The adventures of a young orphan girl, Anne from the early 19th century is adapted from ‘Anne of Green Gables‘ written by Lucy Maud Montgomery, on Netflix‘s ‘Anne With An E‘. Running for three seasons, the titles of each season are quotes from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. The series explores touching topics like feminism, identity, gender parity, and bullying. While the series follows a similar storyline to the book that millions of readers around the world love, it also charts new territory to keep up with modern times.
‘Anne with an E‘ is described as a coming-of-age story about an outsider who fights for acceptance, for her place in the world, and for love. The drama revolves around a young orphaned girl who, after an abusive childhood spent in orphanages and the homes of strangers, is mistakenly sent to live with a duo of siblings who actually wanted a boy to help with manual labor. Over time, the 13-year-old Anne transforms their lives and eventually the small town in which they live, with her unique spirit, fierce intellect, and brilliant imagination.
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Did Anne Marry Gilbert And Have Kids In ‘Anne of Green Gables’ Books?
Since the TV series is adapted from the novels written by Lucy Maud Montgomery, the readers expect the story to be on the same lines as the book. Unfortunately, the series does not have a perfect ending – but at least Anne and Gilbert confess their feelings to each other. While she heads to Queen’s College and Gilbert is at the University of Toronto, the books do not have a similar ending.
In the original book, Anne ultimately marries Gilbert Blythe, her classmate who once called her “carrots” due to her hair color and had a slate broken over his head. They settle in Glen St. Mary where Gilbert practices medicine, and they have six children – Jem, Walter, twins Nan and Di, Shirley, and Rilla. Tragically, one of them dies in infancy and three of their children fight in the First World War. In the movie adaption by Kevin Sullivan, the children do not fight the First World War, since the movie is set 20 years after the book was released.
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Themes of ‘Anna With An E’
Many classic moments from the novel are beautifully re-created by Moira Walley-Beckett. But she constructed ‘Anne with an E‘ with a slightly darker undertone than previous adaptions of ‘Anne of Green Gables‘. Anne is the protagonist whose past is dark and she suffers the consequences of PTSD. Anne’s feelings run deep, as she loves and hates with a passion. She uses imagination to get away from reality.
Anne is portrayed to be an “accidental feminist” and tries to change the world around her for good. Walley-Beckett envisioned Anne as an anti-hero, adding original backstories to her adaptation that emphasized the impact of bullying, class-based discrimination, and social isolation. Anne and the rest of the characters in and around Green Gables experience new adventures reflecting on timeless issues, including themes of identity, sexism, bullying, prejudice, and trusting oneself.
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