Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables Through her early hardships eleven-year-old orphan Anne Shirley has resolutely clung to an upbeat spirit and a highly imaginative imagination. She suddenly appears in the life of elderly siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert a girl rather than the son they had requested. Thus starts a tale of transformation for all three; in fact Anne has an impact on every aspect of the small town of Avonlea. We watch her mature from a young girl to a young woman of sixteen whi