Thread by @lainasparetime

Alright, it's 2:30, so let's get down to Anne-ing... this was a weird sentence. Anyways, it's #LainaReadsAnne!

#LainaReadsAnne So, remember Mrs Rachel Lynde from the first chapter? After Anne has been at Green Gables for two weeks, she's arrived to... snoop, basically, because she's nosy.

She's been unable to do so until now due to "grippe" aka the flu.

#LainaReadsAnne Also it's probably June now.

Anne has been exploring Green Gables and the surrounding area and is seriously in love with the nature, which is described wonderfully. She has time to play like a normal kid, and that might be a first for her.

#LainaReadsAnne She talks the ears off Matthew and Marilla about what she sees. Matthew enjoys her chatter and Marilla permits until she finds "herself becoming too interested in it" which is kind of adorable.

#LainaReadsAnne Mrs Rachel spends a great deal of time talking to Marilla about her illness in great detail. And it's so funny how the narrative clearly doesn't like her.

#LainaReadsAnne Mrs Rachel asks if they couldn't send Anne back. Marilla says probably, but they decided not to because Matthew took a fancy to her. And Marilla admits that though she has her faults, the house seems different already and Anne is a "bright little thing".

#LainaReadsAnne Marilla didn't actually mean to say all that, but she saw the disapproval in Mrs Rachel's eyes.

Another piece of evidence for that "Secret Soft Spots of Marilla Cuthbert" essay.

#LainaReadsAnne Mrs Rachel tries to fearmonger more about how "a child like that" will turn out ending with "but I don't want to discourage you".

Marilla dryly responds that she's not discouraged, and says, "When I make up my mind to do a thing, it stays made up."

#LainaReadsAnne Which is basically what I've been saying for a while. That is very much one of the foundations of Marilla's personality.

#LainaReadsAnne Anne comes in from playing and Mrs Rachel, having heard how much they like this child and how highly they think of her, immediately calls her ugly.

Lovely woman. Should go meet up with a Mrs Thomas and Mrs Hammond. I'm sure they'd get along wonderfully.

#LainaReadsAnne The narrative gets sarcastic here in the best way possible. "Mrs Rachel was one of those delightful and popular people who pride themselves on speaking their mind without fear or favour."

Buuuuuurn.

#LainaReadsAnne Also, seriously, you're going to insult her for being skinny? She's an ORPHAN. Maybe take a hint that she hasn't had enough to eat over her life.

#LainaReadsAnne This is a part I really don't like. Anne calls her "fat and clumsy" and the narrative describes her as "always waddling".

If it's not okay for Mrs Rachel to insult Anne for her weight, then it's not okay for Anne to insult Mrs Rachel for HER weight.

#LainaReadsAnne It's just very unnecessary.

#LainaReadsAnne Anne is reasonably angry though! She declares she hates Mrs Rachel and asks how dare she be so rude.

Also reasonably, Marilla sends Anne to her room. Then, rather unexpectedly (to herself), she scolds Mrs Rachel for insulting Anne's looks!

#LainaReadsAnne Marilla says Anne needs to have a talking to, but Mrs Rachel WAS too hard on her.

And this I think is again very reasonable. Anne really can't go around yelling at everyone who insults her, because, unfairly or not, she will get a reputation that way.

#LainaReadsAnne Yeah it kinda sucks, but that is kind of part of Marilla's responsibilities in raising a child, is teaching her this kind of stuff.

#LainaReadsAnne (Child death/child abuse tw)

Mrs Rachel has "brought up ten children and buried two" and she suggests whipping Anne with a birch switch instead of the talking-to Marilla has planned.

Charming.

#LainaReadsAnne Mrs Rachel leaves in a huff and Marilla goes to talk to Anne.

Marilla is more embarassed than anything and has no idea how to punish Anne. She points out Anne has called herself everything Mrs Rachel said.

#LainaReadsAnne Anne replies there's a difference between saying a thing yourself and having others say it because you hope others don't think it so.

Suddenly Marilla remembers a time when she overheard an aunt say, "what a pity she is such a dark, homely little thing".

#LainaReadsAnne It's a memory that has taken until she was fifty to not hurt so much.

She admits Mrs Rachel wasn't right in saying what she did, but Anne can't be rude back.

Again, I don't think this is unreasonable.

#LainaReadsAnne There's a time and a place for everything. Anne's temper can be a tool when something really unjust is happening, but if you fly off the handle every time someone insults you even a little, people are going to judge you for that.

#LainaReadsAnne And maybe that's not that unfair? If someone calls you a name and you beat them up, say, you're not in the right because you were insulted.

And honestly Anne needs to learn the balance.

#LainaReadsAnne As punishment, Marilla decides that Anne must go and apologize to Mrs Rachel and ask for her forgiveness.

This is honestly a very fitting punishment because it's the absolute last thing Anne wants to do. And this is a relatively small stakes thing!

#LainaReadsAnne I actually think this is a pretty good example? Almost a natural consequence. If Anne has to apologize to a neighbour to smooth things over, and really doesn't like that, maybe it'll make her think about whether the next time is WORTH losing her temper.

#LainaReadsAnne Anne very dramatically says she can't. Seriously, she says they can lock her in a damp, dark dungeon with toads and snakes before she'll do it!

Marilla dryly says they're not in the habit of doing that and dungeons are scarce in Avonlea so she'll stay in her room

#LainaReadsAnne Marilla leaves Anne in her room and she's as angry with herself as with Anne because every time she remembers the look on Mrs Rache's face, she finds herself wanting to laugh about it.

And that's where we end the chapter!

#LainaReadsAnne And I'm just going to leave it here that each of these chapter recaps take at least an hour, usually more like 2 hours, to do. So if you appreciate them, maybe drop a tip in ye ol' tip jar ko-fi.com/A0602GN