Matthew Cuthbert
Matthew Cuthbert, the shy, gentle brother of Marilla Cuthbert, is one of the most quietly transformative figures in Anne of Green Gables. Living with his sister on the Green Gables farm in Avonlea, Matthew is a man of few words and immense feeling, whose unassuming love for the orphan girl Anne Shirley becomes the bedrock of her new life. His sudden death from heart failure, triggered by the news of the Abbey Bank's failure, is the novel's most devastating event, a loss that reshapes Anne's future and reveals the depth of the bond he forged with her.
Identity and Introduction
Matthew Cuthbert is introduced as a man of profound shyness and fixed habits. He is described as "the shyest man alive," who "hated to have to go among strangers or to any place where he might have to talk" . His appearance is ungainly, with an odd-looking personage, long iron-gray hair touching his stooping shoulders, and a full, soft brown beard he had worn since he was twenty . He lives with his sister Marilla on the isolated Green Gables farm, a homestead his own shy father had built as far from other people as possible . Matthew's world is one of routine and silence; he is known never to volunteer information about anything . His rare ventures from home, such as the drive to Bright River to fetch a boy from an orphan asylum, are momentous occasions that immediately arouse the curiosity of his neighbor, Mrs. Rachel Lynde .
The Journey to Bright River and the Meeting with Anne
Matthew's journey to Bright River is a reluctant errand, undertaken because Marilla had decided they needed a boy to help on the farm . He drives the sorrel mare over eight miles of pretty road, enjoying the drive in his own fashion, except when he must nod to women he meets, a social obligation he dreads . At the station, he is bewildered to find not a boy but a girl, a mistake made by Mrs. Alexander Spencer . The stationmaster tells him, "Guess there's some mistake," and Matthew, helplessly wishing Marilla were there, is forced to approach the strange girl . This moment is a trial for him, harder than "bearding a lion in its den" . Yet, when the girl—Anne Shirley—speaks to him in her clear, sweet voice and takes his hand, Matthew makes an immediate, silent decision: he cannot tell her of the mistake. He will take her home and let Marilla do it . This instinct to protect her from immediate disappointment is the first act of his deep, wordless love.
A Kindred Spirit and a Silent Advocate
During the drive home, Matthew finds himself, to his own surprise, enjoying Anne's company. He, who detests little girls, finds this "freckled witch" very different from the timid Avonlea type, and he thinks he "kind of liked her chatter" . He listens to her imaginative naming of the landscape—the "White Way of Delight" and the "Lake of Shining Waters"—and her effusive joy, feeling a growing dread of the moment she must learn she is not wanted . When they arrive at Green Gables and the mistake is revealed, Anne's heartbroken cry, "You don't want me!" pierces Matthew, and he feels as if he is "going to assist at murdering something" . That night, he makes his first, hesitant stand. When Marilla insists the girl must be sent back, Matthew, driven into a corner, says, "We might be some good to her" . Marilla accuses him of being bewitched, but Matthew persists with a quiet, stubborn tenacity that is far more powerful than argument . He even suggests he could hire a French boy to help on the farm, and that Anne "would be company for you" . His silent, unwavering wish is the primary force that leads Marilla to change her mind and keep Anne .
A Quiet Champion: Puffed Sleeves and Unspoken Love
Throughout the years that follow, Matthew becomes Anne's most devoted and uncritical champion. He is her "kindred spirit," a sympathetic listener to her endless chatter about Idlewild, her story club, and her troubles with geometry . He brings her chocolate caramels and, most significantly, a string of pearl beads . His most profound act of love is his secret mission to buy Anne a dress with puffed sleeves. Noticing that Anne is not dressed like the other girls, Matthew, despite his terror of shopgirls, goes to Carmody to buy the material and then enlists Mrs. Lynde to make it up in the latest fashion . The gift of the beautiful brown gloria dress with its crowning glory of puffed sleeves is a Christmas morning revelation that leaves Anne speechless with joy . This act is a quiet rebellion against Marilla's plain, sensible ways, a testament to Matthew's deep understanding of Anne's heart. He is the one who tells her, "Don't give up all your romance, Anne," a piece of advice that defines her spirit .
Death and Aftermath
Matthew's death is sudden and shocking. On the evening after Anne returns home from Queen's, having won the Avery scholarship, he collapses at the door of Green Gables, a folded newspaper in his hand . The paper contains news of the Abbey Bank's failure, which has wiped out the Cuthberts' life savings . The doctor says death was instantaneous, caused by the shock . For Anne, the loss is devastating. She cannot cry at first, only feeling a "horrible dull ache of misery" . It is only in the night, remembering his smile and his words, "My girl—my girl that I'm proud of," that the tears come . Marilla, in her own grief, tells Anne, "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" . Matthew's death is the catalyst for Anne's most crucial decision: she gives up her scholarship to Redmond College to stay at Green Gables and teach, so that Marilla will not be alone and can keep the farm . In this way, Matthew's love, even in death, shapes the bend in the road of Anne's life.
Thematic Significance
Matthew Cuthbert embodies the novel's central theme of the redemptive power of unconditional love. He is the first person in Anne's life to love her without reservation, simply for who she is. His shy, silent devotion provides the secure base from which Anne's imagination and spirit can flourish. He represents a form of masculinity that is gentle, nurturing, and deeply emotional, a stark contrast to the more conventional, stern figures in Avonlea. His death marks the end of Anne's childhood and the beginning of her adult responsibilities, forcing her to choose love and duty over personal ambition. Matthew's legacy is not in words but in actions—the puffed sleeves, the pearl beads, the quiet faith that Anne could "beat the whole Island" . He is the novel's heart, and his loss is the sorrow that makes Anne's subsequent joy and growth all the more poignant.
