1. In chapter 2, when Matthew is driving Anne back to Green　Gables, she asks him: "Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things　there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be　alive" (p. 16). Given her tragic childhood, how do you think　Anne is able to maintain such a positive attitude?

2. From the moment she arrives in Avonlea, Anne is insistent on　renaming places and inanimate things. Barry’s Pond, for example,　becomes "The Lake of Shining Waters" and Marilla’s geranium　becomes "Bonny." Why do you think she does this?　

3. Marilla gives several reasons for finally deciding to keep Anne.　What reason do you think most changed her mind?　

4. "Scope for imagination" is a characteristic that Anne treasures　highly in others. Discuss the role of imagination in the novel.　How does it shape Anne’s time at Green Gables? How does it　evolve in other characters around her?　

5. Good behavior is very important to Marilla and very difficult　for Anne. From where do you think each derives her moral　code? How do both characters change, when it comes to behavior?　Think, in particular, of Anne’s confessions.　

6. Anne is a remarkably compassionate child and is able to forgive　even those who have judged her unfairly, such as Mrs. Rachel　Lynde or Mrs. Barry. Why, then, do you think she holds such a　grudge against Gilbert Blythe?　

7. Why is it so important to Anne to have a dress with puffed　sleeves? Why is it important to Matthew?　

8. When Anne is at Queen’s College, she thinks: "All the Beyond　was hers with its possibilities lurking rosily in the oncoming　years—each year a rose of promise to be woven into an immortal　chaplet" (p. 266). How is this message both hopeful and sad?　How do you think Anne’s conceptions of the future change　throughout the book?　

9. Discuss Anne’s reaction to Matthew’s death. How do you think　it shows her maturation? How, if at all, do you think she was　prepared for it?　

10. At the end of the book, Rachel Lynde tells Marilla, "There’s a　good deal of the child about her yet in some ways," and Marilla　responds by saying, "There’s a good deal more of the woman　about her in others" (p. 285). What do you make of her comment?　How has Anne changed during her time at Green　Gables? How has she stayed the same?