Anne of Green Gables · Chapter
Anne’s Bringing-Up Is Begun explained
Marilla decides to keep Anne and begins her upbringing by assigning chores and teaching her the Lord's Prayer.
What happens
Marilla decides to keep Anne and begins her upbringing by assigning chores and teaching her the Lord's Prayer. Anne, overjoyed at staying, learns about her new home and expresses her longing for a bosom friend, imagining Diana Barry as a potential kindred spirit. She also reflects on her past imaginary friends, Katie Maurice and Violetta, and embraces her identity as Anne of Green Gables.
Themes in this chapter
Imagination and Creativity
Anne's vivid imagination is central, as she creates imaginary friends like Katie Maurice and Violetta, and daydreams about being the Lady Cordelia Fitzgerald.
Belonging and Home
Anne's joy at being allowed to stay at Green Gables and her desire to call Marilla 'Aunt Marilla' underscore her longing for a permanent home and family.
Identity and Self-Acceptance
Anne accepts her identity as 'Anne of Green Gables' rather than a fictional character, showing a step toward self-acceptance.
Characters to notice
- Anne Shirley
Overjoyed at being allowed to stay, Anne shows her imaginative nature and eagerness to learn, while also revealing her past imaginary friends and her hope for a real bosom friend.
- Marilla Cuthbert
Marilla begins Anne's upbringing with firm discipline, assigning chores and the Lord's Prayer, while showing a practical and no-nonsense attitude toward imagination.
- Matthew Cuthbert
Mentioned as having decided with Marilla to keep Anne, though he does not appear directly in this chapter.
- Diana Barry
Introduced as a potential playmate and bosom friend for Anne, described as pretty with black eyes and hair.
- Mrs. Barry
Mentioned as a particular woman who will not let Diana play with girls who are not nice and good.
Key passages
“Oh, please, Miss Cuthbert, won’t you tell me if you are going to send me away or not? I’ve tried to be patient all the morning, but I really feel that I cannot bear not knowing any longer. It’s a dreadful feeling. Please tell me.”
Anne pleads with Marilla to know her fate, unable to endure the suspense any longer.
Anne's anxiety about being sent away reveals her deep need for stability and belonging.
“I’m crying. I can’t think why. I’m glad as glad can be. Oh, glad doesn’t seem the right word at all. I was glad about the White Way and the cherry blossoms—but this! Oh, it’s something more than glad. I’m so happy.”
Anne is overwhelmed with joy at being allowed to stay, crying from happiness she cannot fully express.
Anne's emotional response highlights her intense capacity for feeling and her gratitude for a home.
“I used to pretend that my reflection in it was another little girl who lived in it. I called her Katie Maurice, and we were very intimate.”
Anne describes how she imagined a friend named Katie Maurice living in a bookcase mirror.
This illustrates Anne's imaginative coping mechanism during her lonely past.