Beauty and Imagination Theme Analysis

When she questions Anne about her past, Marilla observes that Anne is reluctant to talk about it: “evidently she did not like talking about her experiences in a world that had not wanted her.” In fact, rather than dwelling on her unhappy childhood, Anne takes refuge in her imagination, finding comfort in nature’s beauty and thereby being inspired to imagine better circumstances for herself. Sometimes her imagination wanders too freely and gets Anne into a variety of misadventures. But as Anne becomes more secure in her life at Green Gables, she learns to channel her imagination instead of stifling it, sharing her talent with others and discovering new ambitions. Through the maturing of Anne’s imagination, Montgomery suggests that imagination is important for a person’s growth and shouldn’t be discouraged; instead, it ought to be used to benefit others and expand one’s horizons.

Because Anne’s early life has been bleak and lonely, Anne relies on the beauty of the natural world and her imagination in order to find hope. When Anne first takes in the beauty of Green Gables and its wooded surroundings, she’s overwhelmed: “Anne’s beauty-loving eyes lingered on it all, taking everything greedily in. She had looked on so many unlovely places in her life […] but this was as lovely as anything she had ever dreamed.” Because Anne has mostly seen “unlovely,” poverty-stricken places, she has a hunger for beauty which Green Gables finally satisfies. Beautiful things, especially nature, provide firsthand what her imagination can only pretend.

When Matthew fetches Anne from the train station, she immediately gives him an example of imagination’s role in her life: “What did that tree, leaning out from the bank, all white and lacy, make you think of? […] Why, a bride, of course […] I’ve never had a pretty dress in my life that I can remember—of course it’s all the more to look forward to, isn’t it? And then I can imagine that I’m dressed gorgeously. This morning when I left the asylum I felt so ashamed because I had to wear this horrid old wincey dress.” Anne’s imagination helps make up for experiences she’s lacked and allows her to look forward to better experiences in the future—she’s able to imagine that she isn’t wearing tattered orphanage clothes and someday might have nicer clothes of her own. Anne’s imagination helps her avoid self-pity and choose to be hopeful instead.

Sometimes, however, Anne’s imagination carries her too far and gets her into trouble. Through the vivid details she imagines, Anne convinces herself that the nearby woods are haunted, to the point that she refuses to walk through them at night. This incident confirms Marilla’s opinion that Anne’s overactive imagination needs to be tamped down: “I’ve had my doubts about that imagination of yours right along, and if this is going to be the outcome of it, I won’t countenance any such doings. You’ll go right […] through that spruce grove, just for a lesson and a warning to you.” While imagination has its comforting and hopeful functions, it can also backfire, suggesting that Anne’s imagination needs to be more carefully channeled.

As Anne settles into her life at Green Gables and no longer needs to rely on imagination for her happiness, her imagination matures and finds better outlets. She increasingly uses her imagination to help and encourage others instead of just comforting herself. Fiction comes naturally to Anne, so when she and her classmates are assigned to write stories at school, she helps her friends develop their storytelling abilities by forming a story club. Imagination is easy “if you’d only cultivate it,” she tells her friend Diana. “Let’s you and I have a story club all our own and write stories for practice. I’ll help you along until you can do them by yourself.” Instead of constantly losing herself in daydreams—whether good or bad—Anne begins to apply her imagination in more outward, helpful ways.

Anne’s imagination also expands her horizons by helping her discover new ambitions. Because of Anne’s imaginative abilities and way with words, she becomes celebrated in Avonlea school for her written compositions and recitations of dramatic poetry. Miss Stacy accordingly helps Anne prepare for the Queen’s Academy Entrance exam—teacher’s college being an opportunity Anne had never imagined for herself. The more Anne considers opportunities beyond Avonlea school, the harder she works and the more she achieves. Ultimately, she even wins an English scholarship to Redmond College, a rare achievement for a girl in Anne’s day. Though Anne’s imagination starts out as a way of coping with life’s difficulties, it becomes an outlet for encouraging others and finally opens a path for new ambitions and dreams. Montgomery suggests that imagination, if carefully channeled, can be a fruitful resource throughout a person’s life, not just a fanciful refuge in childhood.