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Anne of Green Gables: study guide
By L. M. Montgomery. A spoiler-light guide with themes, characters, vocabulary and questions to discuss.
Anne of Green Gables
L. M. Montgomery · 1908 · public domain
The story
Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a brother and sister on Prince Edward Island, ask for a boy to help on their farm, but an imaginative, talkative orphan girl named Anne Shirley arrives instead. Over the years, Anne finds a home, friends and a rival named Gilbert Blythe.
This summary avoids the ending, but later sections of a guide can spoil details.
Main themes
- Imagination
- Belonging and family
- Growing up
- Pride and forgiveness
Characters
- Anne Shirley
- Red-haired, imaginative and eager, with a talent for trouble.
- Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert
- The stern but loving sister and shy, kind brother who take her in.
- Diana Barry
- Anne’s “bosom friend” and neighbor.
- Gilbert Blythe
- A clever classmate and, for a long time, Anne’s rival.
Words worth knowing
- kindred spirit
- a person with whom one shares a deep understanding.
- bosom friend
- a very close friend.
- scrape
- an awkward or embarrassing situation.
- the depths of despair
- Anne’s favorite phrase for any sadness, great or small.
Questions to discuss
- How does Anne’s imagination help and hurt her?
- What does the Cuthberts’ house, Green Gables, mean to Anne?
- Why does Anne hold her grudge against Gilbert for so long?
- How does Marilla change over the book?