Anne of Green Gables
Lucy Maud Montgomery 001
Penguin 1908

Main Characters: Anne Shirley, Marilla Cuthbert, Matthew Cuthbert

Setting: Prince Edward Island; Late 1800s

Plot: Matthew and Marilla are older siblings- they never married and live together on a farm. They decide they need a boy to help work the farm and send word to the orphan asylum to send a boy to help. The request was confused through miscommunication and when Matthew arrives at the train station to pick up the boy- he meets Anne Shirley. Anne is a constant dreamer- always talking about the “scope of imagination” and immediately charms Matthew into staying with them. Anne takes quite the toll on Marilla- who is very straight laced and proper. Often she tells Anne to “hold your tongue.” Anne has been tossed from home to home to take care of children- both of her parents had died when she was young. She had no family to take her in- so she became an abandoned child. She is a very homely girl and doesn’t think of herself as beautiful, however with her charming spirit and spunky personality she makes her way into everyone’s heart.
Theme: The idea that children are to be seen and not heard, really gave Anne grief. She knew that children are supposed to be rowdy and playful and loud. Anne broke the barriers on that saying by being imaginative and free spirited. The story shows how one girl- who thinks outside of the box can soften even the hardest of hearts.
Strengths/Weaknesses: I really enjoyed how the author gave Anne the true imagination of a child. I feel children today don’t experience imaginary play, like children have in the past.
Worldview Element: Community, meaning and purpose, redemption
Significant quote: “Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive—it’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we knew all about everything, would it? There’d be no scope for imagination then, would there?”