Anne has now married Gilbert Blythe and moved to beautiful Four Winds Harbor. In Anne’s House of Dreams, the fifth book of the series, she meets wonderful characters and enjoys her new status as the young doctor’s wife. She also enjoys decorating her ‘house of dreams’ and working in her garden. However, Anne also experiences a great tragedy which changes her life forever.
Anne’s new friends include Captain Jim, Miss Cornelia, and Leslie More. Anne loves all of these characters and learns a great deal from each of them. In some of the chapters of Anne’s House of Dreams, Anne takes a back seat as readers enjoy the stories about these characters. Leslie More is probably the most memorable, but Captain Jim was one of L.M. Montgomery’s favourite characters.
Captain Jim in Anne's House of Dreams
Captain Jim is a wrinkled, aged sea captain who runs the lighthouse. A charming and amusing character, he makes Anne aware of the stories of the other local people in the village and the latest gossip. He is fairly secretive about himself, however, and why he has remained single. However, Anne understands people, and she finds out the sad tale of his lost love eventually.
However, although he was one of L.M. Montgomery’s favourite characters, she seems to have had an ambivalent attitude toward him. She criticises some of his acts in the book through the eyes of Miss Cordelia. Although he is represented as a wise old man, readers are encouraged to also be in two minds about his ethics at times.
Miss Cornelia in Anne's House of Dreams
Miss Cornelia, the old maid of the village, is also a wise old character. Her hatred of men and Methodists and her ‘wisecracks’ about them also make her a very amusing character. She has many skirmishes with Captain Jim which are amongst the most interesting passages of the book.
Miss Cornelia’s kindness and concern about her friends makes her attractive and memorable. She takes the tragic Leslie More under her wing, and she is unfailingly helpful to Anne. Miss Cornelia and Captain Jim are probably two of L.M. Montgomery’s best-written characters.
Leslie More in Anne's House of Dreams
Leslie More is one of L.M. Montgomery’s most sympathetic characters. This young woman has a very tragic life, which makes her resentful of Anne and Gilbert’s happiness at first. However, when Anne also suffers tragedy, there are no more obstacles to a growing friendship.
Leslie is forced to make a very important decision in the book. L.M. Montgomery solves her dilemma in a clever way which is also a little too glib. However, the decision itself raises important questions of medical ethics. Does Leslie make the right choice?
Anne in Anne's House of Dreams
Anne becomes much more mature in this book. She has to recover from a tragedy which will haunt her for the rest of her life. Leslie’s sad story also affects Anne profoundly, especially when she and Gilbert have their first argument about what Leslie should do about her important decision. Anne also learns much from Captain Jim and Miss Cordelia.
As always in L.M. Montgomery’s books, Prince Edward Island is almost a separate character. The author describes her beloved island vividly. The village of Four Winds Harbor comes to life in this book. Every season is described with love – the raging snowstorms of winter, the budding flowers of spring, and the parties and fine days of summer. But as L. M. Montgomery writes, it is always summer in Anne’s ‘house of dreams.’
Sources
- Montgomery, L.M., Anne's House of Dreams, Bantam Books, London, 1998, ISBN 0553213180.
Lisa Sanderson - Lisa has been a freelance-writer for many years. She used to write for the topic, British Social History, for Suite 101 under the ...
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