Anne of Green Gables — Chapter 6

Narration Prompt

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

Discussion Questions

1. Marilla's decision arises from seeing Anne's face — 'the misery of a helpless little creature caught in the trap.' Levinas argued that the face of the other constitutes an ethical demand that precedes reason. Does Montgomery's novel endorse a Levinasian account of moral obligation — that seeing suffering creates an unavoidable ethical claim — or is something more calculated operating beneath Marilla's apparent moral perception?
2. Mrs. Spencer calls Mrs. Blewett's arrival 'positively providential' while the narrator tells us Marilla 'did not look as if she thought Providence had much to do with the matter.' This is the novel's most explicit moment of dramatic irony about theodicy. What does Montgomery's deployment of the word 'providential' reveal about her stance toward the theological framework her characters invoke?

+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide