Anne Is Angry: Female Beauty and the Transformative Power of Cruelty in L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables

Abstract

This essay examines the ways in which cruelty is a large part of Anne’s character in L. M. Montgomery’s novel. While scholars have tended to see Anne’s charm and whimsical ways as that which effectively wins over the larger Avonlea community, I argue that it is a “bewitching” quality that is responsible for her integration into society. As an orphan who comes to Avonlea under a cloud of suspicion, Anne does in fact display a significant amount of violence and cruelty. It is this cruelty, combined with her status as an abandoned orphan, that makes her not simply a charming character but a “bewitching” character whose dark side makes her quite attractive to staunch moralists who have tended to repress their sexuality. The essay argues that the novel promotes a narrative in which bookish girls can, by developing a mean streak, make themselves more much more compelling than conventionally beautiful women.