Anne，s Spiritual Journey in Anne of Green Gables

Wang+Jun

【Abstract】Lucy Maud Montgomery （1847-1942） is an outstanding Canadian writer. She is famed especially because of her novel Anne of Green Gables. The novel narrates a story about Anne， a freckled and imaginative red-haired girl. Montgomery shapes the spiritual journey of Anne from the period of an orphan to the period of a mature lady by employing Freuds personality theory.

【Key words】Freud； Anne； id； ego

【摘要】露西·莫德·蒙哥马利（1847-1942）是加拿大著名的女作家，她因《绿山墙的安妮》而一举成名。《绿山墙的安妮》描述了一个满脸雀斑又沉湎于幻想的红发女孩安妮。蒙哥马利塑造了安妮从孤儿到成熟女性转变的心理历程。本文拟通过弗洛伊德的人格理论的角度出发，对《绿山墙的安妮》中的主要人物安妮的心灵历程进行论述分析。

【关键词】弗洛伊德 安妮 本我 自我

The Canadian female writer Lucy Maud Montgomery （1847-1942） is regarded as one of the most famous and beloved writers throughout the world. Anne of Green Gables is one of her novels in Anne series. It is a worldwide classic. Mark Twain believed that Montgomery had created “the dearest， and the most lovable child in fiction since the immortal Alice”.

1.Annes Id—Pursuit of Sense of Belonging to a Home

Freuds personality theory is part and parcel of understanding the mental state of the main character in Anne of Green Gables. The central character Anne is dominated by the id in the former part of the novel. This aspect is mainly shown in her pursuit of sense of belonging .

Annes id is completely unconscious， instinctive and primitive. Anne wants to change her miserable fate in the orphan asylum. There she is in shortage of food and lacks of a feeling of belonging to a home， thus she pursues a warm home. She tries to avoid some pain and misfortune. What Anne does just follows her own instinct and the principle of pleasure. The living condition in the asylum is really terrible. Anne describes the asylum as a place “its worse than anything you could imagine. You cant possibly understand what it is like.” As to Anne， she is a girl who is optimistic. She is full of enthusiasm towards life. But from her description of the asylum， it is not hard to see Annes attitude towards the asylum where ironically it is considered as the best shelter for the homeless children. It is the orphanage that provokes the protagonist， Anne， to pursue a sense of belonging to a home.

2. Annes Ego—The Conflict between Her Imagination and the Social Reality

The ego is the part which is between the id and the reality for an individual. The personality of Anne is not in harmony with the codes in the community.

In the most cases， Annes imagination goes against the norms in the society. The imagination that Anne possesses often leads her astray in the society. The way she talks cant be in accord with the requirement for a good girl in the community. The way she behaves often comes into conflict with Avonleas expectations of appropriate conducts. Annes imaginative state of thinking sometimes produces some dangers for herself， such as baking an inedible cake， life-threatening calamities， nearly drowning Anne herself in a play. As to Marilla who is a typical conventional woman， she dislikes Annes way of imagination. There exists a conflict between them. Marilla does not enjoy daydreaming at all. Marilla always feels confused about the question of how to bring the heroine up. All Marilla does conforms to the common social behaviors which are generally accepted and welcomed by the community. Sometimes Anne has to take the consequence of her imagination because of the conflict. She feels scared after she imagines the wood as “a haunted place”. She is afraid of walking past it even on daytime. She fancies “idle wild” as a horrible place， where can be seen the obvious conflict between her imagination and the local environment.

Conclusion

The novel Anne of Green Gables has a very prominent position in the world literature. The novel has a lasting and irresistible charm to the readers of different ages in various countries. The thesis promotes the understanding for the novels theme from a new aspect. Freuds psychoanalysis theory provides a new perspective to understand Annes personality.

References：

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