being told, and saying her prayers each night.
Because she is so self-sufficient, she unintentionally makes Marilla and Anne feel like
she needs them less. Dora needs no guidance, she already understands the right thing
to do. Therefore, most of their attention and love goes to Davy.

Diana Barry
Diana Barry has been Anne's best friend since Anne first came to Avonlea four years
ago. Diana is the first person to offer Anne unconditional love and friendship, and their
mutual loyalty is unending even as their priorities shift. Diana does not share Anne's
romantic worldview - though as a child she also had idealized fantasies about adult life -
and as she settles into womanhood, she is content with what reality offers her. Diana is
a pretty girl with dark hair and fair skin, but she has the self-awareness to know by the
time she reaches middle age she will be as portly as her own mother. She does not
seek higher education as Anne does, and she is content to marry local boy Fred Wright,
even though he is not the handsome hero she and Anne fantasized about as girls.
Diana recognizes she and Fred will make a frumpy middle-aged couple, and she is
perfectly happy to begin that journey with him. Anne cannot understand Diana's feelings
about settling down, and Diana wonders when Anne will give up on ideals and learn to
appreciate the small joys of reality. Yet neither girl would ever rebuke the other for her
choices and attitudes; their friendship is unconditional and a comfort and joy to them
both.

Gilbert Blythe
Gilbert Blythe is a former schoolmate of Anne, who also teaches at a local school,
saving money to go to college to study medicine. Gilbert has grown into a tall and
handsome young man, with dark hair and hazel eyes, and many of the Avonlea girls
would consider him excellent marriage material, especially coupling his appearance with
his ambition to become a doctor. He and Anne lead the other teenagers of Avonlea,
encouraging and guiding the Avonlea Village Improvement Society. Pleasing Anne is his
main motivation. He has long loved her, though he knows better than to tell her yet. He
is patient, biding his time and building a dream of a life with Anne until she is ready to
start thinking about her adult future.

Jane Andrews
Jane Andrews is a former schoolmate of Anne, and teaches at another local school.
Though Anne and Jane are good friends, Jane represents Anne's polar opposite when it
comes to their worldviews: while Anne idealistically hopes to touch the lives of her
students and change how they approach life, seeking poetry and nurturing their

36
imaginations, Jane practically hopes to do what is asked of her as a teacher, get on the
school inspector's roll of honor, and discipline her students when appropriate. Jane
advocates whipping the children when their behavior merits it, while Anne fiercely vows
never to use violence against her students. Jane is pragmatic and down-to-earth,
exhibiting little imagination but a firm desire to do good work. Her appearance mirrors
her personality: Jane is neither beautiful nor ugly, but solidly average looking.

Paul Irving
Paul Irving is Anne's favorite student at the Avonlea School, a true kindred spirit who
shares her poetic, vividly imagined view of the world. Paul reinforces Anne's bad habit of
equating looks with personality: Paul is described as a beautiful child with "chestnut
curls" and big blue eyes; his physical attractiveness mirrors the magnetism Anne feels
toward his "beautiful" soul. Paul grew up in Boston but his father recently sent him to
live with his grandmother on P.E.I. following the death of Paul's mother. He is
inadvertently instrumental in reuniting his father with his former fiancée, Miss Lavendar,
when he mentions her in a letter to his father. Paul approves of Miss Lavendar as a
replacement mother to the dear American mother who died too young.

Miss Lavendar
Miss Lavendar is a long time resident of the Avonlea area, living in a secluded cottage
called Echo Lodge where Anne and Diana randomly stumble upon her one day when
they get lost. Though an "old maid" unmarried at the age of forty-five, Miss Lavendar
maintains a youthful appearance and attitude, except for her oddly snow white hair.
Miss Lavendar was once engaged to Paul Irving's father Stephen but they quarreled a
quarter-century ago and he left Prince Edward Island for America. She is another
kindred spirit to Anne, happy to live in a fantasy world of beauty and poetry, but there is
a certain amount of despair in her for the life she could have lived with Stephen but that
she has instead spent alone and lonely.

Charlotta the Fourth

Charlotta the Fourth is Miss Lavendar's serving girl. A practical and plainspoken
teenager, she nevertheless worships the fanciful Miss Lavendar and Anne after she
meets her. Her real name is Leonora, but Miss Lavendar calls her Charlotta the Fourth
because her older sister was Miss Lavendar's first serving girl, and Miss Lavendar has
called each successive sister by the same name in order to simplify things for her
memory. Though Charlotta emulates Anne's casual grace and elegance, Charlotta is an
average-looking and unimaginative girl with a kind heart and willingness to work hard.

37
Anthony Pye
Anthony Pye is Anne's most difficult student. He tests her theory that any student can be
won over with kindness and genuine attention. Anthony treats Anne with contempt until
she snaps and whips him, breaking her vow to herself and leading her to a crisis of self-
recrimination. However, Anthony treats her with good-natured respect after his
whipping, further muddling Anne's beliefs.

Priscilla Grant
Priscilla Grant is a friend of Anne's from Queen's College, where they received their
teaching certification. Priscilla is teaching at a school close to Avonlea and occasionally
accompanies Anne on her adventures.

Mrs. Allan
Mrs. Allan is the Avonlea reverend's wife, and a good friend to Anne, helping her
through her growing pains as she transitions from childhood to adulthood.

Uncle Abe
Uncle Abe is a local Avonlea resident who consistently predicts the weather incorrectly -
so consistently that it is reliable to expect the opposite of what he says. He gains
notoriety when he "predicts" a major storm for a particular day in May, though in truth
Anne and Gilbert credit him with the prediction in a local newspaper that they
themselves have arbitrarily made.

Fred Wright
Fred Wright is Anne's former schoolmate, and a particularly good friend of Gilbert. Fred
subtly courts Diana on Anne's periphery, and the pair becomes engaged at the end of
the novel. Fred is an average-looking young man, a far cry from the tall, dark, and
handsome ideal Anne and Diana have long clung too. Anne cannot understand Diana's
attraction and contentment to settle for unromantic Fred, as she, Anne, is still too
immature to recognize that kindness and a good work ethic can make an appealing
mate. Good looks fade but a good heart doesn't.

Mrs. Morgan
Mrs. Morgan is a famous writer that Anne greatly admires. She is related to Priscilla
Grant, who offers to bring her to Green Gables for tea. Anne's elaborately planned event
implodes when they don't show up, but Priscilla brings Mrs. Morgan later in the summer
for a surprise tea. Despite Anne's lack of preparation, the meal goes better than Anne

38
could have hoped. Mrs. Morgan is gray-haired and stout, which confuses Anne, who
conflates virtues: she thinks because Mrs. Morgan is clever and successful, she should
also be beautiful. The facts of Mrs. Morgan's appearance forces Anne to re-evaluate her
idealistic theories.

Emily Harrison
Emily Harrison is Mr. Harrison's wife, who arrives unexpectedly in Avonlea despite
everyone's assumption that he is a bachelor. The Harrisons are opposites: Mr. Harrison
is sloppy and prone to following his whims no matter how inappropriate. Mrs. Harrison is
a neat freak determined to change Mr. Harrison's bad habits. Mrs. Harrison left her
husband at their home in New Brunswick after a pride-infused quarrel over Ginger, the
swearing parrot. Upon hearing that Mr. Harrison may be planning to marry again, Emily
has come to claim him. Given some distance and perspective, both the Harrisons are
more willing to compromise to make their relationship work. Mrs. Harrison reinforces
many of the stereotypes of a woman's role in late nineteenth century society, throwing
herself into homemaking with great enthusiasm.

39
Objects/Places
Dolly
Dolly is Anne's Jersey cow that breaks into Mr. Harrison's oat fields and destroys his
crops. When Anne rediscovers Dolly in the field after promising Mr. Harrison it would not
happen again, she sells Dolly on the spot to a neighbor - only to discover the cow in the
field was not Dolly but Mr. Harrison's own Jersey cow.

Ginger
Ginger is Mr. Harrison's pet parrot, a gift from his sailor brother. Ginger has a bad habit
of swearing and repeating the most impolite things at the wrong time. Ginger drove a
wedge in the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Harrison that lead to their separation and his
move to Avonlea. Ginger is killed during a terrible hail and lightning storm accidentally
predicted by Anne and Gilbert.

The Avonlea Improvement Society

The Avonlea Village Improvement Society, often referred to as the A.V.I.S., is an
organization of young people in Avonlea founded by Anne and Gilbert to develop the
community through beautifying projects. Many of the older residents of Avonlea are
against the society, believing they will bring unnecessary progress to the town.

The Avonlea Hall

The Avonlea Hall is the first project of the A.V.I.S. They raise funds to re-shingle and
paint the building where many types of events are held. The Hall is accidentally painted
an unsightly blue, which causes the A.V.I.S. to fear Avonlea residents will ban them from
future work, but instead rallies the community in favor of the A.V.I.S. and against the
individual who make the mistake in color.

The Willowware Platter

The Willowware Platter is a rare antique dish Anne borrows from Diana's Aunt
Josephine on behalf of Mrs. Lynde and a church event. Davy accidentally breaks the
platter when Anne leaves it on the stairs. Anne and Diana have an amusing adventure
trying to find a replacement dish when Anne falls through a shed roof trying to peek into
an absent neighbor's pantry to see if she owns the same platter.

40
Hester Gray's Garden
Hester Gray's Garden is an old overgrown garden Anne and her friends discover on a
day they meander through the Avonlea woods on a picnic. Diana tells the tale of the
deserted garden, and its mistress who died young of consumption but was perfectly
happy in the garden her husband planted for her, secluded from the world before she
died.

Echo Lodge
Echo Lodge is the home of Miss Lavendar Lewis, a secluded cottage that Anne and
Diana discover when they get lost one day, so named because of the long echoes
produced when one makes noise toward the valley that dips behind the house. Miss
Lavendar quickly becomes a dear friend to the girls and has a star-crossed romantic
history that kindles Anne's imagination.

The Rock People

The Rock People are Paul Irving's imaginary friends built out of the stones on the
seashores near his grandmother's house. Paul creates vivid stories about his Rock
People, which he shares with Anne. The two are "kindred spirits" who both relish living
in lovely fantasy worlds in communion with nature.

Freckles
Freckles are Anne's main source of physical distress. She has a smattering across her
otherwise well-shaped nose, and her vanity often causes her to cringe at the sight of
them. This vanity gets her in trouble when she tries to erase the freckles using a home
remedy lotion but accidentally rubs red dye on her nose instead, embarrassing herself
in front of Mrs. Morgan, a famous author she admires and emulates.

Charlottetown
Charlottetown is the capital of Prince Edward Island, and the main cosmopolitan area
on the Island.

Queen's
Queen's is the one or two year teacher's academy in Charlottetown. Anne, Gilbert,
Priscilla, and Jane attended Queen's to get their certification for teaching.

41
Redmond
Redmond is the four-year college Anne will attend to earn her bachelor's degree, and is
located in Kingsport, Nova Scotia.

42
Themes
Ideals versus Reality
Throughout "Anne of Avonlea", Anne must contend with the constant contradiction
between her idealized vision of scenarios and the reality the world offers her. She
constantly gets her hopes up but her expectations are never met. Anne claims, "When I
think something nice is going to happen I seem to fly right up on the wings of
anticipation; and then the first thing I realize I drop down to earth with a thud." (Page
147) Anne's self-recrimination after whipping Anthony Pye represents one such time
reality failed her. Anne is positive her teaching theories on kindness and attentiveness
will win over all her students, but Anthony proves her wrong. The only thing he will
respond to is violence, but Anne reproaches herself for failing to uphold her idealistic
vision.

Anne is further disappointed during the tea for Mrs. Morgan, the famous writer. Despite
her fantasies of a picture-perfect luncheon with delicious food, gleaming clean rooms,
and witty conversation, Anne faces a rush of reality: Davy accidentally ruins her dessert,
Mrs. Morgan does not appear, and she serves over-seasoned food to her remaining
guests. When Priscilla brings Mrs. Morgan to Green Gables unannounced several
weeks later, the situation is again far from Anne's ideal. She has no food in the house to
offer guests, and she looks a mess from the housecleaning project she was working on.
Even Mrs. Morgan does not live up to her ideals, being short and gray rather than tall
and glamorous as Anne had fantasized.

The tea with Mrs. Morgan turns out much better than expected, and Anne can
philosophically recognize that without time to get nervous and worry about serving, she
had a much better time than she would have at her more formally planned event. Marilla
urges Anne to maintain an even temper, reminding her if she does not build things up
she cannot be disappointed. But Anne is honest enough with herself to understand that
she prefers the occasional fall into despair as a price for the glory of soaring in her
idealized fantasies. By dreaming big, Anne often gets better results than if she kept her
ambitions in reasonable check.

A Woman's Place
"Anne of Avonlea", set at the end of the nineteenth century, presents a view of women
that modern readers will likely find old-fashioned. Anne helps Marilla maintain Green
Gables and raise the Keith twins by teaching, one of the few professional opportunities
open to women in this provincial, and primarily agricultural, society. At the end of the
novel, as Anne plans to leave teaching and attend a full four-year college to earn a
Bachelor's degree, readers get a glimpse of her neighbors scoffing at the notion of her
receiving a higher education. Mrs. Andrews says, "I don't see that Anne needs any more
education. She'll probably be marrying Gilbert Blythe...and what good will Latin and

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Greek do her then? If they taught you at college how to manage a man there might be
some sense in her going." (Page 252)

While Anne may be pushing a conventional boundary by seeking a degree, readers

should note that generally, female characters in the novel don't fight against their
societal role. Rather, their purpose is so ingrained that the women often embrace it.
Even Anne dreams of setting the perfect scene of domestic harmony for Mrs. Morgan
(spotless home, delicious and extraordinary meal), and twitches to clean Mr. Harrisons
unkempt home (after making their tea at her own insistence). Later in the novel when
Mr. Harrison's wife Emily appears out of the blue, readers see that he only married her
to have a woman to keep house for him. In this way, Emily represents a stereotypical
woman of the time, obsessed with cleaning the house and keeping up appearances
when company comes. The pressure and competition within feminine roles is
highlighted when Diana gets engaged, and one of her priorities is to begin crocheting
doilies, because "Myra Gillis had thirty-seven doilies when she was married, and I'm
determined I shall have as many as she had." (Page 267)

Even though contemporary readers may feel concerned when Mr. Harrison makes
statements like "Women ain't logical" (Page 222), they must remember Montgomery
wrote the novel in accordance with the norms of her time. She was not attempting to
write a political or controversial treatise, but rather an anecdotal narrative of adventures
in a small community. The fact that Anne supports herself and plans to attend college
rather than simply marrying as Diana does may circuitously represent Montgomery's
progressive views on the expanding place of women in society.

Pride as a Vice
The sin of hubris, or pride, has a place in literature dating back to the Greek tragedy
Oedipus. There are several instances of pride leading to negative consequences
throughout "Anne of Avonlea". Anne's attitude about whipping students contains
elements of pride. She believes her progressive teaching style ("There is some good in
every person if you can find it. It is a teacher's duty to find and develop it." (Page 28))
will work with every single student and that she will win them over with love and
kindness. She staunchly vows to never use corporal punishment, and her attitude
indicates she feels she is above such backward practices. When Anne inevitably snaps
and whips Anthony Pye, she doesn't care that her actions actually cause Anthony to
respect her more and to start behaving in school, she is shaken by her own impulsive
decision to act in a way she prided herself of being incapable of. She destroys her own
sense of vanity when she cannot uphold her smug belief in the modern theories she
learned at college. With her pride is devastated, she feels she has humiliated herself
before her students, and she can't shake the feeling that, "I'm sure my theory of
kindness can't be wrong." (Page 100).

Pride plays a major role in romantic entanglements as well. Miss Lavendar's

engagement to Stephen Irving ended because she was too proud to accept his apology
after they argue (Stephen does not offer his contrition in accordance with Miss

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Lavendar's arbitrary timeline), and then Stephen is too proud to apologize to her again.
As a result, it takes twenty-five years to reunite them. Mr. Harrison and his wife endure a
separation for the same reason: he is too proud to get rid of his pet parrot when Emily
demands it, and having already left their home, Emily is too proud to return when Mr.
Harrison doesn't acquiesce. They are only reconciled by sheer coincidence: she
catches wind of a rumor that Mr. Harrison is to marry and arrives in Avonlea to prevent
such a scandal.

Though Anne is too young to seriously consider romance thus far, she shows signs that
her pride will cause her to shun anything less than her absolute (and arbitrary) ideal in a
mate. When Diana suggests that Anne's ideals may change, Anne responds, "Mine
won't. And I couldn't care for any man who didn't fulfill it." (235). She would rather
become an old maid than settle for anyone less than perfect.

Given the Christian values infused in the book, it is unsurprising that Montgomery
focuses on one of "Seven Deadly Sins" as an outlet for teaching lessons in morality.
Pride dovetails perfectly with idealism, as both concepts involve striving for or a belief in
one's superiority. Is Anne's humiliation at whipping Anthony Pye due to an internal
disappointment at failing to live up to her ideals, or based more on the fact that she
reneged on a statement against corporal punishment that she made so publicly? She
thought herself better than Jane Andrews, and she discovers she is not. Even Anne's
vanity over her shapely nose but unsightly freckles walks a fine line between pride in
her appearance and idealism about what a "good" and beautiful woman should look
like. Anne's idealism makes her more susceptible to pride than to most other
shortcomings, and Montgomery demonstrates again and again how Anne must temper
her behavior to avoid falling into sinful habits.

Despite pride's place throughout the narrative, it is a topic dealt with gently; the
consequences are never too dire or irreversible. Just as the book does not deal with an
overriding conflict, climax, and resolution, the sins committed by its characters cannot
and will not have life-or-death consequences. Montgomery writes of everyday life, and
her morality tales teach lessons about struggles that the reader may have actually faced
personally.

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Style
Point of View
"Anne of Avonlea" is written from the point-of-view of a third-person omniscient narrator,
which means that the narrator knows the inner thoughts of all of the characters. While
the narration adheres closely to Anne's internal life, revealing her thoughts, dreams, and
fantasies, the narrator occasionally gives the reader glimpses into other characters'
thoughts in to expose their motivations and feelings. The novel contains long scenes of
dialogue, allowing each character to divulge his or her thoughts in his or her uniquely
expressive voice.

Occasionally, the third person narrator slips into the first person. For example, Anne and
Diana reminisce about an incident when Anne jumped on a bed occupied by Diana's
Aunt Josephine, and the narrator says, "Both girls laughed over the old
memory...concerning which, if any of my readers are ignorant and curious, I must refer
them to Anne's earlier history." (Page 152) This memory that the author refers to occurs
in the first novel of the series, Anne of Green Gables. In these rare instances, L.M.
Montgomery inserts herself into the action, acknowledging her role as storyteller.
Because these first person moments are minimal, some readers might find them jarring.
Readers suddenly wonder if they should know more about this first person narrator, and
if she is a character in the novel as well. Is she merely a transcriber, or does she play a
more active role in Anne's life? However, Montgomery intention was most likely to draw
the reader more personally into Anne's world. These casual insertions suit the anecdotal
tone of the novel. Most chapters relate individual vignettes about Anne, and this informal
first person narration reinforces an idea of offhand stories being related between close
friends.

Setting
"Anne of Avonlea" is set on Prince Edward Island, a small province on the eastern coast
of Canada. Montgomery goes to great lengths to describe the island: small interlinked
communities nestled between great stretches of woods filled with a variety of flora and
fauna. The novel takes place at the end of the nineteenth century, in a mainly
agricultural community. There are no modern conveniences marring the physical
landscape - no cars, no telephones, and only minimal railroads. There is a sense of a
natural world that exists as it has for thousands of years, and Anne communes deeply
with the soul of this old world.

Everyone knows everyone in the small town of Avonlea and the novel endorses social
values, a responsibility to community, and Christian duty. For example Anne and Gilbert
spearhead the Avonlea Village Improvement Society, not necessarily to bring modern
progress to the town but to beautify and reinforce its institutions for the sake of all the
residents. Anne sacrifices her college education to help Marilla take care of Green

46
Gables, returning the selfless favor that Marilla paid her by taking her in as an orphan.
Marilla takes the Keith twins in despite the peripheral family connection because they
need a home and she has one to give, no matter how much extra work they might
cause her.

Because Montgomery wrote the novel over a century ago, "Anne of Avonlea" may strike
contemporary readers as old-fashioned. There are clearly defined gender roles, with
women taking responsible for the housework, work they often take on gladly, as when
Anne visits Mr. Harrison's house and insists on making tea for them both, or her desire
to clean up his disastrously unkempt home. Though both Anne and Gilbert are teachers,
Gilbert plans to go to medical school, while many Avonlea residents think Anne would
be wasting her time attending college, and believe she would be better off simply getting
married. Despite Anne's misgivings, corporal punishment is clearly still an acceptable
form of discipline in the school system, and many of Anne's conversations with Davy
focus on reinforcing a clear-cut morality. She teaches him the conservative black-and-
white of right and wrong typical of this time period: say your prayers, mind your
manners, don't lie or cheat, and do unto others. There is but one God in the world of
Anne Shirley, and he is a Christian God.

Language and Meaning

The language of "Anne of Avonlea" is fairly old-fashioned. For example, Anne
reprimands Davy for calling lies "whoppers." She tells him that the word is slang, and it
is "wrong" for boys to use slang. Besides being an outdated slang term unfamiliar to
modern readers, this exchange between Davy and Anne also reinforces the attitude of
the novel that everything, from physical appearance right down to word choice, reflects
a person's morality. A "good" boy does not use slang. When a character asks a
question, Montgomery often uses the verb "query," which is not frequently used in
today's world, except in formal or academic writing. Montgomery's use of language
generally tends to this more formal style, reflecting a world concerned with public
appearance and propriety.

The narration relies heavily on descriptive passages of the natural world to create a
strong sense of place, but also to reinforce Anne's affinity for nature. One of the most
defining characteristics of Anne's dialogue is her tendency to anthropomorphize nature.
For example, on the first page Anne is distracted from schoolwork by "blue hazes
scarfing the harvest slopes, little winds whispering elfishly in the poplars, and a dancing
splendor of red poppies outflaming against the dark coppice of young firs in a corner of
the cherry orchard." (Page 1) and in Chapter 13 Anne speaks of "making the
acquaintance of spring. We none of us really know her yet...We'll make friends with
wind and sky and sun." (Page 101) Nature is truly alive for Anne and informs her
propensity for romance and poetry. Anne often quotes poems or speaks of fairies and
imaginary fantasy worlds, which sets her at odds with most of the members of her
community, who have a more practical and earthbound way of thinking and speaking.

47
The language of the novel is straightforward, yet modern readers may still find it difficult.
Everything is longer than in modern literature: sentences, descriptive paragraphs, and
dialogue. Characters speak in full sentences rather than clipped back and forth
exchanges. The details of the descriptions - from the types of flowers in a garden to
what the furniture is made of - will be unfamiliar to most readers, and may impede
overall understanding of the story. In fact, Montgomery uses so much detail to create
vivid, full sensory descriptions to draw the reader right into the physical world of the
book that modern readers may have a hard time delineating what is important to the
story and what is not. The novel requires patience and an appreciation for language for
its own sake.

Because the novel is written in third-person omniscient narration, readers never have to
guess what a character thinks or feels. Additionally, characters have no qualms
speaking their minds, so there is little need to hunt for subtext or deeper intentions
within the dialogue between characters. For example, even when Anne claims not to
have any feelings for Gilbert Blythe, the narrator immediately indicates that Anne does
not actually yet know or understand her own feelings.

Structure
"Anne of Avonlea" is divided into thirty chapters, ranging from seven to twelve pages
long. The novel has a gentle narrative structure: each chapter more relates an isolated
anecdote, or one of Anne's misadventures will cycle through a series of chapters, but
there is not much of an overriding plot to note. There is no antagonist for Anne to
contend with, no inciting incident building to a specific climax. The novel relates the day-
to-day life of kind and occasionally petty country folk. Though Anne is the heroine, the
community-driven values of the novel are reflected in the structure: often Anne isn't at
the center of the action, rather she observes the sketches of other community members.
For example, though Anne quits teaching and prepares to attend college at the end of
the novel, the final three chapters mainly focus on the reunion and wedding of Miss
Lavendar and Stephen Irving. There is no driving force getting Anne to college; she
views her sudden change in circumstances as an unexpected "bend in the road" rather
than as a goal she strives to obtain. Contemporary readers might find this meandering
pace tedious and lacking focus; for example, Chapter 11, merely reproduces school
assignments from Anne's students as an amusement in a letter to Anne's friend. The
chapter provides colorful sketches of the inner workings of the minds of children, and it
is quietly amusing, but the entire chapter could be removed from the novel without being
missed within the overall structure. The novel is written in the past tense, which further
diminishes any sense of urgency. Modern readers will have to look beyond the elements
of conflict and action generally expected in a novel in order to appreciate the quietly
detailed character sketches and day-to-day triumphs and failures that the novel
portrays.

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Quotes
"Mrs. Lynde was complaining the other day that it wasn't much of a world. She said
whenever you looked forward to anything pleasant you were sure to be more or less
disappointed...that nothing ever came up to your expectations. Well, perhaps that is
true. But there is a good side to it too. The bad things don't always come up to your
expectations either...they nearly always turn out ever so much better than you think"
(Page 25).

"There is some good in every person if you can find it. It is a teacher's duty to find and
develop it...It's far more important to influence the children aright than it is even to teach
them the three R's" (Page 28).

"I'd like to add some beauty to life...I don't exactly want to make people know
more...though I know that is the noblest ambition...but I'd love to make them have a
pleasanter time because of me...to have some little joy or happy thought that would
never have existed if I hadn't been born" (Page 53).

"We always love best the people who need us" (Page 83).

"This day's done and there's a new one coming tomorrow, with no mistakes in it yet"
(Page 98).

"When I think something nice is going to happen I seem to fly right up on the wings of
anticipation; and then the first thing I realize I drop down to earth with a thud. But really,
Marilla, the flying part is glorious as long as it lasts...it's like soaring through a sunset. I
think it almost pays for the thud" (Page 148).

"Perhaps it was nothing very dreadful after all. I think the little things in life often make
more trouble than the big things" (Page 195).

"Dreams and make-believes are all very well in the daytime and the sunshine, but when
dark and storm come they fail to satisfy. One wants real things then. But you don't know
this... seventeen never knows it. At seventeen dreams do satisfy because you think the
realities are waiting for you further on" (Page 200).

"That's the worst...or the best...of real life, Anne. It won't let you be miserable. It keeps
on trying to make you comfortable...and succeeding...even when you're determined to
be unhappy and romantic" (Pages 202 - 203).

"Those who knew Anne best felt, without realizing that they felt it, that her greatest
attraction was the aura of possibility surrounding her...the power of future development
that was in her. She seemed to walk in an atmosphere of things about to happen"
(Pages 246 - 247).

"Perhaps she had not succeeded in "inspiring" any wonderful ambitions in her pupils,
but she had taught them, more by her own sweet personality than by all her careful

49
precepts, that it was good and necessary in the years that were before them to live their
lives finely and graciously, holding fast to truth and courtesy and kindness, keeping
aloof from all that savored of falseness and meanness and vulgarity" (Page 253).

"Changes ain't totally pleasant but they're excellent things," said Mr. Harrison
philosophically. "Two years is about long enough for things to stay exactly the same. If
they stayed put any longer they might grow mossy" (Page 269).

"In this world you've just got to hope for the best and prepare for the worst and take
whatever God sends" (Page 272).

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Topics for Discussion
Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of life in a small town as
represented by Avonlea. In your opinion, what would be the best part of small town life?
The worst? Be sure to use examples from the text to support your position.

Compare and contrast Anne and Diana's perspectives on the world. Be sure to use
examples from the text to support their positions. With whose worldview do you
personally identify, Anne or Diana? Why?

Compare and contrast common attitudes toward corporal punishment in Anne's world
and today's world. Do you think Anne was justified in using corporal punishment against
Anthony Pye? Why or why not? Give three reasons you are for or against corporal
punishment.

Explain what Marilla and Anne think motivates Davy's behavior. Do you agree or
disagree with their assessment and why? Which twin do you prefer and why? Be sure to
use examples from the text to support your position.

Anne claims, "When I think something nice is going to happen I seem to fly right up on
the wings of anticipation; and then the first thing I realize I drop down to earth with a
thud. But really, Marilla, the flying part is glorious as long as it lasts...it's like soaring
through a sunset. I think it almost pays for the thud." (Page 148) Give three examples
from the novel of Anne's pendulum swing from joy to despair. Do you think it is better to
live in emotional extremes like Anne or to maintain an even keel like Marilla? Why?

Anne says of Hester Gray, "She had four beautiful years before she died...four years of
perfect happiness, so I think she was to be envied more than pitied." (Page 108) Do you
agree or disagree with Anne's assessment of Hester's life? What foreshadowing might
be present regarding Anne's dreams and future goals for the rest of the series? Would
you prefer four years of perfect happiness and an early death or forty mediocre years in
which you never really achieved your goals?

Anne lives in a world before feminism, in which most women accepted the traditional
roles of wife, mother, and homemaker, etc. Give three examples of how Anne conforms
to or subverts these traditional roles. Do you think she could be considered a feminist?
Why or why not? Be sure to use examples from the text to support your position.

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