Book Sharing – Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 1)
Table of Contents
1. Reading
Chapter 1: Mrs. Rachel Lynde is Surprised
This chapter mainly describes the characteristics of the first 3 characters and the place of Avonlea.
Click the following link to read this chapter:
2. Analysis
2.1 Why Mrs. Rachel Lynde was surprised?
Mrs. Rachel Lynde was surpried to find out that a pair of odd brother and sister, Mr. Matthew and Ms. Marilla Cuthbert adopted an orphan from aslyum.
2.2 Characteristics of characters
2.2.1 Mrs. Rachel Lynde
Mrs. Rachel Lynde was a curious and sociable lady who pursuing the truth around her lives and socialising with people, she always kept “a sharp eye on everything” and she would ferrete out the reasons on anything odd or out of place, for instance, she would like to find out where and why Mr. Matthew Cuthbert drove away the Green Gables with decent wear. As a curious person, she had detailed mind on obervation. She took “a mental note of everything” on Marilla’s kitchen table and noticed that three plates were laid with everyday dishes, so she guessed besides Matthew and Marilla, there is an company and that company “could not be any particular company.” Once she knew Matthew and Marilla was going to get an orphan, she told that news to others.
Besides, she was rude and forthright with awed voice, saying that Mr. Matthew Cuthbert lived in Green Gables could not be called “a place LIVING at all”, but “it’s just STAYING.” That’s why she was respected and feared by people, “not even a brook could run past Mrs. Rachel Lynde’s door without due regard for decency and decorum.”
Mrs. Rachel Lynde was well-managed on time. She not only did her housework well, but also joined “the Sewing Circle, helped run the Sunday-school, and was the strongest prop of the Church Aid Society and Foreign Missions Auxiliary.” And she still had “abundant time to sit for hours at her kitchen window, knitting “cotton warp” quilts.”
2.2.2 Mr. Matthew Cuthbert
Mr. Matthew Cuthbert was a shy 60-year-old man with heart troubles who never volunteer information about himself nor talk to strangers nor visit new places. He lived in Green Gables where remoted from other Avonlea houses. Mrs. Rachel Lynde, a curious lady, knew him to sow his seeds in his red field only by hearing from the others asked him.
2.2.3 Ms. Marilla Cuthbert
Ms. Marilla Cuthbert is the younger sister of Mr. Matthew Cuthbert who lived together at Green Gables. She was hard-working in housework. Her kitchen was painfully clean. Mrs. Rachel Lynde also commented that “Marilla Cuthbert swept that yard over as often as she swept her house” and Marilla’s house was clean and tidy, even the “one could have eaten a meal off the ground without overbrimming the proverbial peck of dirt.”
She respected and accommodated Matthew so much, even he proposed to bring an orphan, a stranger who does not have relationship with them.
2.3 What type of orphan do Matthew and Marilla want?
Mr. Matthew Cuthbert used to hire helper on his work. Unluckily, they all are stupid and half-grown little French boys and would leave for another job afterwards, he therefore thought about adoping a wiser and steadier orphan to take care of his field.
Marilla disagreed to get a Home boy, instead she suggested a native born, Canadian. So, they sent message to Richard Spencer’s folks at Carmody to bring them a boy of about ten or eleven as it is the best age to do chores and young enough to be trained up properly.
2.4 Characteristics of places
2.4.1 Avonlea
How Avonlea looks like?
According to chapter 1, “Avonlea occupied a little triangular peninsula jutting out into the Gulf of St. Lawrence with water on two sides of it” and there are plenty of people lived.
Is Avonlea a real place?
We can find Avonlea in the map in Canada, however, it is not located around the sea.
From the map, Prince Edward Island is more likely the place described in the story. And a museum “Green Gables Hertiage Place” is also built here for visitors to travel.
2.4.2 Green Gables
Green Gables are located the remoted area of Avonlea where a big red brook field is found. A long lane with around quarter of a mile connected with the town of Avonlea.
It is a beautiful place, full of orchard, plants such as rose bushes, willows, cherry-trees and green grass and vines.
I sank in such beautiful nature while I was reading this chapter. Also, I am looking forwards to seeing how Matthew and Marilla’s orphan boy would look like.