[Catlady]

Originally Posted by issybird

It didn’t seem manipulative to me; what could she hope to gain? However, it did seem of a pattern with her apology to Mrs. Lynne; she might as well get what enjoyment out of the situation she could, by her extreme dramatics.

She didn't get sent back, so her show of despair certainly worked. Overall, her extreme dramatics tended to be amusing enough to the adults that they let her get away with just about everything. I think a case could be made that she knew that, at least on some level, which is why she kept repeating the behavior.

I think this is similar to my comment that Anne thought people were kindred spirits because they thought Anne was wonderful. It would have been good if, even just once, Anne liked someone who wasn’t interested in her. This actually speaks to Gilbert’s strength of character, since he liked Anne on her merits despite her eternal resentment.

Similar, yes. But Anne didn't even need to know someone ahead of time--e.g., she decided Diana would be her BFF before they ever met; I agree that they stayed BFFs because Diana was willing to agree with Anne's assessment of herself as wonderful.

I think it’s important for two reasons. One, Anne is never crushed; she’ll lash back. I think Gilbert was asking for it, too. About time. Because, two: the more typical girl reaction was Diana’s enjoying having Gilbert tease her. Why should that be the norm? A boy teases and a girl has to take it.

Except that Anne's extreme reaction and decision to hate him was also a typical girl reaction--vehement denial of her attraction to him. If she truly didn't care, his teasing wouldn't have provoked her to such an extent. It's hard for me to imagine that any little girl reading that scene wouldn't know that the two are destined for romance.

I also don't like girls getting a pass for behavior that would be unacceptable for boys--if a girl teased a boy and he broke a slate on her head, I'd consider him a nasty little monster, not a champion of downtrodden boys.

I'm probably sounding like I despise the character--I don't; I'm playing devil's advocate. But I think there's enough in the text to support an interpretation of Anne as insincere and manipulative, not unlike Rhoda Penmark (The Bad Seed). (I can just imagine myself in a lit class writing a paper on those two!) But maybe I just read too many psychological thrillers.