Anne of Green Gables Read Along: Discussion Post Chapters 1-13

Sorry that my post was a day late! I'm the slacker host!

1. In chapter 2, when Matthew is driving Anne back to Green Gables, she asks him: “Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive.” Given her tragic childhood, how do you think Anne is able to maintain such a positive attitude?

I think Anne has a very optimistic nature, and she finds the good in everything. She also has a very vivid imagination, and it has made bleak things into beautiful things.

2. Anne is insistent on renaming places and inanimate things.  Why do you think she does this? 

Why not? Anne has a deep appreciation for nature and anything she deems lovely. She hasn't had anything special of her own, and she hasn't had any friends or people that truly love her. By giving things names, she is making her own friends.

3. Marilla gives several reasons for finally deciding to keep Anne. What reason do you think most changed her mind? 

Deep down Marilla is a softy, and I believe that Anne really grows on her. I think Matthew and Marilla enjoy the spark that Anne brings to their home.

4. If Anne grew up today, would she have been happier with how she looked? What would she have pined for, looks- and fashion-wise? What is our society's equivalent of plumpness, dark hair, and puffed sleeves? 

No matter the time period, I think Anne would still hate her red hair. Everyone's fashion is so different and diverse. It is hard to say what she would have liked. 

5. How would Anne have turned out if Marilla had let Mrs. Blewett take her? Would that life have crushed Anne's imaginative spirit, or would she have changed in a different way?

I don't think Mrs. Blewett would have kept her very long. Anne probably would have kept on going like she has been. She would have found a friend in a mirror or window and imagined she was in a different place.