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Anne of Green Gables · Theme

Imagination and Creativity

How Anne of Green Gables develops Imagination and Creativity.

Anne's vivid imagination is central to her character, allowing her to transform ordinary life into something beautiful and to cope with hardship, though it often clashes with the practical, rigid expectations of Avonlea society.

Where it surfaces

  • Matthew Cuthbert Is Surprised

    Anne's vivid imagination is central to the chapter, as she describes sleeping in a wild cherry tree, imagining marble halls, and creating stories about other orphans.

  • III: Marilla Cuthbert Is Surprised

    Anne's imaginative naming of places (e.g., 'White Way of Delight') and her desire to be called 'Cordelia' highlight her creative escape from harsh reality.

  • Morning at Green Gables

    Anne's vivid imagination is on full display as she names the cherry tree 'Snow Queen,' the geranium 'Bonny,' and imagines staying at Green Gables forever.

  • Anne’s History

    Anne uses her imagination to cope with her harsh past, envisioning her parents' house and finding comfort in romantic thoughts.

  • Anne Says Her Prayers

    Anne transforms the act of prayer into a creative, personal expression, thanking God for her own poetic names for places and crafting a prayer that feels genuine to her imaginative spirit.

  • Anne’s Bringing-Up Is Begun

    Anne's vivid imagination is central, as she creates imaginary friends like Katie Maurice and Violetta, and daydreams about being the Lady Cordelia Fitzgerald.

  • Anne's Apology

    Anne uses her imagination to cope with confinement, envisioning herself as the wind and finding solace in nature.

  • XI: Anne's Impressions of Sunday-School

    Anne uses her imagination to transform her plain dress into a white muslin with puffed sleeves and to find beauty in the Lake of Shining Waters during the long prayer.

  • XII: A Solemn Vow and Promise

    Anne's imaginative nature is evident in her naming the spring 'Dryad's Bubble' and her elaborate plans for a playhouse, reflecting her creative spirit.

  • XIII: The Delights of Anticipation

    Anne's vivid imagination is central: she names their playhouse Idlewild, creates a fairy glass story, and insists that anticipation is half the pleasure of any event.

  • XIV: Anne's Confession

    Anne's dramatic reaction to losing the picnic and her romanticized view of the brooch highlight her vivid imagination and its clash with reality.

  • XIX: A Concert, a Catastrophe, and a Confession

    Anne uses her imagination to cope with disappointment and to craft a persuasive confession to Miss Barry.

  • A Good Imagination Gone Wrong

    Anne's vivid imagination creates the Haunted Wood, but its excess leads to real fear and a lesson in tempering fantasy with reality.

  • A New Departure in Flavourings

    Anne's imaginative thoughts about dryads and rainbows contrast with Diana's more practical views.

  • Miss Stacy and Her Pupils Get Up a Concert

    Anne's vivid imagination is evident in her excitement about the concert, her dramatic recitations, and her detailed descriptions of the tableau and costumes.

  • The Story Club Is Formed

    Anne and her friends form a story club, writing imaginative tales. Anne's story 'The Jealous Rival' showcases her creative flair, though Marilla dismisses it as 'stuff and nonsense.'

  • An Unfortunate Lily Maid

    Anne and her friends dramatize Tennyson's poem, showing their imaginative play and love for romantic stories.

  • An Epoch in Anne's Life

    Anne notes that wealth and grandeur leave 'no scope for imagination,' highlighting her creative spirit.

  • The Queen's Class Is Organized

    Anne's lively fancy builds 'glittering castles in Spain' as she dreams by the fire, and she vows to let her imagination 'run riot' during vacation before she must leave childhood behind.