Anne of Green Gables is an enchanting tale of a young orphan named Anne Shirley. Anne, who happens to be an eleven year old orphan at the beginning of the story, eventually gets adopted mistakenly by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. Matthew and Marilla were simply looking for a young male orphan who would be able to assist them with physical work around the house because Matthew was getting older, and would need an extra hand. Despite having a little girl, who was useless to them physically, they quickly fell in love with this young girl’s goodness and great qualities. It has recently been discovered that Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green gables, was suffering of depression and loneliness at the time. This can be seen in certain parts and characters in the tale. Some of Anne’s experiences in the book are very similar to experiences that took place in Montgomery’s life. For Montgomery, writing was a sort of therapeutic relief that soothed her soul, therefore reflecting her emotions and troubles into Anne’s character. Throughout the novel, Anne’s imagination facilitates her life and gets her through the tough times. Without her precious imagination, this young girl would have suffered and might have missed out on all of the success she had acquired at the end
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of the story. This girls struggle made her strong and perseverant, enabling her exciting journey at Green Gables to be a successful one.
It was recently discovered that Lucy Maud Montgomery was victim of depression and loneliness. These two problems are reflected through the novel and most of this is seen through Anne’s character. At the beginning of the story, Anne is a very sad person living in a very lonely world. Living in an orphanage was very painful and boring for Anne. She had to struggle and be tough to get through these times; she had a very hard lifestyle before she got to Green Gables. This hard lifestyle can be compared to
Cited: Blackford, Holly. Anne with an “E”. Calgary : University of Calgary Press. 2009. Print. DuVernet, Sylvia. Theosophic Thoughts Concerning L.M. Montgomery. Canada: University of Toronto Press. 1988. Print. Galley, Jenna. Reality vs. Imagination in Anne of Green Gables.27 November. 2008.web. http://www.suite101.com/content/reality-vs-imagination-in-anne-of-green-gables- a81003 Gammel, Irene, and Benjamin Lefebvre. Anne’s World: A New Century of Anne of Green Gables. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 2010. Print. Montgomery, Lucy. Anne of Green Gables. USA: L.C. Page and Co. 1908. Print. Rubio, Mary, and Elizabeth Waterston. Writing a Life: L.M. Montgomery. Toronto: ECW Press. 1995. Print.