Imagination and the Female Orphan Archetype in L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables

Abstract

I refer to stories woven from archetypal elements as “special stories.” It is useful to identify this special type of story as one that has the potential to act as an important psychological tool for individuals. Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables is just such a narrative. The story’s archetypal nature lies in the title character Anne Shirley’s embodiment of the female orphan archetype. Anne engages with the world through a facility with archetypal qualities and powers that are often underrepresented and/or undervalued in our Western, capitalist, patriarchal culture. Anne’s special story shows how non-traditional types of power can support those who appear to be the most powerless. The female orphan archetype’s non-traditional powers include an avid curiosity about and passionate love of life, a determined belief in the inherent goodness of life, a well-tended relationship with nature, and an optimistic yet functional belief in possibility — all fueled and supported by a creative and skillful imagination, which is the focus of this paper.