Anne of Avonlea · Chapter
An Irate Neighbour explained
On a ripe August afternoon, Anne Shirley sits on the doorstep of Green Gables, dreaming of her future as a teacher and the influence she might have on her pupils.
What happens
On a ripe August afternoon, Anne Shirley sits on the doorstep of Green Gables, dreaming of her future as a teacher and the influence she might have on her pupils. Her reverie is interrupted by the irate Mr. J. A. Harrison, whose cow has repeatedly broken into his oat field. Anne defends herself and her cow, Dolly, and suggests that Mr. Harrison's fence might be at fault. The chapter also introduces the Village Improvement Society idea, with Anne and Gilbert Blythe planning to beautify Avonlea, and Mrs. Rachel Lynde sharing news that Priscilla Grant will teach at Carmody.
Themes in this chapter
Imagination and Idealism
Anne's daydreams about her future as a teacher and the influence she will have on her students highlight her idealistic nature and her tendency to imagine grand futures.
Community and Belonging
The Village Improvement Society represents Anne's desire to contribute to and beautify her community, fostering a sense of belonging and collective effort.
Change and Transition
Anne is about to begin teaching at Avonlea school, marking a significant transition from student to teacher. The arrival of Mr. Harrison and the new schoolteacher Priscilla Grant also signal changes in the community.
Characters to notice
- Anne Shirley
Dreams of her future as a teacher and the influence she might have on her pupils; defends her cow Dolly against Mr. Harrison's complaints; discusses the Village Improvement Society with Mrs. Lynde.
- Mr. J. A. Harrison
New neighbour and 'crank' who angrily confronts Anne about his oats being trampled by her cow; known for his odd housekeeping and his parrot Ginger.
- Mrs. Rachel Lynde
Visits Green Gables and shares news about Priscilla Grant teaching at Carmody; discusses the Village Improvement Society and warns Anne about the difficulties of improving Avonlea.
- Gilbert Blythe
Mentioned as enthusiastic about the Village Improvement Society; will teach in White Sands but be home on weekends.
- Marilla Cuthbert
Mentioned as having gone to East Grafton to see a sick relative; not present during Mr. Harrison's visit.
- Priscilla Grant
Mentioned as having been given the Carmody school; Anne's former classmate at Queen's.
- Ginger
Mr. Harrison's parrot, known for swearing and biting John Henry Carter.
- John Henry Carter
Mentioned as Mr. Harrison's hired boy; tells stories about Mr. Harrison's housekeeping and the parrot Ginger.
Key passages
“A tall, slim girl, 'half-past sixteen,' with serious gray eyes and hair which her friends called auburn, had sat down on the broad red sandstone doorstep of a Prince Edward Island farmhouse one ripe afternoon in August, firmly resolved to construe so many lines of Virgil.”
Anne, a sixteen-year-old girl with gray eyes and auburn hair, sat on the doorstep of Green Gables one August afternoon, intending to study Virgil.
Introduces Anne's age and appearance, and her attempt to study on a beautiful afternoon.
“But an August afternoon, with blue hazes scarfing the harvest slopes, little winds whispering elfishly in the poplars, and a dancing splendour of red poppies outflaming against the dark coppice of young firs in a corner of the cherry orchard, was fitter for dreams than dead languages.”
The beautiful August afternoon, with its hazy fields, whispering winds, and bright poppies, was more suited for daydreaming than for studying Latin.
Describes the idyllic setting that distracts Anne from her Virgil.
“The Virgil soon slipped unheeded to the ground, and Anne, her chin propped on her clasped hands, and her eyes on the splendid mass of fluffy clouds that were heaping up just over Mr. J. A. Harrison's house like a great white mountain, was far away in a delicious world where a certain schoolteacher was doing a wonderful work, shaping the destinies of future statesmen, and inspiring youthful minds and hearts with high and lofty ambitions.”
Anne abandoned her Virgil and daydreamed about being a teacher who shapes the destinies of future leaders.
Shows Anne's idealistic vision of her teaching career.
“Mr. Harrison was certainly different from other people … and that is the essential characteristic of a crank, as everybody knows.”
Mr. Harrison was considered a 'crank' because he was different from everyone else.
Introduces Mr. Harrison's reputation in Avonlea.
“I'm not going to put up with this, not a day longer, do you hear, miss. Bless my soul, this is the third time, miss … the third time! Patience has ceased to be a virtue, miss.”
Mr. Harrison angrily told Anne that he would not tolerate her cow breaking into his oats for a third time.
Mr. Harrison's irate confrontation with Anne.
