Story summary
Anne of Green Gables summary
A talkative red-haired orphan is sent by mistake to an elderly brother and sister on Prince Edward Island, and she changes their lives.
Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, an aging brother and sister on a farm called Green Gables, decide to adopt an orphan boy to help with the work. At the station in Bright River, Matthew finds a skinny, red-haired girl with a carpetbag and a great deal to say. She is Anne Shirley, and she has been waiting for a home all her life.
This adaptation follows Anne from age eleven to about sixteen in the village of Avonlea. It is a warm, funny, and sometimes sad story about belonging, friendship, and growing up. It will suit readers who love the original book and anyone new to Anne who likes a lively young heroine, close friendships, and a small community where everybody knows your business.
Main characters
The plot
Spoilers from here on, including the ending.
A mistake at the station
Rachel Lynde sees Matthew drive off in his best suit and soon learns that the Cuthberts are adopting a boy. At Bright River, Matthew finds Anne instead. On the drive home she christens the blossoming Avenue the White Way of Delight and Barry's Pond the Lake of Shining Waters.
Marilla is shocked to see a girl, and Anne bursts into tears at being unwanted. Matthew quietly asks Marilla to let her stay. After a trip to Mrs. Spencer and a close call with the unkind Mrs. Blewett, Marilla decides to keep Anne.
Learning to belong
Anne's first weeks are a series of explosions. She loses her temper at Rachel Lynde, who called her skinny and red-haired, and she apologizes only because Matthew asks her to. She meets Diana Barry, and the two swear to be bosom friends. Marilla wrongly punishes her over a missing amethyst brooch, then finds it in her own shawl and apologizes.
At school Gilbert Blythe calls her Carrots, and Anne breaks her slate over his head. She refuses to forgive him.
Mishaps and rescues
Anne accidentally serves Diana currant wine, and Mrs. Barry bans their friendship. Months later Anne saves Minnie May from croup, and the ban is lifted. She flavors a cake with liniment for Mrs. Allan, lands on Aunt Josephine Barry in the dark, and breaks her ankle after Josie Pye's dare.
She also dyes her hair green and has to have it cut short. Matthew, who sees that she wants a dress with puffed sleeves, has one made with Rachel's help, and Anne wears it to the Christmas concert.
Elaine and the bridge
The friends act out Tennyson's Lancelot and Elaine, with Anne drifting down the pond in a leaking dory. She ends up clinging to a bridge pile and is rescued by Gilbert. He asks again to be friends, and her pride says no again.
A week at Aunt Josephine's mansion in Charlottetown makes Anne realize she loves simple Green Gables best.
Queen's Academy
Miss Stacy forms a class to prepare for Queen's Academy, and Matthew and Marilla enroll Anne. She and Gilbert push each other hard. Matthew's heart is failing, though he hides it. Anne and Gilbert tie for first place on the Island, and she goes to Charlottetown to study for the Avery Scholarship.
Loss and a choice
Anne wins the Avery Scholarship and comes home in glory. Matthew tells her he is proud of his girl. The next morning he reads that the Abbey Bank has failed, and he dies of a heart attack.
Marilla learns she is going blind and must sell Green Gables. Anne declines the scholarship to teach at the Carmody school and stay by her side. Gilbert had given up the Avonlea school for her, and Anne finally thanks him and accepts his friendship. She ends the story at her window, at peace.
Themes
- Belonging
- Anne has never belonged to anyone, and her happiest moments are the ones where she is wanted. Green Gables, Matthew's pride, and Marilla's eventual love turn a house into a home.
- Imagination
- Anne names the places she loves and turns ordinary things into romance. Her imagination causes trouble, such as the brooch confession, but it also makes her someone people remember.
- Pride and forgiveness
- Anne's stubbornness keeps her from forgiving Gilbert for years, while Marilla and Mrs. Barry must learn to admit they were wrong. Forgiveness comes slowly but it arrives.
- Duty and sacrifice
- When Matthew dies and Marilla's sight fails, Anne gives up the Redmond scholarship to stay with her. The choice costs her something real, and the story treats it with respect.
Questions about Anne of Green Gables
- How does Anne of Green Gables end?
- Matthew dies of a heart attack after hearing the Abbey Bank has failed, and Marilla is warned that she may go blind. Anne gives up her scholarship to Redmond College to teach at the Carmody school and keep Green Gables. She also makes peace with Gilbert Blythe.
- Who does Anne end up with in this story?
- The story ends with Anne and Gilbert as friends, not as a couple. After years of rivalry, they agree to be the best friends in the whole world.
- Where and when is Anne of Green Gables set?
- The story takes place in the village of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island, Canada, in a farming community in the late 19th century. Anne also visits Charlottetown for the Exhibition and for Queen's Academy.
- Why did the Cuthberts get a girl instead of a boy?
- They asked Mrs. Spencer to bring a boy from an orphan asylum in Nova Scotia to help on the farm, but the message was mixed up and Anne arrived instead.
- What is the story about?
- It follows an imaginative orphan girl as she grows up in Avonlea, finds a home with Matthew and Marilla, and learns to make a place for herself.