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Chapter 31: Where the Brook and River Meet
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Anne of Green Gables, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Home and Family
Beauty and Imagination
Friendship
Mishaps, Milestones, and Growing Up
Boys and Romance
God, Prayer, and Church
Summary
Analysis
June feels like the end of an era: Miss Stacy says farewell to Avonlea school, and most of the Queens scholars don’t expect to come back next year. On the last day, Anne and Diana walk home in tears. Diana is confident that Anne will pass the Entrance exam in Charlottetown, since she did so well on Miss Stacy’s practice version, but Anne is still worried.
Even school has been a fleeting phase of growing up. No matter what happens with the Entrance exam, things will no longer be the same after this year—Miss Stacy will be moving on, and Anne won’t be returning to Avonlea school.
Themes
In town, Anne stays at Aunt Josephine’s house. She writes to Diana to tell her all about it. She’s very lonely without Diana and struggling not to cram for her exams, but she promised Miss Stacy she wouldn’t. Students from all over Prince Edward Island have come to take the exam. There are exams for different subjects each morning and afternoon; Anne feels she does well on English and history but dreads geometry.
Anne goes to Charlottetown for the exam, which is taken by students from all over the province and covers all academic subjects. Simply taking the exam shows how much Anne’s horizons have expanded since she first arrived in Avonlea.
Themes
However, Anne survives the exams and reunites jubilantly with Diana at the end of the week. She still doesn’t know if she passed geometry or not; they’ll have to wait two weeks for the results to be published. Anne says she’d rather not pass at all than rank low on the list. Diana knows Anne means that she will feel like a failure unless she beats Gilbert in the rankings. Everyone in Avonlea wonders which of the two will triumph. But Anne also wants to distinguish herself for Marilla and Matthew’s sake.
Anne’s and Gilbert’s rivalry has become legendary in Avonlea by this time. Though Anne can’t pretend indifference to it, there’s also the deeper motivation of wanting to please the Cuthberts who’ve done so much for her.
Themes
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One evening, after more than three weeks have passed, Diana comes running down from Orchard Slope with a newspaper in her hand. Anne knows immediately what that means and feels faint and unable to move. Diana bursts into her room and announces that Anne and Gilbert tied for first place on the whole Island. Anne hadn’t dared to hope for that result, and she immediately runs to show Matthew. Matthew isn’t surprised, and Marilla says, with an effort at restraint, that Anne has done “pretty well.” Mrs. Rachel tells her she’s “a credit to her friends.”
Anne’s result surpasses her dreams, as she and Gilbert distinguish themselves above all other students on Prince Edward Island, bringing pride to Green Gables and her neighbors.
Themes
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That evening Anne has a serious chat with Mrs. Allan, and before going to bed that night, she prays sincerely and with gratitude, giving thanks for the past and petitioning God for her future.
When Anne first arrived at Green Gables, she had no notion of how to pray. Now, gratitude and hope spill out of her in a spontaneously heartfelt prayer.
Themes
