Write your own Anne of Green Gables story

Anne Shirley

An orphan girl of about eleven with bright red hair, green-gray eyes, freckles, and a thin, expressive face. She is intensely imaginative, talkative, and romantic, constantly renaming places and people to suit her inner vision. She was recently living in an asylum in Hopeton, Nova Scotia, before being mistakenly sent to the Cuthberts in place of a boy. She longs desperately for a real home and to belong somewhere.

Matthew Cuthbert

A shy, elderly farmer of sixty living at Green Gables with his sister Marilla. He is quiet, bearded, and deeply uncomfortable around strangers and women, yet shows unexpected gentleness and warmth. He was the one who travelled to Bright River to collect the expected orphan boy and found Anne instead, quickly becoming charmed by her spirit. His heart troubles him and he rarely volunteers information or assertiveness, deferring mostly to Marilla.

Marilla Cuthbert

Matthew's tall, thin, angular sister who keeps Green Gables immaculately clean and runs the household with rigid practicality and strict conscience. She is not unkind but is deeply unsentimental and distrustful of imagination and excess emotion. She agreed to adopt a boy to help Matthew on the farm and is initially set on returning Anne to the asylum, though hints of a dry humor suggest she may soften.

Mrs. Rachel Lynde

A formidable and supremely capable Avonlea matron who lives at Lynde's Hollow on the main road, where she can observe all traffic in and out of the village. She manages her own household efficiently while also minding everyone else's business, leading the Sewing Circle and supporting the Church Aid Society. She is the first to learn of the Cuthberts' plan to adopt an orphan and disapproves loudly, warning of dangers with relish.

Thomas Lynde

Mrs. Rachel Lynde's meek, quiet husband, described by Avonlea folk primarily as 'Rachel Lynde's husband.' He is a minor background presence, seen sowing turnip seed while his wife keeps watch from the window.

Mrs. Alexander Spencer

An Avonlea woman who arranged the adoption from the Nova Scotia orphan asylum and was responsible for bringing Anne to Bright River station. She apparently misunderstood or miscommunicated the Cuthberts' request for a boy, delivering Anne instead. She is described as someone who wouldn't hesitate to adopt a whole orphan asylum on a whim.

Diana Barry

A girl of about eleven who lives at Orchard Slope near Green Gables, daughter of Mr. Barry. She has not yet appeared in person but is mentioned as a potential neighbour and companion for Anne. Her name was given by a schoolmaster who boarded with the family.

Green Gables

The Cuthbert family farmhouse, set at the far edge of cleared land away from the main Avonlea road, surrounded by orchards of apple and cherry trees, a brook, birches, and willows. It is meticulously clean and slightly isolated, giving it a quiet, almost austere character. The house has a kitchen, a spare room, a hall, and an east gable room where Anne spends her first night. It sits barely visible from the main road, reflecting the Cuthbert family's preference for privacy.

Avonlea

A small, tight-knit farming community on a triangular peninsula jutting into the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Prince Edward Island. All traffic in or out must pass over a single hill road, making it easy for observant residents to monitor comings and goings. The community is socially active with institutions like a Sewing Circle, Sunday-school, and Church Aid Society.

Lynde's Hollow

A small hollow on the Avonlea main road where Mrs. Rachel Lynde's house sits, fringed with alders and lady's eardrops and traversed by a brook. Its position on the main road gives Mrs. Lynde a commanding view of all village traffic. The brook that runs through it originates in the woods of the Cuthbert property.

Bright River

A village and railway station approximately eight miles from Avonlea, where Matthew travels to collect the orphan boy and instead finds Anne. It has a small hotel and a station platform. It serves as the entry point onto Prince Edward Island from the mainland ferry.

The White Way of Delight

Anne's romantic name for a stretch of road near Newbridge, several hundred yards long and completely canopied by old, wide-spreading apple trees in full white bloom. The original name is simply 'the Avenue,' given by Newbridge locals. Anne considers it the first thing she has ever seen that imagination could not improve upon.

The Lake of Shining Waters

Anne's name for Barry's Pond, a long winding body of water near Green Gables spanned by a bridge. It displays shifting colours of crocus, rose, and green at dusk. The officially accepted name is Barry's Pond, named after the Barry family whose farm, Orchard Slope, sits nearby.

Orchard Slope

The Barry family farm located near the Lake of Shining Waters, not far from Green Gables. It is the home of Mr. Barry and his daughter Diana. A large bush behind it blocks the view of Green Gables from the pond road.

Hopeton Orphan Asylum

The Nova Scotia orphan asylum where Anne spent at least four months before being sent to Prince Edward Island. She describes it as a place with little scope for imagination and only skimpy provisions. It is overseen by a matron who made the children's plain nightgowns and uniforms of donated yellowish-gray wincey cloth.

Avonlea Sewing Circle

A community organisation run by Mrs. Rachel Lynde, bringing together Avonlea women for communal sewing and social interaction. It is one of the key social institutions through which village women exercise influence and share information.

Church Aid Society and Foreign Missions Auxiliary

A church-affiliated charitable organisation in Avonlea in which Mrs. Rachel Lynde plays a leading role. It reflects the strongly Protestant, community-minded religious culture of the village.

Anne's Carpet-Bag

An old, shabby, old-fashioned carpet-bag that contains all of Anne's worldly possessions. The handle is unreliable and must be carried in a specific way to prevent it from pulling out. Anne carries it protectively throughout her journey from the asylum to Green Gables.

The Sorrel Mare and Buggy

Matthew Cuthbert's horse and buggy, used to make the eight-mile trip to Bright River and back. The appearance of Matthew taking the buggy and wearing his best white collar is what first alerts Mrs. Lynde that something unusual is afoot. The vehicle serves as the setting for Anne and Matthew's first extended conversation.

Orphan Labour Custom

In this era and region, it was not uncommon for farming families to take in orphan children from asylums to serve as farm helpers. Families could send word through intermediaries to asylum administrators specifying age and gender preferences. The practice was viewed with a mixture of pragmatism and suspicion by the community, with cautionary tales circulating about orphans who proved dangerous or dishonest.

Prince Edward Island Geography and Character

Prince Edward Island is portrayed as a place of exceptional natural beauty, with red clay roads, apple orchards in bloom, winding ponds, fir and maple groves, and proximity to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The island has a distinct local identity; Marilla considers Nova Scotia children preferable to English 'Home children' or American immigrants. The ferry crossing from the mainland is the standard route of arrival.

Anne's Imaginative Name-Giving

Anne has a strong personal practice of renaming places and people that displease or bore her, creating a private romantic geography layered over the real one. Examples include the White Way of Delight, the Lake of Shining Waters, and her preference to be called Cordelia. She insists her own name be spelled Anne with an E, as it looks more distinguished. This habit reflects her coping mechanism for an impoverished and unstable childhood.

Events Leading to Anne's Arrival

Mrs. Alexander Spencer visited Green Gables before Christmas and mentioned she planned to adopt a girl from the Hopeton asylum in spring. Over the winter Matthew and Marilla decided to request a boy of about ten or eleven through Mrs. Spencer. Word was sent via Richard Spencer's family in Carmody. A telegram arrived the day of the story's opening confirming the arrival on the five-thirty train at Bright River. Due to a miscommunication, Anne—a girl—was sent instead of a boy.