Mr. Barry
Mr. Barry is the father of Diana Barry, Anne Shirley's dearest friend, and the owner of Orchard Slope, the farm that lies across the brook from Green Gables. He is a man of few words and steady habits, appearing in the novel not as a driver of plot but as a dependable figure whose practical actions repeatedly enable the story's central relationships and transitions.
Identity and Background
Mr. Barry lives at Orchard Slope with his wife, a strict and particular woman, and their children, including Diana and the younger Minnie May. His property includes the pond that Anne renames the Lake of Shining Waters; when Matthew Cuthbert first drives Anne past it, he identifies it simply as "Barry's pond" and explains that the name comes from the family who lives in the house above it. Mr. Barry's land also contains the fields and woods through which Anne and Diana walk to school, and the little round pool they call Willowmere lies in his pasture. He is a farmer of comfortable means, able to send Diana to visit relatives and to keep a flat-bottomed dory for duck shooting on the pond.
Key Actions and Role in the Plot
Mr. Barry's most consequential act occurs when Anne breaks her ankle walking the ridgepole of his kitchen roof. After the fall, it is Mr. Barry who carries Anne home to Green Gables in his arms, with his wife beside him and a procession of little girls trailing behind. Marilla, seeing Anne's limp body, realizes in a sudden stab of fear how dear the child has become to her. Mr. Barry is then dispatched to fetch the doctor, and his prompt, uncomplaining response to the crisis underscores his role as a man who acts when action is needed.
Earlier, Mr. Barry drives Anne and Diana to Charlottetown for the Exhibition, a long journey of thirty miles that requires an early start. He waits while the girls spend the day with Miss Josephine Barry, and he returns to bring them home at the end of their visit. On the drive back, Anne and Diana find the journey as pleasant as the drive in, with the delightful consciousness of home waiting at the end. Mr. Barry's willingness to make this trip—and to do so without complaint or comment—is typical of his character: he provides the means for the girls' adventures without seeking any credit or attention.
Relationships and Family
Mr. Barry's relationship with his wife is one of quiet partnership. When Mrs. Barry forbids Diana from playing with Anne after the currant wine incident, Mr. Barry does not intervene; when the crisis passes and Mrs. Barry relents, he is not mentioned as having played any part in the reconciliation. He defers to his wife's authority in domestic matters, as when Diana reports that her mother has given permission for Anne to stay overnight. His daughter Diana inherits her merry expression from him, a detail that suggests a warmth in his character that the narrative rarely shows directly.
Aftermath and Significance
After Matthew Cuthbert's death and the failure of the Abbey Bank, Mr. Barry steps forward to rent the Green Gables farm, relieving Marilla of the burden of managing the land herself. This practical arrangement allows Anne to carry out her plan to stay at Green Gables and teach, rather than sell the home she loves. Mr. Barry's offer is never dramatized; Anne simply reports it to Marilla as a settled fact. In this, as in everything, he acts without fanfare, a steady presence in the background of a story that belongs to the women and children of Avonlea.
