Anne of Green Gables — Chapter 12

About This Passage

This passage is the chapter's center — Anne's careful, ceremonial vow with Diana Barry. The deliberate cadence ('I solemnly swear ... as long as the sun and moon shall endure') borrows from old prayers and oaths, showing how Anne dresses ordinary friendship in language fit for a saga. Copying these lines lets the student feel how Anne's imagination shapes plain speech into ritual.

Narration Prompt

Retell the events of Chapter 12 in order, beginning with Marilla learning about Anne's flowery hat from Mrs. Rachel Lynde and ending with Marilla's confession to Matthew that she is getting fond of Anne. Include the visit to the Barrys, the bosom-friend vow, and the chocolate sweeties from Carmody.

Discussion Questions

1. When Marilla scolds Anne for the buttercup wreath, Anne answers, 'I don't see why it's any more ridiculous to wear flowers on your hat than on your dress. Lots of little girls there had bouquets pinned on their dresses. What was the difference?' The narrator says, 'Marilla was not to be drawn from the safe concrete into dubious paths of the abstract.' What does this sentence mean, and what does it tell you about Marilla's way of arguing with Anne?
2. Anne tells Marilla, 'Maybe you'd better send me back to the asylum. That would be terrible; I don't think I could endure it; most likely I would go into consumption.' Is Anne being honest about her fear, or is she being dramatic to win Marilla's sympathy, or both at once? How can you tell from the way Marilla responds?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide