Article #45-1 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery

Anne started off irreproachable, arrayed in the stiff black-and-white
sateen, which, while decent as regards length and certainly not open to
the charge of skimpiness, contrived to emphasize every corner and angle
of her thin figure. Her hat was a little, flat, glossy, new sailor, the
extreme plainness of which had likewise much disappointed Anne, who
had permitted herself secret visions of ribbon and flowers. The latter,
however, were supplied before Anne reached the main road, for being
confronted halfway down the lane with a golden frenzy of wind-stirred
buttercups and a glory of wild roses, Anne promptly and liberally
garlanded her hat with a heavy wreath of them. Whatever other people
might have thought of the result it satisfied Anne, and she tripped
gaily down the road, holding her ruddy head with its decoration of pink
and yellow very proudly.

When she had reached Mrs. Lynde’s house she found that lady gone.
Nothing daunted, Anne proceeded onward to the church alone. In the porch
she found a crowd of little girls, all more or less gaily attired in
whites and blues and pinks, and all staring with curious eyes at this
stranger in their midst, with her extraordinary head adornment. Avonlea
little girls had already heard queer stories about Anne. Mrs. Lynde said
she had an awful temper; Jerry Buote, the hired boy at Green Gables,
said she talked all the time to herself or to the trees and flowers
like a crazy girl. They looked at her and whispered to each other behind
their quarterlies. Nobody made any friendly advances, then or later
on when the opening exercises were over and Anne found herself in Miss
Rogerson’s class.

Miss Rogerson was a middle-aged lady who had taught a Sunday-school
class for twenty years. Her method of teaching was to ask the printed
questions from the quarterly and look sternly over its edge at the
particular little girl she thought ought to answer the question. She
looked very often at Anne, and Anne, thanks to Marilla’s drilling,
answered promptly; but it may be questioned if she understood very much
about either question or answer.

Explanation

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Anne of Green Gables

Context of the Source

Anne of Green Gables (1908) is a classic children’s novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery, set in the late 19th century on Prince Edward Island, Canada. The story follows Anne Shirley, an imaginative, talkative, and highly emotional orphan girl who is mistakenly sent to live with the elderly siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert at Green Gables. Though they had requested a boy to help with farm work, they eventually grow to love Anne’s vibrant personality.

This excerpt occurs early in the novel, after Anne has arrived at Green Gables but before she has fully integrated into the Avonlea community. The scene depicts her first Sunday school experience, highlighting her individuality, social struggles, and resilience in the face of judgment.

Themes in the Excerpt

Individuality vs. Conformity
- Anne’s unconventional appearance (decorating her plain hat with wildflowers) contrasts sharply with the prim, proper attire of the other girls.
- The Avonlea children’s whispers and stares symbolize societal expectations—Anne is seen as an outsider because she doesn’t conform.
- Her pride in her self-expression ("it satisfied Anne") shows her refusal to suppress her creativity, even if it makes her stand out.
Loneliness and Social Exclusion
- Anne is abandoned by Mrs. Lynde (a nosy, judgmental neighbor) and must attend Sunday school alone, reinforcing her isolation.
- The other girls stare and whisper but do not befriend her, illustrating how gossip and prejudice (fueled by Mrs. Lynde and Jerry Buote’s rumors) shape her reception.
- The lack of friendly advances suggests that Avonlea is a closed, traditional community resistant to outsiders.
Religion and Rote Learning vs. Genuine Understanding
- Miss Rogerson’s teaching method is mechanical—she asks questions from a quarterly (Sunday school pamphlet) and expects memorized answers.
- Anne answers promptly (thanks to Marilla’s drilling) but doesn’t truly understand the lessons, highlighting the hollow nature of rote religious instruction.
- This critiques dogmatic teaching—Anne’s imaginative, questioning nature clashes with the rigid, unfeeling approach of the church.
Nature as a Source of Joy and Freedom
- The buttercups and wild roses represent beauty and spontaneity—Anne adorns herself with them, rejecting the stiff, plain clothing imposed on her.
- This reflects her deep connection to nature, a recurring theme in the novel where the natural world is a sanctuary from human judgment.

Literary Devices & Stylistic Choices

Imagery & Sensory Language
- "Golden frenzy of wind-stirred buttercups and a glory of wild roses" → Vivid, romantic imagery that contrasts with the dull, stiff sateen dress.
- "Little, flat, glossy, new sailor [hat]" → The repetition of small, plain descriptors emphasizes the uninspiring nature of Anne’s forced attire.
- "Ruddy head with its decoration of pink and yellow" → The colors symbolize vitality, while "ruddy" suggests health and spirit, reinforcing Anne’s liveliness.
Contrast & Juxtaposition
- Anne’s joyful self-expression (flower-crowned hat) vs. the other girls’ judgmental whispers.
- Nature’s freedom (wind-stirred flowers) vs. social constraints (stiff clothing, rigid Sunday school).
- Anne’s imaginative mind vs. Miss Rogerson’s mechanical teaching.
Symbolism
- The flowers → Represent Anne’s creativity, defiance, and connection to nature.
- The plain sailor hat → Symbolizes conformity and the suppression of individuality.
- The quarterly (Sunday school pamphlet) → Stands for dogmatic, unthinking religion.
Irony
- Dramatic Irony: The reader knows Anne is kind and imaginative, but the Avonlea children believe Mrs. Lynde’s gossip that she has an "awful temper" and is "crazy."
- Situational Irony: Anne tries to fit in (by answering questions correctly) but is still excluded because of her differences.
Characterization
- Anne → Resilient, proud, and unapologetically herself despite judgment.
- Avonlea Girls → Conformist, gossip-driven, and unwelcoming.
- Miss Rogerson → Rigid, unimaginative, and disconnected from her students’ understanding.

Significance of the Passage

Establishes Anne’s Struggle for Acceptance
- This scene foreshadows Anne’s ongoing battle to be accepted in Avonlea. Her unconventional behavior will continue to challenge societal norms, but her persistence and charm will eventually win people over.
Critique of Small-Town Judgmentalism
- Montgomery satirizes the narrow-mindedness of rural communities, where gossip (Mrs. Lynde) and rumor (Jerry Buote) shape perceptions more than actual experience.
Religion as a Social Institution, Not a Spiritual One
- The mechanical Sunday school lesson suggests that religion in Avonlea is more about tradition than faith. Anne’s lack of genuine understanding highlights how rote learning fails to nurture true belief.
Anne’s Defiance as a Feminist Statement
- Anne’s refusal to be shamed for her self-decoration can be read as an early feminist act—she rejects the idea that girls must be demure and plain.
Sets Up Anne’s Growth Arc
- Later, Anne will find friends (like Diana Barry) and earn respect through her intelligence and kindness, but this moment shows her initial loneliness and determination to stay true to herself.

Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters

This excerpt is pivotal because it captures the essence of Anne’s character—her creativity, resilience, and defiance of convention—while also exposing the flaws in Avonlea’s society. The contrasts between nature and society, freedom and restraint, individuality and conformity drive the novel’s central conflicts. Anne’s flower-crowned hat becomes a symbol of her spirit, one that will eventually bloom in the hearts of those around her, just as the wild roses do in the lane.

Montgomery’s lyrical prose and sharp social observations make this more than just a children’s story—it’s a timeless exploration of belonging, identity, and the courage to be different.

Questions

Question 1

The passage’s depiction of Anne’s adornment of her hat with wildflowers serves primarily to:

A. illustrate her childish inability to conform to social expectations, underscoring her immaturity as a central flaw.
B. embody her defiant assertion of individuality within a community that prioritizes uniformity and restraint.
C. foreshadow her eventual rejection by Avonlea’s residents due to her persistent eccentricities.
D. highlight the superficiality of the other girls’ attire, which lacks the natural beauty of her impromptu decoration.
E. symbolize her subconscious desire to compensate for her orphaned status through ostentatious self-presentation.

Question 2

The narrative’s portrayal of Miss Rogerson’s teaching method most strongly critiques:

A. the failure of didactic religious instruction to engage with genuine understanding or spiritual inquiry.
B. the inefficacy of memorization-based pedagogy in fostering critical thinking among young students.
C. the generational gap between traditional educators and progressive-minded children like Anne.
D. the hypocrisy of Sunday school teachers who prioritize control over moral development.
E. the systemic neglect of imaginative students in rigid, community-based educational settings.

Question 3

The "golden frenzy of wind-stirred buttercups and a glory of wild roses" functions in the passage as:

A. a romanticized distraction from Anne’s underlying anxiety about social acceptance.
B. a fleeting moment of natural beauty that ultimately fails to mitigate her isolation.
C. an ironic contrast to the barrenness of Avonlea’s social landscape, emphasizing its cultural poverty.
D. a visceral manifestation of Anne’s inner vitality, externalized through her interaction with the environment.
E. a symbolic prefiguration of her future role as a catalyst for change in the conservative community.

Question 4

The other girls’ reaction to Anne—staring and whispering—is most plausibly interpreted as reflecting:

A. their envy of her uninhibited self-expression, masked by feigned disapproval.
B. the community’s ingrained suspicion of outsiders, reinforced by prior gossip about her.
C. a collective recognition of her intellectual superiority, which intimidates them.
D. their confusion over her sartorial choices, stemming from a lack of exposure to urban fashion.
E. an unconscious mimicry of Mrs. Lynde’s judgmental attitude, revealing their social conditioning.

Question 5

The passage’s structural juxtaposition of Anne’s solitary walk to church with her subsequent interaction in the classroom primarily serves to:

A. underscore the tension between her autonomous spirit and the institutional demands placed upon her.
B. illustrate the inevitability of her social alienation in a setting that values conformity over creativity.
C. contrast the freedom of nature with the oppression of organized religion as competing moral frameworks.
D. emphasize the futility of her attempts to integrate, given the community’s entrenched prejudices.
E. highlight the irony of her memorized responses, which belie her true incomprehension of doctrinal content.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: B

Why B is most correct: The passage frames Anne’s decoration of her hat as an act of deliberate self-expression ("it satisfied Anne") in defiance of the "stiff black-and-white sateen" and "extreme plainness" imposed upon her. The contrast between her vibrant, natural adornment and the dull conformity of Avonlea’s expectations aligns with the theme of individuality vs. uniformity. The text does not condemn her choice but celebrates her pride ("held her ruddy head... very proudly"), making defiance the most defensible interpretation.