# Roses of Yesterday explained — Anne of the Island

> Chapter companion for Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery.

## What happens

Anne visits her birthplace in Bolingbroke, meets the current occupant, and receives a packet of her parents' love letters, which makes her feel connected to them for the first time.

## Themes in this chapter

### Home and Belonging

Anne's visit to her birthplace and discovery of her parents' letters gives her a sense of belonging and connection to her origins.

### Mortality and the Meaning of Life

Reflections on her parents' early deaths and the enduring legacy of their love.

## Character check-ins

### Anne Shirley

Visits her birthplace and receives her parents' letters, experiencing a profound emotional connection.

### Philippa Gordon

Hosts Anne at Mount Holly and accompanies her on the visit to the Shirley house.

### Bertha Shirley

Anne's mother, whose letters reveal her love for her husband and baby Anne.

## Key lines

> I’ve found my father and mother. Those letters have made them real to me. I’m not an orphan any longer. I feel as if I had opened a book and found roses of yesterday, sweet and beloved, between its leaves.

Anne feels that the letters have brought her parents to life, ending her sense of orphanhood and filling her with a sweet, nostalgic joy.

_Anne's emotional climax after reading the letters._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/anne_of_the_island_se/chapters/xxi-roses-of-yesterday
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/anne_of_the_island_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/anne_of_the_island_se/chapters