Matthew talking Marilla into keeping Anne, and Marilla buckling down. But Matthew better not stick his oar in!
When Marilla asks, "What earthly good could she be to us?" Matthew quietly responds "I was thinking maybe we could be some good to her." LM Montgomery doesn't dwell on it, but in Avonlea, full of churchgoing Christians, many people are suspicious of the orphan Anne from who-knows-where. Matthew is demonstrating true Christian charity— though he would be the last person to try and draw attention to himself.
Anne has her first chance to make friends when she meets Diana, the daughter of the next-door neighbor. They hit it off immediately.
Diana's mother mentions that she doesn't approve of Diana's love of reading, but admits she can't do anything about it because her husband keeps getting their daughter books because of how happy they make her. She hopes making friends with Anne will mean Diana spends a bit more time going outside.
Matthew decides to spoil Anne by buying her some chocolates (without asking Marilla first). Anne asks if it would be all right to share them with her new best friend Diana. Marilla has to admit she's moved that Anne's first instinct upon receiving the sweets (for the second time in her life) is that she wants to share them with someone else rather than have them for herself.
Oops, he does put his oar in, by giving Anne her first pretty dress for Christmas. With puffed sleeves, no less! Especially heartwarming because Matthew is very retiring and shy, and is painfully out of his element in trying to order any kind of ladies' clothes, but persists in order to (with a bit of an assist from Mrs. Rachel Lynde) present Anne with what she later fondly looks back to as the first truly pretty clothes she ever owned.
Rachel Lynde's assistance here is also heartwarming. Matthew knows he wants Anne to have a pretty dress for Christmas, but has no clue how to accomplish it. After several false starts, he finally goes to Mrs. Lynde because she is the ONLY woman in town besides Marilla and Anne who Matthew can hold a conversation with (he's that shy). As soon as Mrs. Lynde understands what he wants she takes charge and makes it happen. She picks out a fabric and color that suits Anne's complexion, makes it herself (and likely sews it by hand) to the very latest fashion, and sends a matching hair ribbon as a gift to Anne from herself. She also comes up with a very diplomatic excuse to give Marilla of why she was the one to make the dress.
Rachel being nice to Anne after the latter apologises. Specifically she had mocked her for the red hair, not realising it was Anne's own personal Berserk Button. But she reassures the girl that she knows plenty of girls who had carrot red hair that turned beautiful auburn as they got older.
Even though Marilla is horrified that Anne was never taught prayers, Anne gives a very long and sincere one to God thanking him for letting her come to Avonlea. She then asks Marilla if she should say "Sincerely" or "Amen" at the end. When Marilla gives her a prayer book and starts teaching her, Anne takes to it.
Gilbert leaving a candy heart on Anne's desk to apologize for the carrots incident.
In Anne of the Island, she has a necklace he gave her for Christmas (despite a friendship-ruining argument caused by his proposing marriage) that looks like a candy heart. In Anne of Ingleside she initially chooses to wear it to a party until a misunderstanding ensues.
Marilla defending Anne after the currant wine incident. She says that Anne wasn't to blame, and tells Diana's mother that it was an honest mistake. Later she tucks in Anne when the latter is crying about it.
Gilbert finding and keeping one of Anne's flowers that she lost at the concert.
Anne and Matthew's last conversation together.
"If I had been the boy you sent for," said Anne wistfully, "I'd be able to help you so much now and spare you in a hundred ways. I could find it in my heart to wish I had been, just for that." "Well now, I'd rather have you than a dozen boys, Anne," said Matthew patting her hand. "Just mind you that—rather than a dozen boys. Well now, I guess it wasn't a boy that took the Avery scholarship, was it? It was a girl—my girl—my girl that I'm proud of."
Anne deciding to stay at Green Gables and teach, because of Marilla going blind.
Gilbert then switching teaching jobs with Anne, so she can be closer to Green Gables to help Marilla.
The fact that Anne learns of this from Rachel. She had made her opinion well-known that she didn't think women should seek higher education or be schoolteachers, but Rachel is obviously pleased to be the one to tell Anne about her getting the teaching position in Green Gables.
Shortly before Anne heads off to Queen's Academy we get a moment where Marilla tears up and admits that she wishes Anne could have stayed a little girl and that the thought of Anne leaving makes her feel lonesome, prompting Anne sit with Marilla and embrace her, reassuring Marilla that no matter how she grows or where she goes, she'll always be Marilla's "little Anne". Matthew then slips out the back, and to himself, talks about how well Anne has grown up and his belief that is wasn't a mixup that brought Anne into their lives but "Providence, because the Almighty saw we needed her".
Not entirely a moment, but Marilla coming to love Anne. If there is a moment here, then it is Marilla finally admitting her love to Anne on the eve of Matthew's death.
"I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here - if you’d never come. Oh, Anne, I know I’ve been kind of strict and harsh with you maybe - but you mustn’t think I didn’t love you as well as Matthew did, for all that. I want to tell you now when I can. It’s never been easy for me to say things out of my heart, but at times like this it’s easier. I love you as dear as if you were my own flesh and blood and you’ve been my joy and comfort ever since you came to Green Gables."
The scene when Anne speaks with Diana's rich Aunt Josephine after they accidentally disturbed her in bed (by jumping on it, not knowing it was occupied). By the time Anne is through with her, that old woman is completely charmed by the girl and requests that Anne visit her because she is amusing, "And at her age, amusing people are a rarity."
Josephine Barry goes on to send Anne Christmas gifts, invite Anne to visit her along with Diana, and when Anne attends Queen's Academy finds a safe, respectable boarding house for Anne to stay in (the text notes that Josephine wanted Anne to stay with her, but her home was so far from the Academy that it wasn't possible), takes Anne to church with her and has Anne over for Sunday dinner most weeks, and when Anne graduates she attends her commencement.
The book ends with a scene between Anne and Gilbert, in which they resolve their difference (or rather, Anne does) and they become friends.
In "Anne's House of Dreams" they discuss this scene on the eve of their wedding. Gilbert confesses that "all heaven opened up" before him and that he was the happiest boy in the world as he left her at the gate of Green Gables.
Anne of Avonlea
Anne trying and then succeeding in getting through to Anthony Pye.
Marilla is discouraged because she can't get Davy Keith to behave, but Anne thinks there's still hope: "Remember how bad I was when I first came here." Even though Marilla spent much of the first novel reprimanding Anne for various things, she says that now she knows that Anne was never bad; granted, Anne got into plenty of scrapes, but her intentions were always good.
Anne of the Island
Chapter XVIII: Miss Josephine remembers the Anne-girl. Anne has some severe financial issues, and is contemplating taking a break from her college studies for further work, even though it would mean not graduating with her friends. Then she finds out that Diana's Aunt Josephine has died... and left 'the Anne-girl' a thousand dollars in her will - enough to finance the rest of her education.
Incidentally, depending on the chronology being used, this takes place round about 1885. Online inflation calculators don't go that far back for Canadian currency, but $1000 in 1885 American dollars turns into more than $20,000 today. Other sources say that college tuition was a few hundred a year back then.
Anne's Heroic BSoD after hearing that Gilbert was dying. Yes, it's cliche. Yes, the monologue where she realizes she was in love with him the whole time is trite. But darnit, seeing the usually-poised Miss Shirley, pride of Avonlea, brought down to a shambles by one slip of the tongue of a child just shows how masterful L.M. is at making us feel what the characters feel.
How about Gil finally getting the girl he patiently waited ten years for?
The poem at the opening of the book that foreshadows the above events from one of Anne's favourite poets, Tennyson.
All precious things, discover'd late,
To those that seek them issue forth,
For love in sequel works with fate,
And draws the veil from hidden worth.
It's one of the most heartwarming excepts ever (It's quoted from Tennyson's The Daydream) and so perfectly exemplifies Anne and Gilbert's relationship in this book.
Gilbert proposing to Anne for the second time, and Anne finally accepting. A few moments:
Anne choosing to wear a dress which Gilbert had admired on her earlier in the novel.
This piece of dialogue:
Gilbert: But I'll have to ask you to wait a long time, Anne. It will be three years before I'll finish my medical course. And even then there will be no diamond sunbursts and marble halls.
Anne: I don't want sunbursts and marble halls. I just want you.
Anne of Windy Poplars
Parts of Anne's letters to Gilbert are especially heartwarming.
Anne being an inspirational teacher and mentor to many of the girls she teaches. Sophy, who Anne helps in the school play, later becomes a famous actress.
Anne's friendship with Katherine Brooke. To all around her, Katherine is a cold, cutting Ice Queen. It's only Anne who has the insight to see that Katherine is not only a very interesting person underneath the ice, but desperately lonely, rather depressed, and unfulfilled in her teaching position. Anne's efforts result in one of her most rewarding friendships—and inspires Katherine to take a leap of faith to a new job and new life that will let her travel the world as she's always dreamed of.
Anne's Intergenerational Friendship with little Elizabeth Grayson—and continuing Anne's tradition of being a ride or die friend, she acts to improve Elizabeth's life by contacting her estranged father, who left Elizabeth in the care of her strict and unloving great-grandmother after his wife died from giving birth to her. After Mr. Grayson finally meets Elizabeth and realizes how wrong he was to neglect her, he then takes her away with him to a far happier home life. The line where ever-optimist Elizabeth realizes she's finally "found Tomorrow" ("Tomorrow" being Elizabeth's personal version of heaven on earth) has been known to induce happy tears in the reader, as much as in Elizabeth.
The widows' and Rebecca Dew's sadness over Anne leaving Windy Poplars at the end of the three years.
Anne's House of Dreams
Anne and Gilbert's wedding.
When Anne and Gilbert arrive in their new home, Gilbert introduces Anne to Captain Jim. It's the first time he's introduced her as his wife to anyone, and he "narrowly escaped bursting with the pride of it."
Chapter dedicated to James Matthew's birth. Especially when Gilbert announces to Marilla (who has, understandably, been very nervous about this event) that Anne is doing fine after the delivery and that the baby is healthy: "He weighs ten pounds and — why, listen to him. Nothing wrong with his lungs, is there?"
Anne of Ingleside
7 years old Walter walking several miles alone in night to get to home, after he heard that his mother was dying. It turns that Anne was giving birth to Rilla.
Although Jem is named after Captain Jim Boyd, the captain died when Jem was a baby, so they didn't get to spend much time together. In a few passages from this book, Jem imagines becoming a sailor "like Captain Jim" and the last chapter mentions him reading The Life-Book of Captain Jim before bed. It's very heartwarming to realize that Jem has gotten to know the captain after all.
Rainbow Valley
Walter fighting a bully despite his pacifist nature, because the bully insulted Faith and his mother.
Rilla of Ingleside
Rilla taking in little Jims and caring for him for the rest of the war years. By the end she is reluctant to part with him as she's come to love him deeply.
Kevin Sullivan Mini-Series:
In the otherwise polarizing third film, Anne and Gilbert's Big Damn Reunion is a scene to tug at any fan's heartstrings no matter how they feel about the rest of it.
to tug at any fan's heartstrings no matter how they feel about the rest of it.