Pollyanna · Chapter
Pollyanna and Punishments explained
Pollyanna goes shopping for a new wardrobe with Aunt Polly, then spends the evening talking with Old Tom and Nancy.
What happens
Pollyanna goes shopping for a new wardrobe with Aunt Polly, then spends the evening talking with Old Tom and Nancy. Later, unable to sleep in her hot attic room, she climbs out onto the sun-parlor roof to sleep in the cool night air, using winter clothing bags as bedding. Aunt Polly, discovering her, is shocked but ultimately brings Pollyanna to sleep in her own bed, once again finding her punishment interpreted as a reward.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because Jimmy directly confronts Miss Polly with the revelation that her p…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- The Glad Game
Pollyanna unconsciously plays the Glad Game when comforting Nancy about her name, and later when she is glad the screens didn't come so she could sleep on the roof.
- Duty and Obligation
Aunt Polly feels it is her duty to keep Pollyanna safe, even as her punishments are repeatedly misinterpreted as rewards.
Characters to notice
- Pollyanna Whittier
Delighted by the shopping trip and the new clothes; plays the Glad Game unconsciously with Nancy; escapes the hot attic to sleep on the roof, using fur coats as bedding.
- Aunt Polly Harrington
Takes Pollyanna shopping; discovers her on the roof and is both stern and helpless as her punishment is again taken as a reward; ultimately brings Pollyanna to sleep in her own bed.
- Nancy
Talks with Pollyanna on the back porch, shares her dislike of her name, and is cheered by Pollyanna's story about Mrs. White's name.
- Old Tom
Tells Pollyanna wonderful stories about her mother in the garden.
- Timothy Durgin
Drives Pollyanna and Aunt Polly to the stores; later responds to Aunt Polly's alarm and discovers Pollyanna on the roof.
Key passages
“When you haven’t had anybody but missionary barrels and Ladies’ Aiders to dress you, it is perfectly lovely to just walk right in and buy clothes that are brand-new, and that don’t have to be tucked up or let down because they don’t fit!”
Pollyanna expresses joy at being able to buy new clothes that fit properly, unlike the hand-me-downs she used to receive.
Highlights Pollyanna's gratitude for the shopping trip and her new wardrobe.
“Well, anyhow, you can be glad it isn’t ‘Hephzibah.’”
Pollyanna comforts Nancy by pointing out that her name could be worse, like Mrs. White's name Hephzibah.
Demonstrates Pollyanna's instinctive use of the Glad Game to cheer others.
“I’m so glad now that the screens didn’t come; else I couldn’t have had this!”
Pollyanna is grateful for the lack of screens because it allowed her to sleep outside on the roof.
Shows Pollyanna's ability to find joy in an uncomfortable situation.
