Anne of Green Gables Chapter 36 Summary

Summary

On the morning the examination results are posted at Queen’s, Anne and her friend Jane Andrews walk together, Jane confident and cheerful while Anne is pale with anxious expectation about the Avery scholarship. Crowds cheer as Gilbert Blythe is carried through the hall, which momentarily wounds Anne until someone announces, “Three cheers for Miss Shirley, winner of the Avery!” Anne flees to the girls’ dressing room amid congratulations and soon finds herself the center of delight; she and Jane then attend commencement where Anne reads the best essay and receives public recognition.

Anne returns to Green Gables with Matthew and Marilla that evening, welcomed by blossoms and her close friend Diana Barry. They talk of post-graduation plans—Anne will go to Redmond, Jane and Ruby to teaching, and Gilbert likely to teach locally—prompting Anne’s private concern about losing their rivalry. At breakfast Anne notices Matthew looks paler and Marilla reveals he has had heart trouble; they also discuss Marilla’s own worsening headaches and the recent rumor that the Abbey Bank, where their savings are held, may be unstable. Anne spends a radiant day outdoors visiting favorite haunts and ends it walking with Matthew to the pasture; he expresses deep pride in her, saying he’d rather have Anne than a dozen boys. Anne sits that night at her window, taking in the tranquil moonlight and knowing, without naming it, that the next day’s events will bring sorrow that will change her life.

Key events

1. Anne and Jane walk to Queen’s on result morning; Anne is anxious about the Avery
2. Gilbert is cheered but Anne is announced winner of the Avery scholarship
3. Commencement: Anne reads the best essay and receives public recognition
4. Anne returns to Green Gables; warm reunion with Diana and plans for the future
5. Marilla and Anne discuss Matthew’s health and the rumor about Abbey Bank
6. Anne spends a golden day visiting favorite places and shares a touching walk with Matthew

Analysis

This chapter functions as a hinge between youthful achievement and the novel’s impending turn toward more serious adult concerns. It provides the emotional payoff of Anne’s long academic striving—her winning the Avery scholarship and the public prize for essay-writing—confirming her intellectual identity and prospects (Redmond college). The celebratory scenes (the dressing-room excitement, commencement) underline community recognition and the restorative value of friendship: Jane, Diana, and Matthew and Marilla’s quiet pride contrast public applause with intimate affection.

Structurally, the chapter moves from tense anticipation to elation and then to subdued foreboding. Montgomery uses setting—apple blossoms, orchard, sunset, moonlit Snow Queen—to heighten the sense of a golden, ephemeral moment; these luminous images function symbolically as a “glory” that precedes the “dream” and hint at transience. The final paragraph explicitly foreshadows coming sorrow with a calm, elegiac tone: the night’s peace is rendered almost sacramental (“the last night before sorrow touched her life”), preparing the reader emotionally without revealing details. Narrative technique balances external events and internal reflection, allowing readers to experience Anne’s triumph and the soft anxieties about family health and finances that will complicate her future.

Important quotes

“Three cheers for Miss Shirley, winner of the Avery!”

Someone in the crowdAnnounces Anne's victory publicly and shifts her despair into triumph at Queen’s.

“I’m tired, I think—tired of being studious and ambitious. I mean to spend at least two hours tomorrow lying out in the orchard grass, thinking of absolutely nothing.”

Anne ShirleyAnne expresses relief and a desire for simple rest after intense academic effort and the excitement of her success.

“Well now, I’d rather have you than a dozen boys, Anne,”

Matthew CuthbertMatthew’s affectionate remark highlights his pride and the deep, familial bond between him and Anne.

Characters in Chapter 36

• Rachel Lynde
• Ruby Gillis
• Diana Barry
• Anne Shirley
• Gilbert Blythe
• Josie Pye
• Marilla Cuthbert
• Jane Andrews
• Matthew Cuthbert
• Emily Clay
• Stella Maynard
• Mrs. Allan
• Mr. Abbey
• Mr. Russell
• Doctor Spencer
• Miss Ames
• Mrs. Lynde