Anne Shirley was a plain, red headed orphan girl from an asylum in Hopeton. Little did she know that one day she would change Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert’s (along with everyone else in Avonlea) lives forever. With her romantic ways, her gratefulness, and her astonishing intelligence Anne managed to capture the hearts of everyone she meets. Her romantic ways that appealed to her friends, her gratefulness that went primarily towards Marilla and Matthew, and her intelligence show showed both in and out of school made Anne one of a kind and unforgettable. She quickly proves to everyone that the Cuthbert’s adopting a little orphan girl was the best decision they could have made.
As a young child, Anne was a very romantic girl. She could take the dullest of any thing and remake it with her imagination to become something unforgettable to even a plain, simple person like Matthew. “‘Oh I don’t like that name, either. I shall call it – let me see – the Lake of Shining Waters. Yes, that is the right name for it.'” (Montgomery, 24). Anne wanted life to be like a fairytale and every chance that she got, she lived out her fantasies to the fullest, no matter how ridiculous or dangerous it may have seemed to others. Anne felt that she herself was very unromantic, but with her imagination, she could pretend to be the most romantic character one could think of. One afternoon, Anne and a few other girls decided to pretend they were in the times of Camelot and King Arthur. One of the girls was to be selected and placed on a flat to float down stream as Elaine, a deceased lily maid. Anne was ultimately picked to play this part. “For a few minutes Anne, drifting slowly down, enjoyed the romance of her situation to the full.” (Montgomery, 268). Romance is usually thought of as a theme for adults, since children don’t usually understand what it means. However, Anne’s ideas of what it means to be romantic would blow away even the wisest of adults.
When Anne was very little, she was put into foster care. She never had much, but she was always grateful for what she did have. After her arrival at Green Gables, she was no different. She took in every opportunity as a gift, and cherished the moments of each one. Even the ordinary days seemed to be magnificent to Anne. “‘Isn’t it good to just to be alive on a day like this? I pity the people who aren’t born yet for missing it. They may have good days, of course, but they can never have this one. And it’s splendider still to have such a lovely way to go to school by, isn’t it?'” (Montgomery, 125). Anne had always longed for a dress with puffy sleeves. It was the latest fashion and all of the other girls had these types of dresses. Up until Christmas, she had only imagined her dressed with puffy sleeves, trying very hard not to complain and appreciate what she did have. On Christmas day, Matthew surprised Anne with a puffy sleeved dress. She was overwhelmed with gratitude. “Anne laid the dress over a chair and clasped her hands. ‘Matthew, it’s perfectly exquisite. Oh, I can never thank you enough.'” (Montgomery, 243). She was always thankful for what she was given, even if it wasn’t much, and she let everyone know how grateful she was as much as she could.
Anne was quite smart for being a young child. She proved that to Matthew the first day he picked her up and took her home to Green Gables. She was able to run circles around Matthew with her continuous stream of questions and her constant chatter. “…he found it rather difficult for his slower intelligence to keep up with her brisk mental processed…” (Montgomery, 18). Aside from random rambling, Anne showed her intelligence in other ways as well. Anne constantly competed with Gilbert Blythe to be the academic head of the class. Her brilliance is what helped her receive the Avery scholarship later in her life. “‘Three cheers for Miss Shirley, winner of the Avery!'” (Montgomery, 346). Although we found out Anne is turning down the scholarship, she has no intention of ending her academic career. Anne informs Rachel Lynde that while she teaches at the Avonlea school she will also begin her studies of Latin and Greek. “‘But I’m going to study Latin and Greek just the same, Mrs. Lynde’, said Anne laughing. ‘I’m just going to take my Arts course right here at Green Gables, and study everything that I would at college.'” (Montgomery, 365). Anne shows her intelligence from the moment we meet her up until the very last chapter in the novel.
The odds were against Anne when she first arrived at the Cuthbert’s home. Rachel Lynde said she was ‘bad news’, Marilla did not want her, and Matthew was expecting a boy. By being a romantic, grateful, and intelligent little girl, Anne showed Marilla and Matthew that they made the right decision by letting her stay at Green Gables. Even with her imagination running wild, she still managed to help out around the house and succeed in school. Miss Anne Shirley of Green Gables was the best thing to have ever happened to Avonlea.
Works Cited
Montgomery, L. M. Anne of Green Gables. New York: Puffin Books, 1997.
