Category: Read My Shelf

Reading on…

This chapter was so humorous and in some ways enlightening. Anne meets Marilla’s dear friend Rachel Lynde for the first time and unfortunately, it doesn’t go well.  I wonder if Rachel was so rude because of the way children were viewed in those days? Maybe like they are to be seen and not heard? Today, we are SO ultra-sensitive about what we say to children, almost TOO sensitive, in some ways. A few things that jumped out to me was that Rachel had raised 10 children! I didn’t remember that tidbit. I also noticed a growth and softening in Marilla, even towards Rachel, and it seems to me it is from Anne’s influence. Maybe it’s because of love. Marilla’s heart gradually growing three sizes bigger from just being around Anne’s cheerful, optimistic disposition. Anne is so frightfully emotional and I feel a bit of Marilla’s exasperation about how in the world to deal with emotions in children and those around us. It’s easy to want react emotionally back instead of responding rationally and calmly. I thinking particularly of my young adult children.

Anything you liked about this chapter?

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Continuing our reading…

There are a few parts in this chapter that I just love. I’m noticing over and over again, that Marilla needed Anne much more than Anne needed her! Anne just brings so much life and beauty into Marilla’s life.

Marilla’s stern, hard-nosed Calvinism in the face of Anne’s questioning, open, dreamy state is such an interesting contrast. I just adore this moment.

She found Anne standing motionless before a picture hanging on the wall between two windows, with her hands clasped behind her, her face uplifted, and her eyes astar with dreams. The white and green light strained through apple trees and clustering vines outside fell over the rapt little figure with a half-unearthly radiance.

“Anne, whatever are you thinking of?” demanded Marilla sharply.

Anne came back to earth with a start.

“That,” she said, pointing to the picture-a rather vivid chromo entitled, “Christ Blessing Little Children”-“and I was just imagining I was one of them- that I was the little girl in the blue dress, standing off by herself in the corner as if she didn’t belong to anybody, like me. She looks lonely and sad, don’t you think? I guess she hadn’t any father or mother of her own. But she wanted to be blessed, too, so she just crept shyly up on the outside of the crowd, hoping nobody would notice her-except Him. I’m sure I know just how she felt. Her heart must have beat and her hands must have got cold, like mind did when I asked you if I could stay. She was afraid He mightn’t notice her. But it’s likely He did, don’t you think: I’ve been trying to imagine it all out – her edging a little nearer all the time until she was quite close to Him; and then He would look at her and put His hand on her hair and oh, such a thrill of joy as would run over her! But I wish the artist hadn’t painted Him so sorrowful looking. All His pictures are like that, if you’ve noticed. But I don’t believe He could really have looked so sad or the children would have been afraid of Him.” 

pg 55-56 ❤

Marilla calls these observations irreverent!!!! Anne is astonished because she really felt moved spiritually by this art. In the same vein, Marilla demands her learn the Lord’s Prayer because she is next to “heathen” and Anne looks on it lovingly as poetry! Oh my, it just makes me think how too often I despise the open, fresh way my children look at things, instead demanding some dogmatic adherence to what I think. In reality, the faith and relationship between Anne and the Lord here seems miles ahead of Marilla, in my humble opinion.

Any thoughts on this chapter? There are many other beautiful passages in here. Sigh. 🙂

 

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