Anne's Faith In Green Gables

Anne gains spiritual insight and grows from having intellectual knowledge of God, to being drawn to the love of Jesus and Christianity. When Anne arrives at green gables she is introduced as a pagan, and when Marilla, asks Anne about what she knows about God, Anne replies, “God is a spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” (59) Throughout the novel, Anne transforms from natural religion “Do you know what I think May-flowers are, Marilla? I think they must be the souls of the owners that died last summer and this is their heaven.” (190-191) To Christianity, “God’s in his heaven, all’s right with the world”. (364) Anne gains spiritual guidance through the guidance of Marilla
Thomas told her that God made her hair red on purpose. On the first evening that Anne stayed in green gables, Marilla told Anne to say her prayers, Anne responds, “‘I never say any prayers,’” (58) Marilla, quite shocked with this reply, informs Anne that as long as she is living in Green Gables she must pray. Furthermore, Marilla enrolls Anne in Sunday school to help teach her how to pray. At first, Anne’s prayers are based on what she perceives as formalities and her version of Marilla’s suggestions to thank God for her blessings. However as Anne grows older her spiritual connection increases to the point where it’s her basic instinct to pray to God for help and guidance. When Anne’s flat boat sinks she tells Mrs. Allan, “I was horribly frightened … I prayed, Mrs. Allan, most earnestly, but I didn’t shut my eyes to pray, for I knew the only way God could save me was to let the flat float close enough to one of the bridge piles for me to climb up on it. … It was proper to pray, … I just said, ‘Dear God, please take the flat close to a pile and I’ll do the rest,’ ... But mine was answered… I said a grateful prayer at once.” (264) She also prays instinctively when she finds out she was tied for first place in the Queen’s entrance exams, “and murmured a prayer of gratitude and aspiration that came straight from her heart. There was in it thankful- ness for the past and reverent petition for the future”