Anne of Green Gables — Chapter 1

Narration Prompt

Summarize the chapter's argument or narrative arc, then identify the central tension Montgomery is developing and evaluate whether she handles it honestly and effectively.

Discussion Questions

1. Montgomery's opening sentence grants consciousness to a brook — it 'probably was conscious' of Mrs. Rachel's surveillance. What philosophical claim about the relationship between nature and social order is embedded in this personification, and does the novel's subsequent treatment of Anne vindicate or complicate that claim?
2. The Cuthberts want a boy 'old enough to be of some use in doing chores right off and young enough to be trained up proper.' Is Montgomery presenting this instrumentalist view of adoption critically or descriptively — and does the distinction matter for how we read the novel's moral framework?

+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide