Anne of Green Gables

Character Guide

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Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables)

An imaginative, talkative orphan girl mistakenly sent to elderly siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who had asked for a boy to help on their farm. She has a gift for elaborate daydreams, a fierce temper about her red hair, and a hunger to belong somewhere.

Marilla Cuthbert

Matthew's unmarried sister, a practical, stern, and undemonstrative woman who initially resists keeping Anne but takes charge of her upbringing, discipline, and education at Green Gables.

Matthew Cuthbert

Marilla's shy, kind-hearted bachelor brother who is instantly won over by Anne and quietly advocates for her happiness, including indulging her love of pretty dresses and imagination.

Diana Barry

Anne's neighbor and instantly declared 'bosom friend' and 'kindred spirit,' a pretty, good-natured girl who shares in Anne's games and schemes at their playhouse, Idlewild.

Mrs. Rachel Lynde

A blunt, opinionated Avonlea neighbor and inveterate gossip who is among the first to scrutinize Anne's arrival and behavior.

Gilbert Blythe

A clever, teasing schoolboy who mocks Anne's red hair early on and becomes her academic rival at school, earning her lasting indignation.

Miss Stacy

Avonlea's new schoolteacher, admired by the students for her progressive methods, kindness, and encouragement of imagination and study.

Josie Pye

A schoolmate of Anne's known for being somewhat spiteful and for daring Anne into risky stunts.

Mrs. Allan

The minister's wife, a warm and sympathetic figure whom Anne quickly comes to admire as a kindred spirit.

Miss Barry

Diana's elderly aunt, a sharp-tongued but ultimately fond older woman whom Anne wins over during a visit to town.

Glossary

Kindred spirit

Anne's term for someone who shares her imaginative, sensitive outlook on life; a true soulmate in temperament.

Bosom friend

An old-fashioned term for a best or most intimate friend, used by Anne to describe her ideal companion (Diana).

Scope for imagination

Anne's favorite phrase for a place or situation that invites rich daydreaming and fanciful storytelling.

Wincey

A coarse, cheap fabric (wool-cotton blend) common in plain, practical clothing; Anne's unattractive orphanage dress was made of it.

Queen's (Academy)

A teacher-training college in the nearby town of Charlottetown that Avonlea's brightest students study to enter via a competitive entrance exam.

Grippe

An old term for influenza or a severe cold/flu illness.

Quarterly

A small pamphlet of Sunday School lesson materials with printed questions, used in religious instruction of the period.

Puffed sleeves

A fashionable sleeve style with gathered, ballooning fabric at the shoulder, intensely desired by Anne as a mark of being stylish.

Amethyst brooch

A purple gemstone pin belonging to Marilla whose apparent loss (and Anne's false confession about it) drives a key early plot episode.

Idlewild

The name Anne and Diana give to their imaginary playhouse in a ring of birch trees near the brook.

Redmond College

The fictional university Anne is bound for after her scholarship success, representing higher academic ambition beyond Avonlea.

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