Anne of Green Gables Chapter 27 Summary

Summary

Marilla returns home one spring evening expecting tea and finds Anne missing and the fire out; annoyed, she anticipates scolding the girl for disobeying instructions. When she finally discovers Anne upstairs, Anne is in despair because she has dyed her red hair and the dye has gone a ghastly green. Marilla learns that Anne bought the dye from a traveling peddler who assured her it would turn her hair raven black; Anne, moved by his story, paid fifty cents and followed the directions, only to be miserably disappointed.

Anne scrubs her hair daily but the dye proves persistent. After a week Marilla decides the only recourse is to cut Anne’s hair off; Anne endures the close shingling and weeps over the loss of her long curls, imagining public ridicule and ruin to her prospects. At school her clipped hair causes comment—Josie Pye calls her a scarecrow—but nobody guesses the true cause. Anne resolves to embrace humility and goodness, promising Marilla (and herself) to avoid vanity; Diana alone keeps the secret, and Marilla’s softening attitude toward Anne’s chatter is hinted at as she lies suffering from headaches.

Key events

1. Marilla comes home to find Anne absent and the fire out; she is annoyed.
2. Marilla finds Anne in despair; Anne has dyed her hair and it turned green.
3. Anne explains she bought the dye from a peddler who promised raven-black results.
4. Anne washes and shampoos daily but the dye will not come out.
5. Marilla decides to cut Anne’s hair; Anne’s long curls are shingled off.
6. Anne faces taunts at school but keeps the reason secret; she vows to be good.

Analysis

This chapter functions as a comic yet revealing episode that deepens characterization and advances themes of vanity, identity, and moral education. Anne’s impulsive decision to alter her appearance springs from adolescent longing to conform to an ideal of beauty and from a romantic imagination that trusts gestures and stories; the result—green hair—deflates her pretensions and forces a painful, public lesson. Marilla’s practical, stern response contrasts with Matthew’s gentleness and underscores the household’s balance of discipline and affection. The chapter also dramatizes the tension between Anne’s vivid inner life and the pragmatic community judgment she fears.

Structurally, the incident serves as a small reversal: Anne’s hopes for transformation are comically thwarted, producing social awkwardness that tests relationships and reveals moral growth. The peddler episode introduces ambiguous adult influence—his persuasive tale and the false promise of the dye suggest the dangers of misplaced trust. Symbolically, Anne’s hair—its color, length, and eventual absence—stands in for pride, femininity, and the costs of social aspiration; cutting the hair is both punishment and rite of humility. Montgomery’s narrative voice mixes sympathy and gentle irony, allowing readers to laugh at the mishap while recognizing its instructive emotional stakes.

Important quotes

“Look at my hair, Marilla," she whispered.”

Anne ShirleyAnne reveals her distress and asks Marilla to inspect her hair before explaining what has happened.

“Anne Shirley, what have you done to your hair? Why, it’s green!”

Marilla CuthbertMarilla’s astonished reaction when she sees the dye’s disastrous result and realizes Anne’s misadventure.

“I’ll never, never look at myself again until my hair grows," she exclaimed passionately.”

Anne ShirleyAfter Marilla shingled off her hair, Anne vows to punish herself and contemplates the loss of her beauty.

Characters in Chapter 27

• Marilla Cuthbert
• Matthew Cuthbert
• Anne Shirley
• Diana Barry
• Mrs. Allan
• Rachel Lynde
• Josie Pye
• Miss Stacy
• the peddler