Anne of Green Gables Chapter 6 Summary

Summary

Marilla and Anne arrive at Mrs. Spencer's to learn why an orphan has been sent to Green Gables. Mrs. Spencer explains that a message was garbled: the Cuthberts asked for a boy, but the asylum sent a girl. Mrs. Blewett, a sharp-featured neighbor who needs domestic help, appears and volunteers to take Anne, praising the arrangement as providential. Anne is terrified at the thought of living with Mrs. Blewett and pleads with Marilla to be allowed to stay. Marilla, uneasy about handing a sensitive child to such a woman, delays any decision so she can consult Matthew.

Back at Green Gables Marilla tells Matthew what happened. Matthew warmly favors keeping Anne; Marilla, though practical and anxious about her inexperience raising a girl, accepts the responsibility as a duty. She resolves to manage the child's training firmly and to tell Anne nothing that night, not wanting to excite her, while Matthew urges kindness without spoiling. The chapter ends with Marilla reflecting on the surprising turn in their lives and anticipating the experiment of bringing up an orphan girl in their household.

Key events

1. Marilla and Anne reach Mrs. Spencer's house to investigate the adoption mix-up.
2. Mrs. Spencer reveals the message confusion: Cuthberts asked for a boy but a girl was sent.
3. Mrs. Blewett offers to take Anne home to work for her family.
4. Marilla hesitates and decides to take Anne back to consult Matthew before deciding.
5. Anne begs to stay at Green Gables rather than go to Mrs. Blewett.
6. Marilla and Matthew agree that Anne will remain, with Marilla intending to train her strictly.

Analysis

This chapter functions as a key turning point that sets the household as Anne's provisional home and frames Marilla's moral and practical stance. It contrasts two domestic models: Mrs. Blewett’s utilitarian, harsh household versus the Cuthberts’ quieter, more measured home, making the choice to keep Anne a moral decision rather than a purely convenient one. Marilla's pragmatic voice governs the narrative perspective here; through her inner reservations and outward firmness, Montgomery establishes the novel's recurring tension between duty and affection. Matthew's gentle enthusiasm provides counterpoint and foreshadows the emotional bond that will develop, while Anne's theatrical sensitivity is made explicit in her reaction to the prospect of Mrs. Blewett. Symbolically, the episode with the blinded room at Mrs. Spencer's—the cold parlor with lowered blinds—mirrors the emotional chill of the adoption question and the claustrophobic threat of being passed on; when Marilla decides to take Anne home, light returns to Anne's face, signalling hope and tentative acceptance. Narrative technique emphasizes dialogue and small domestic scenes to reveal character; the chapter advances plot without drama, instead establishing the guardianship arrangement that will shape subsequent events and character growth.

Important quotes

“I suppose we’ll stay a little while to rest the mare,” said Marilla, “but I promised Matthew I’d be home early. The fact is, Mrs. Spencer, there’s been a queer mistake somewhere, and I’ve come over to see where it is.”

Marilla CuthbertMarilla opens the visit at Mrs. Spencer's by explaining they were expecting to receive a boy from the asylum, introducing the central mix-up.

“I’d rather go back to the asylum than go to live with her,” said Anne passionately. “She looks exactly like a—like a gimlet.”

Anne ShirleyAnne reacts with horror at the prospect of living with Mrs. Blewett, revealing her sensitivity and fear of harsh treatment.

“Only be as good and kind to her as you can without spoiling her. I kind of think she’s one of the sort you can do anything with if you only get her to love you.”

Matthew CuthbertMatthew urges a gentle, loving approach to Anne, providing a foil to Marilla's stricter intentions and hinting at the relationship to come.

Characters in Chapter 6

• Mrs. Spencer
• Robert
• Nancy
• Flora Jane
• Mrs. Peter Blewett
• Marilla Cuthbert
• Anne Shirley
• Matthew Cuthbert