Current society trends put a lot of pressure on females to focus on outward appearances rather than the strengths that they possess inside. Young females are particularly vulnerable to this pressure as they strive to discover who they are and where they fit in the world. Girls need positive role models in their lives to help them sort through the pressures.
L.M. Montgomery created a role model in the main character of her novel Anne of Green Gables. The freckled redhead is characterized in a way that makes her easy to like and to identify with. Young girls who read this book will absorb her strength and may be empowered to follow her example.
Strength in the Face of Adversity
Readers are introduced to Anne Shirley as an eleven year old orphan girl. An older brother and sister, Mathew and Marilla sent for an orphan boy to help them around their farm at Green Gables and received Anne by mistake. At first they were going to send the little girl back to the orphanage but Anne won them over quickly with her personality and inner beauty.
The fact that Anne was such a lovable and agreeable little girl is a miracle in and of itself because she lived an hard, unloved, and unfair life before coming to Green Gables. This teaches young girls that even though life may throw them hardships and be extremely difficult sometimes they can still draw from their inner resources and rise above. Anne never gave up believing that there was something better for her in the future and because of her belief and her patience she found it at Green Gables.
Mistakes Can Teach Great Lessons
Anne makes many mistakes in her youth ranging from those that are funny to those that are more serious. Anne is heartbroken because of some of her mistakes but she also learns something from each and every one of them. This teaches girls that they too can learn from errors in judgement and choices that do not end up the way they would like and that they can move on and do better in the future.
Girls Can Be Smart and Competative Academically
Anne is a wonderful student and is aways at the top of her class in this novel. She manages to balance her education with great friendships and still have a lot of fun. This teaches girls that they too can do just as well as boys in school and there is nothing wrong with being smart and working hard to be the best they can. It also teaches girls that excelling in school does not mean they have to sacrifice having fun with friends and taking time for imaginative play.
Beauty is in the Eye of The Beholder
As a red headed little girl with freckels Anne struggles with disliking her looks. What she does not realize until she is a little older is many people think she is beautiful because she looks a little different. She also comes to realize that beauty resides inside as well as out and that her personality and the essence of her being make her a beautiful person in the eyes of many. This teaches girls that the way they see themselves may not be the way others see them and they should not be so hard on themselves.
Many lessons can be learned from Anne and Anne of Green Gables is a book every young female should read.
L.M. Montgomery. Anne of Green Gables. Bantam: New York, 1992.
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