From Page to the Silver Screen: Anne with an E

The 2017 Netflix TV show adaptation of L.M. Montgomery’s book, Anne of Green Gables, titled “Anne with an E'' was a refreshing difference from the usual teen soap opera dramas that were on the platform at the time. The series followed a young girl named Anne as she navigated the hardships of growing up as an adopted orphan in the fictional town of Avonlea.

The “Anne with an E” series managed to expand on the books' foundation. In the book series, Anne’s mishap with Marilla and her brooch lead to her nearly being sent away. In the original storyline, this only happens for two pages and as Anne boards the carriage, Marilla quickly finds the brooch and realizes her mistake. Marilla apologizes, and the issue is resolved. In the show, however, it’s too late, and it takes an entire episode for the issue to be resolved. So, why expand on this? Clearly the show runner, Moira Walley-Beckett, saw the potential in Marilla sending Anne away for something she didn’t do. Rather than just glaze over the fact that Marilla could’ve easily just found the brooch right away, a lucky ending to the misunderstanding, she decided to explore the harsh reality of the 1890s, and showed a more realistic interpretation. In doing so, she showed the audience more of Anne’s orphan past and a true relationship between the Cuthberts and Anne. In the books, this process was very sped up, yet in the show it takes its time to develop the strong bond that Anne has with the Cuthberts.

The show also expands upon the character of Cole Mackenzie, who is merely a background character in the book. His name is mentioned here and there, but he never has much importance to the storyline. In the show, however, his character is given an arc and a storyline that doesn't try to sugarcoat the harsh settings of what life in a poor farming family was truly like. He was constantly bullied at school for being different, for being an artist and poor, and for hanging with Anne, who was regarded as “the filthy orphan.” Through his character, we also got to see an incorporation of an LGBTQIA+ storyline, which is impressive since this show takes place in the 1890s. Through his development and growth as an artist, learning to adapt to expressing his artistic nature through sculpting after an injury to his hand leaves him unable to sketch, it parallels his journey in seeing that he is enough, even if he doesn’t fit the mold of a farmer boy. Rather than simply add another side character, the show decides to explore themes of self-growth and acceptance, hard work, and difficult decisions through the character of Cole Mackenzie. Although he did end up in a good home with Aunt Josephine, he had withstood many hardships to get there.

Some can argue that leaving out iconic plot points or adding in new characters and plot lines would harm the show. Yet sacrificing some plot points to highlight more important issues that still exist today (and were very apparent back then) worked in the show’s favor. As a period piece, it expertly delivered commentary on these issues while still staying true to the time period.

In season three, a new character named Ka’kwet is introduced, who was an indigenous young girl. The show highlighted the tragic truth of how young indigenous children were taken from their homes to residential schools, where they were then stripped of their rich culture. It’s devastating as an audience member to watch the young girl endure that. The show’s decision to spark conversations about this topic was eye-opening to the audience, especially since many might not be very aware of these events. Several of these scenes were not in the books, which further exemplifies their addition to the original source material.

Anne with an E Character Ka'Kwet

Another serious topic covered in season three that wasn’t in the book was sexism and the censorship of media. After Anne writes an article calling out sexism towards women, not only do the town officials censor the paper, but they also take the school's printing press and accidentally burn down the school. However, Anne takes matters into her own hands and makes a speech to publicly show how kids shouldn’t be silenced simply because their opinions don’t match adults'. This also causes Mrs. Lynn to fight for more women to be put on the council. This plotline enhanced the entire story altogether, showing that the kids and the community were ready to fight for what they believed in, and sought changes to be made in an inequitable society.

In the process of putting these new storylines in, the show also left out some iconic moments from the book, like Gilbert giving Anne a ride on his boat after he finds her hanging on to a bridge in the middle of a river. However, it was a worthy sacrifice for the opportunity to cover about major issues that apply to our society today.

Unfortunately, due to the cancellation, there were several plotlines that went unfinished. Ka’kwet’s story, Bash and Elijah’s storyline, whether or not Ms. Stacy would pursue to have a child, are moments the TV audience lost out on. It’s also unfortunate that so many stories were left behind due to the show’s ending, like Prissy Andrews fighting for her right to be in the business, or watching Jerry grow after his debacle with Diana. It’s sad that the Canadian network decided to cancel the show for not having enough audience members in the 25-27 age category, despite the fact that it follows a 13 year old girl making mistakes and growing up. Anne with an E was truly a gem of a show during its run time, and my hope is that in the future, networks won’t be so quick to cancel them for obscure reasons.