Reality vs Imagination in Anne of Green Gables
A Look at Fantasy in L.M. Montgomery’s Lovable Red-Heade
Nov 27, 2008
LM Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables is a wonderfully crafted heroine who possesses the perfect combination of humanistic charm and original quirks. While Anne lets her imagination run wild, diving into escapism as often as she can, the reality around her is not always so bright.
The Imaginative World
As a child, Anne’s world is filled with fictional stories featuring colourful characters, eternal love, tragic loss and dramatic plotlines. She is passionate; she is romantic; however, she is also hiding from the truth. Anne’s extreme emotions and unwavering dreams make life much brighter. However, they also interfere with the reality and social expectations around her.
For example, Anne is often distracted by her daydreams, allowing her mind to wander from the reality of cooking and chores into the colourful world of fantasy. On one occasion this leads to her ruining a cake. In a more serious situation, her imagination leads to a near drowning in an attempt to act out a poem. Furthermore, this escapism causes conflict with Avonlea and Marilla who do not understand Anne’s desire to escape into fantasy. While society expects a lady to be refined, obedient and submissive, Anne cannot help but step outside the social boundaries and into the fantasy world.
The Truth behind Anne’s Reality
Anne’s main pleasure comes from over exaggerating reality. If she is not daydreaming, then she is manipulating the reality around her into something it is not. The woods become haunted, Mr Phillips become a tragic figure, and the world around her becomes a stage.
The main problem with escapism that Anne must face is that it can cause extreme disappointment in reality. Because Anne goes through her childhood creating momentous scenarios, she may come to expect these things in the future. When her fantasy life does not come true, she will face disappointment with society.
Anne’s sentiment and melodrama can also stem from the loss of her parents. Anne was faced with an unexpected and emotional death as a young girl and, in some ways, knows the cruel truth about the reality around her. Instead of facing that pain, she chooses a play world where real emotions are not involved. Furthermore through her fantasies, Anne is able to control the world around her and ensure that sentiment, rather than actual emotion, exists.
Coming of Age and Coming out of Fantasy
As Anne grows up, she transforms into a fully developed young woman. She is able to put aside her extreme romanticism and come into the socially acceptable reality around her. It is through her fantasy world that Anne is able to find her place in reality.
Furthermore, the fantasy world has also allowed her to understand the cycle of life. Any young girl would be confused with death, especially when it is her parents. Anne takes this tragedy and mixes it with fantasy. When Matthew dies, she is able to cope and handle the loss with restraint, dignity and mature acceptance.
Using Anne, L.M. Montgomery explores the world of a child. Through the imaginative world of Anne’s childhood, readers get a glimpse into the pain she has endured. Furthermore, it is through this childhood fantasy world that Anne is able to find the perfect compromise between the pleasures of life and the acceptance of death.
Works Consulted:
Montgomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables: 100th Anniversary Edition. New York: Putnam Adult, 2008.
 |
