Long before I could read the books or even fully grasp the plot, I used to spend entire weekends fully immersed in the musings of Anne Shirley and her life at Green Gables. Anne of Green Gables held friends and scenes I could fall back into weekend after weekend to escape whatever reality was currently playing out around me. I loved Gilbert Blythe. I ached for a “bosom friend” like Diana Berry. And I was absolutely sure I would fit in perfectly with life on a farm like Green Gables.
Not everything from my childhood in the ’90s held up, though. Many of the TV shows I watched then would now be considered, well, cringe. Many of the girls I looked up to in my younger days don’t uphold my current modern-day feminist beliefs. Still, Anne and all of Avonlea have always held a special place in my heart.
As autumn in the Midwest grew nearer this year, I began itching for the bold, colorful scenery L.M. Montgomery wrote about in the Anne of Green Gables series of books and that Kevin Sullivan captured perfectly in his cinematic retelling of her stories. That’s when I remembered that my very sweet partner replaced the clunky VHS box sets with the sleek DVD version, so I decided it was time to crack them open. But would Anne’s story clinch my now-cynical, 30-something heart in 2024 the way it did as a preteen in 1990-something?
Only one way to find out.
Things change… but not the enduring appeal of our girl Anne.
After several glorious hours watching the entire trilogy (Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, and Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story), I can confirm: Anne Shirley is ~still~ a feminist icon.
No, Anne and her friends would not pass the Bechdel test. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, feminism was hardly at the top of women’s discussions. Marriage was still seen as the only way for upward advancement or even sustainment for women. The girls of Avonlea School — Anne, Diana, Josie, Prissy, etc. — were transfixed with boys because that’s all they were taught to worry about. Looking beyond their conversations, however, you can easily fit many of the women of Avonlea under a list of feminists, with Anne at the very top.
Anne is fierce and focused from the start.
From nearly the get-go, Anne is depicted as strong and capable, being tasked with jobs from caregivers that go beyond just the typical housewife/babysitter jobs. When she reaches the Cuthberts in Green Gables, who want a boy, Anne makes no bones about the fact that she can be just as useful as any boy. She even laments that she’d rather do those tasks than be stuck in another family full of babies she has to care for.
Once she learns that she’ll stay in Green Gables and go to school, Anne’s feminist journey truly begins. While you could easily write Anne’s grudge against Gilbert Blythe as only vanity, it still took a level of courage and self-awareness you don’t often see from young girls of that era. Gilbert was the boy all the girls wanted, but Anne refused to lose her head and let down her guard around him. As they grew older and their relationship turned competitive, Anne stayed committed to her studies because they mattered to her.
Anne’s feminist journey didn’t stop at Avonlea School. While many other girls used their time at the local school and the nearby college to hunt for their future spouse, Anne focused on a career. While she eventually eased up on Gil and allowed friendship (maybe even attraction), she continued to put her career and personal goals ahead of romance. As her friends found love and married off, Anne remained her own person, continuing her studies and working. She wasn’t interested in putting marriage before her work, and she didn’t let that cloud her judgment or allow herself to grow bitter. She stayed happy and fulfilled as an individual.
Anne isn’t the only feminist character, either.
So many of the women of Avonlea built up and supported Anne and other girls on their quest for greatness.
Even nosy neighbor Rachel Lynde’s toughness eventually eased into encouragement as Anne grew and flew. And you can’t shrug off Diana’s steadfast friendship. Though she often clung to the values and traditions of the time, she remained at Anne’s side emotionally and supportively, even as she steered away from those same traditions. Let’s not forget that Anne’s very first time getting published was all due to Diana entering Anne’s writing in a contest! Then there was Anne’s second schoolteacher, Miss Stacy, who pushed Anne to focus and work hard and eventually helped her land her job at the girls’ school.
Perhaps Anne’s biggest feminist role model, though, was none other than Marilla Cuthbert. Marilla was lovely and not entirely without means. She had no reason to buck tradition and not marry. Yet, she remained single.
When Anne arrived, Marilla admittedly had difficulty letting go of the idea that only a boy could help on the farm. However, she was also the one leading Green Gables and making most of the decisions for the family homestead. She chose to send Anne to school when it wasn’t a requirement then, especially for young girls. And she regularly encouraged Anne to do better, push harder, and chase her dreams.
After dozens of rewatches, I cannot remember a single time Marilla ever pushed Anne to marry instead of following her career. The same could not be said for many of the other older women in Avonlea and beyond.
Anne’s feminism grows with her.
As Anne’s story continues, so do her bold acts of feminism. As an adult, she moves to New York “with Gilbert” but lives on her own and continues to put her career first. She happily “mouths off” to anyone who doesn’t take her seriously and forces the stubborn men around her at the publishing company to listen to her.
During the war, when Diana’s husband goes missing and Anne has not seen or heard from Gilbert in ages, she doesn’t sink into the “depths of despair.” Anne joins up with the Red Cross and infiltrates herself into the war to find her true love. Along the way, she saves a baby from certain death, befriends two women entertainers, finds Diana’s husband, comes face-to-face with Nazis, and even ends up working for the foreign press. (Yes, Anne and Gil eventually find their way back to each other!)
The story centers a romance rooted in respect.
From the moment Gilbert Blythe lays eyes on Anne Shirley, not a single other girl means anything to him. It’s what many of us want from love. But they spend years skirting around romance and putting their scholarly and professional goals first. Gil even switches teaching assignments with Anne, putting her needs before his and letting her take the school closer to home.
Their eventual relationship is built on friendship, equality, and respect. While the passion might have started in the form of a grudge held against Gil, it’s there throughout their lives together and becomes something too undeniable for either of them. Anne and Gil are the very definition of a “slow burn” romance.
When you mix their enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story with the adventures that unfold in Anne’s young life, there’s no denying that Anne of Green Gables — the films and the books — is both romantic and feminist. That’s hard to come by in any era.
