Anne of the Island · Question
How does Anne of the Island develop the theme of Change and Loss?
Answer
Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery develops Change and Loss across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The narrative deals with the inevitability of change, including the loss of childhood innocence, the death of friends like Ruby Gillis, and the transformation of familiar places and relationships as characters grow older.
The chapter is steeped in the melancholy of autumn and the impending separation from home and friends, emphasizing the bittersweet nature of transition.
The chapter marks the end of Anne's Avonlea childhood as she prepares to leave for college, with farewells and nostalgic walks.
Anne grapples with leaving Green Gables and the end of her girlhood, feeling that things will never be the same.
Evidence in the book
- The Shadow of Change
The chapter is steeped in the melancholy of autumn and the impending separation from home and friends, emphasizing the bittersweet nature of transition.
- II: Garlands of Autumn
The chapter marks the end of Anne's Avonlea childhood as she prepares to leave for college, with farewells and nostalgic walks.
- Greeting and Farewell
Anne grapples with leaving Green Gables and the end of her girlhood, feeling that things will never be the same.
- Home Again
The contrast between Anne's new life at Redmond and the enduring, yet changed, home at Green Gables.
- The Round of Life
The chapter is steeped in the awareness of change: old faces missing from church, Billy Andrews married, and most poignantly, Ruby Gillis's unrecognized decline. Anne and Diana walk through a beautiful spring evening while contemplating the fragility of life.
- The Way of Transgressors
The chapter explores the tension between childhood innocence and the growing awareness of right and wrong.
- XIV: The Summons
Ruby's impending death marks the first loss among Anne's schoolmates, emphasizing the inevitability of change.
- Miss Josephine Remembers the Anne-Girl
The chapter reflects on the loss of Ruby Gillis, Miss Josephine Barry's death, and the changing dynamics in Anne's relationships, especially with Gilbert.
