Ann of Green Gables

Question 1

Anne Shirley

Answer 1

When Anne arrives in Avonlea, she is a lonely orphan with a difficult past, but she quickly becomes part of Green Gables and the community. Though not the boy Matthew and Marilla initially wanted to help with farm work, Anne’s lively spirit brings energy to the strict atmosphere. Her imagination, love for beauty, and goodness guide her actions, though some misunderstand her unique behavior as improper. Anne’s passion and daydreaming often lead her to mistakes, frustrating Marilla, who values decorum and duty.

As a child, Anne feels emotions intensely, forming strong bonds with “kindred spirits” and holding grudges against those who wrong her. Her temper flares easily, and she yearns for beauty and riches, disliking her red hair. Over time, Anne matures—her temper cools, she accepts her looks, and she comes to appreciate her simple life over wealth. While her imagination remains, Anne grows to love the world as it is.

Question 2

Marilla Cuthbert

Answer 2

An unmarried woman who raises Anne. Marilla lives at Green Gables with her unmarried brother, Matthew. Marilla is all angles and straight lines, with a stern face and tightly knotted hair. This physical severity mirrors her moral and emotional severity. Although Marilla does not usually express emotion, underneath she has a wry sense of humor and a loving heart. Although she raises Anne strictly, she loves her adopted daughter, and by the end of the novel she has become softer and more expressive.

Question 3

Matthew Cuthbert

Answer 3

A sixty-year-old bachelor who lives at Green Gables with his sister, Marilla. Matthew is painfully shy and a little eccentric. Although he is terrified of women, he instantly likes Anne and pressures Marilla to adopt her. Anne considers Matthew a kindred spirit and always turns to him when she wants a sympathetic ear.

Question 4

Diana Barry

Answer 4

Anne’s best friend. Diana is a plump, pretty girl Anne’s age who lives next door to Green Gables at Orchard Slope. Diana and Anne become bosom friends immediately after they meet. Full of romantic notions about love and friendship, they swear devotion to each other forever. Although an agreeable girl, she lacks Anne’s imagination, intelligence, and independence.

Question 5

Gilbert Blythe

Answer 5

A handsome, smart Avonlea boy who becomes Anne’s rival when he makes the mistake of teasing her about her red hair. Anne swears never to speak to Gilbert, and even when he rescues her from the river, she refuses to break the silence between them. Anne’s rivalry with Gilbert keeps her motivated throughout her academic career. By the end of the novel, the rivalry has become affectionate, and Anne and Gilbert have become friends.

Question 6

Mrs. Rachel Lynde

Answer 6

The town busybody. Mrs. Rachel likes nothing better than to give her opinion and preach morals. She lives next door to Green Gables with her meek husband, Thomas, and an affectionate, quarrelsome friendship exists between her and Marilla. Mrs. Rachel is outspoken about everything from politics to fashion, and, although childless, she never fails to advise Marilla on how to raise Anne.

Question 7

Miss Muriel Stacy

Answer 7

Anne’s teacher. Miss Stacy becomes the Avonlea schoolteacher after the unpopular Mr. Phillips departs. Her unorthodox, liberal teaching methods worry the conservative Avonlea trustees and Mrs. Rachel, but all of her students love her. She is a role model and mentor for Anne.

Question 8

Mrs. Allan

Answer 8

Wife of the new minister, Mr. Allan. Anne admires Mrs. Allan for her youth, beauty, and natural goodness, and frequently turns to her for guidance.

Question 9

Mr. Allan

Answer 9

The new minister of Avonlea. Mr. Allan is a good man and a natural leader of the community. He and his wife, Mrs. Allan, earn the universal approval of the town.

Question 10

Mrs. Barry

Answer 10

Diana’s mother. Mrs. Barry is a severe, unforgiving woman. She expects her children to follow strict and sometimes unreasonable rules and is quick to condemn Anne when Anne makes mistakes.

Question 11

Aunt Josephine

Answer 11

Diana’s old aunt. Aunt Josephine is very rich and lives in a mansion in the town of Charlotteville. She has come to expect people to cater to her, although when they do it bores her. Anne’s vivacity and unorthodoxy charm Aunt Josephine, and she often invites Anne to visit.

Question 12

Minnie May

Answer 12

Diana’s little sister. Minnie May is an important character mainly for the role she plays in reviving Anne and Diana’s friendship. When Minnie May falls ill with the croup, Anne saves her life. As a result, Mrs. Barry gains a new respect for Anne and permits Diana to reestablish her friendship with Anne.

Question 13

Ruby Gillis

Answer 13

One of the youngest of the many Gillis girls. Ruby has learned about growing up from her older sisters, and loves to share her superior knowledge with Anne and their other friends. Ruby inclines toward sentimentality and hysterical fits. She cares more for her good looks and her string of boyfriends than she does for her studies.

Question 14

Josie Pye

Answer 14

A member of the notorious Pye family. Josie lives up to her family’s bad reputation and inspires the dislike of her classmates. Anne tries to cultivate charitable feelings toward Josie but cannot manage to do so.

Question 15

Jane Andrews

Answer 15

A plain, sensible girl in Anne’s group of friends. Jane is not particularly ambitious, imaginative, or pretty, but she is steadfast and reliable.

Question 16

Charlie Sloane

Answer 16

One of the first people to recognize Anne’s charms. Charlie admires Anne from afar from the time they are children.

Question 17

Moody Spurgeon MacPherson

Answer 17

One of the boys in Anne’s class at the Avonlea school and a classmate of hers at Queen’s Academy.

Question 18

Mr. Phillips

Answer 18

The schoolmaster at Avonlea during Anne’s first year at Green Gables. Mr. Phillips is an inattentive teacher and a capricious disciplinarian. Mr. Phillips spends class time flirting with his oldest student, Prissy Andrews.

Question 19

Prissy Andrews

Answer 19

A classmate of Anne’s. Prissy, sixteen years old when Anne begins her studies at Avonlea School, is considered grown up enough to court the teacher, Mr. Phillips.

Question 20

Mrs. Thomas

Answer 20

Anne’s first foster parent. Anne describes Mrs. Thomas as harsh and unkind. After the death of her alcoholic husband, Mrs. Thomas gives Anne up.

Question 21

Mrs. Hammond

Answer 21

Anne’s second foster parent. Mrs. Hammond uses Anne as a maid and makes her care for her three sets of twins.

Question 22

Mrs. Peter Blewett

Answer 22

A woman living in Avonlea. Mrs. Blewett offers to take Anne in as a babysitter when she learns that Marilla intends to get a boy orphan in Anne’s place. Marilla decides to keep Anne because Mrs. Blewett is a nasty, stingy woman, and not fit to care for a child.

Question 23

Mr. Bell

Answer 23

The church superintendent. Mr. Bell leads prayer every Sunday. Anne cannot stand his prayers because she finds them unimpassioned and boring.

Question 24

Mr. Bentley

Answer 24

A minister at Avonlea. Mr. Bentley does little to inspire his congregation and gives dull, lengthy sermons.

Question 25

John Blythe

Answer 25

Gilbert’s father. Mr. Blythe courted Marilla when they were younger, but ended up marrying someone else. Marilla confides in Anne that she regrets ending her courtship with Mr. Blythe.

Question 26

Mrs. Spencer

Answer 26

A worker at the asylum where Anne lived. Mrs. Spencer brings Anne to Matthew and Marilla instead of the boy orphan they requested.

Question 27

Theme: The Conflict Between Imagination and Social Expectations

Answer 27

Anne is deeply influenced by her imagination and romanticism, which often lead her into trouble. Her daydreams frequently distract her from chores and conversations, drawing her into her own fantasy world. While this imaginative escape brings Anne joy, it clashes with Avonlea’s expectations of proper behavior. Her fantasies cause minor mishaps, like ruining a cake, and even dangerous situations, such as nearly drowning while reenacting a poem. Marilla, who values practicality and decorum, struggles to understand Anne’s need for fantasy and worries that her idealism will lead to disappointment when reality falls short.

Though Anne wishes to please Marilla by behaving properly, she can’t resist her imaginative pleasures. Over time, however, Anne learns to balance her romanticism with responsibility, finding a middle ground between imagination and respectability as she matures.

Question 28

Theme: Sentimentality versus Emotion

Answer 28

Anne’s deep emotions often lead her to confuse true feelings with sentimentality as a child. She indulges in melodramatic stories and games to escape the real pain of her difficult childhood. Sentimental play provides her with a sense of control over emotions she couldn’t manage in real life. As Anne matures, she learns to face real emotions, like the grief of Matthew’s death, and distinguish them from the sentimentality of her youth.

Question 29

Motif: Fashion Concerns

Answer 29

Fashion serves as a recurring motif representing Anne’s personal growth and changing relationships. At first, her plain, orphanage clothes symbolize her neglect and isolation. As Anne receives more fashionable clothes—first from Matthew and later accepted by Marilla—her transformation from a lonely orphan to a beloved, confident young woman is highlighted. The motif of fashion also reflects Anne’s desire for beauty and belonging, as well as the growing affection and care from her guardians, who gradually indulge her wish for stylish dresses.

Question 30

Symbol: Anne’s Red Hair

Answer 30

Anne’s red hair symbolizes her attitude toward herself, which changes as the novel progresses. Initially, Anne hates her red hair. She thinks it a blight on her life and complains about it at every opportunity. Her loathing for her hair reveals her dislike of herself. No one has ever loved Anne properly, and she does not approve of her own mistakes and bad behavior. Later, Anne’s acceptance and fondness for her red hair symbolizes her acceptance of herself.

Question 31

Symbol: The Light from Diana’s Window

Answer 31

Anne looks to the light from Diana’s window as a symbol of their eternal friendship. It is a familiar sight that gives Anne comfort at the end of the novel when she decides to stay in Avonlea and care for Marilla. Seeing the symbol of her loving friendship with Diana makes Anne feel better about sacrificing her ambition in order to do what she feels is the right thing.

Question 32

Author and date

Answer 32

Lucy Maud Montgomery