Anne Of Green Gables

Marilla, hindered by her painful eyes, stops knitting one evening to watch Anne by the fire. Anne is lost in a daydream, smiling at the visions she finds in the flames, and Marilla thinks about how much she loves Anne. Though she finds herself unable to say the words aloud, her love for Anne “ma[kes] her afraid” (287), for she believes it must be a sin to love someone that much. She suddenly interrupts Anne’s fantasy by telling her Miss Stacy stopped by Green Gables this afternoon while Anne was out with Diana.

Instead of listening, Anne breaks into a monologue about Miss Stacy’s impact on all the school children and what wonderful life lessons she teaches them. Marilla tries to speak but can only mutter, “She was talking about you” (289) before Anne guiltily confesses to reading a pleasure novel in class instead of her history book, thinking that Miss Stacy came to speak about her behavior. Once again, Anne is wrong, and finally, Marilla tells Anne the purpose of Miss Stacy’s visit—to invite Anne to study for the entrance examination for Queen’s Academy in nearby Charlottetown. Anne initially worries about the cost, but Marilla assures her that she and Matthew can afford it.

Elated, Anne and a few other class members (including Gilbert) begin staying after school for special lessons. Noticeably absent is Diana, whose parents do not intend to send her on to extra schooling. Being separated from Diana hurts Anne, but she is mature enough to know that things aren’t “perfect in this imperfect world” (293). Facing off against Gilbert is enough to make Anne continue with the extra classes, as “there was open rivalry between” (294) the two now. Mirroring Anne’s demeanor, Gilbert refuses to speak to Anne any longer and merely ignores her. It surprises Anne how much this bothers her, and she knows that if she could go back to the lake that day when he rescued her, “she would answer [his question] very differently” (294).

The students push on until summer, marking the end of their first year preparing for the entrance exam. Miss Stacy chooses to stay at Avonlea school another year to see them through to the end, even though the trustees in her home district offered her the school there. This comforts Anne, as she can’t imagine making it to the exam without Miss Stacy.

Summer arrives, and Anne locks her books away until school starts again. The next afternoon, Mrs. Rachel pays a visit to see why Marilla skipped a Ladies Aid meeting, and Marilla reveals that “Matthew had a bad spell with his heart Thursday” (298), so she stayed home to take care of him. She and Mrs. Rachel speak about Anne, and both women sing Anne’s praises.

After the Spencerville doctor suggests that the overworked Anne is at risk of contracting tuberculosis, Marilla forces Anne to spend the summer outside in the fresh air, and Anne and Diana revisit all their old haunts. When the school year begins, Anne is eager to tackle the second-year preparations for the exam. The semester flies by, but Anne does not only grow in her scholastic achievements. Marilla muses one day about how much Anne has grown: the orphan child morphed into a “tall, serious-eyed girl of fifteen” (304) seemingly overnight, and Marilla feels a sense of loss. Matthew catches her crying about the reality of Anne leaving for Queen’s the following year, and he consoles Marilla by saying that Anne will visit often.

Anne also senses a change in herself. As she has grown, she has become quieter, more contemplative, finding it better to keep her dreams close to her heart. Miss Stacy teaches her to be critical of herself, and Anne practices that lesson in all avenues of her life, to the point where she becomes quite afraid that she will not pass the entrance exam. She feels she will not be able to enjoy life anymore if the other students pass and she doesn’t—especially Gilbert.

Finally, the end of the year arrives, bringing the end of Miss Stacy’s role as Avonlea's teacher. The students prepare to travel to Charlottetown to take the exam, and Anne is convinced that geometry will be her undoing. She writes to Diana every day while in Charlottetown to update her on the different exams, but she only feels confident about the English portion of the exam.

A few days later, she arrives back home, exhausted yet happy. All the students met their nemesis in certain exam areas, but Diana does not dare to ask her how Gilbert felt like he did. Certainly, Anne and Gilbert competed for the highest honors—both felt the intense competition between themselves, but Anne still harbors a tinge of regret for how she treated him. However, this feeling does not override her desire to beat him when the scores are released.

The students wait for three weeks, but still, no scores arrive by mail. Finally, Anne sees Diana running up the road to Green Gables with a paper in her hand, and she knows the results are in. Frozen by fear, Anne waits for Diana to arrive, and when she does, Diana cries, “You’ve passed, passed the very first—you and Gilbert both—you’re ties!” (315). Overwhelmed by a rush of happiness, Anne runs down to tell Matthew immediately and finds Marilla and Mrs. Rachel with him. All adults beam with pride over Anne’s accomplishments, with Matthew proclaiming that he “knew [she] could beat them all easy” (316). Anne falls asleep that night awash with gratitude.

Diana and Anne get dressed one evening for a fundraising concert at the White Sands Hotel, where Anne will be reciting poetry in front of a large audience. Her invitation to the prestigious event thrills Matthew and Marilla, although Matthew is the only one to verbally express his excitement.

With the addition of Jane Andrews, the girls ride together to the hotel, and Anne’s nerves get the better of her as they get closer. Once she is there, standing off-stage with a group of beautiful, accomplished women, her nerves spin out of control, and her old insecurities rise up. When it is her turn to go on stage, she freezes, standing on stage alone, unable to speak. It is not until she catches the eye of Gilbert, sitting at the back and smiling at her, “a smile which seemed to Anne at once triumphant and taunting” (326), that she swallows her stage fright and performs a marvelous piece. Anne receives vigorous applause and a call for an encore, which she performs to not disappoint Matthew.

After the concert, many rich and powerful women compliment Anne on her talent and beauty. Anne rides this euphoric high all the way home but stops Diana and Jane when they talk about how great it would be to be rich one day. In Anne’s mind, she will always be “quite content to be Anne of Green Gables, with [her] string of pearl beads” (329) instead of diamond necklaces.