No temper

The rule "No temper" functions as a cornerstone of the moral education imposed on Anne Shirley after her arrival at Green Gables. It is a demand for emotional self-restraint that clashes repeatedly with Anne's passionate, reactive nature, a nature shaped by years of neglect, loss, and institutionalization. The rule is not merely a household regulation but a social expectation that Anne must learn to meet if she is to belong in Avonlea. Its enforcement and Anne's gradual internalization of it mark a central arc in her development from a volatile orphan into a disciplined young woman.

Origins and Enforcement of the Rule

The rule is first articulated by Marilla Cuthbert in the immediate aftermath of Anne's explosive confrontation with Mrs. Rachel Lynde. When Mrs. Lynde bluntly calls Anne "skinny and homely" with "hair as red as carrots," Anne flies into a fury, stamping her foot and shouting, "I hate you—I hate you—I hate you" . Marilla, horrified, tells Anne she is "ashamed" of her and insists that Anne must apologize to Mrs. Lynde . The rule is thus established: losing one's temper is unacceptable, and the prescribed remedy is a formal apology. Marilla later reinforces the rule, telling Anne, "I hope you'll try to control your temper now" . The rule is not presented as a suggestion but as a non-negotiable standard of behavior, enforced through confinement to her room until she complies.

Anne's Emotional History and the Roots of Her Temper

Anne's explosive temper is not simply a character flaw but a survival mechanism developed in response to a traumatic childhood. She was born to poor parents who died of fever when she was three months old, leaving her an orphan . She was taken in by Mrs. Thomas, a poor woman with a drunken husband, and later by Mrs. Hammond, who had eight children including three sets of twins . Anne's life was one of drudgery, poverty, and neglect, and she was never wanted. When Mrs. Lynde's cruel words touch the raw wound of her appearance—her red hair, her freckles, her thinness—Anne's reaction is visceral: "something just rose right up in me and choked me. I HAD to fly out at her" . Her temper is a form of self-protection, a desperate assertion of dignity in the face of humiliation.

The Rule in Practice: Apology and Growth

Anne's apology to Mrs. Lynde is a turning point. Though she initially refuses, declaring she would rather be "shut up in a dark, damp dungeon" than apologize , she eventually agrees, prompted by Matthew's gentle persuasion. Her apology is theatrical and thorough: she kneels before Mrs. Lynde and delivers a speech that is both sincere and self-dramatizing, saying, "I am so extremely sorry" and "I behaved terribly to you" . Marilla recognizes that Anne is "actually enjoying her valley of humiliation" , but the apology nonetheless marks Anne's first conscious effort to comply with the rule. Later, when Anne reflects on her temper, she tells Marilla, "I don't get cross about other things; but I'm SO tired of being twitted about my hair and it just makes me boil right over" . This shows that Anne is beginning to understand her triggers and to take responsibility for her reactions.

The Rule and Anne's Relationship with Marilla

The rule "No temper" is also a vehicle for the deepening bond between Anne and Marilla. After Anne's outburst, Marilla admits to herself that she was "ashamed" but also feels a "throb of the maternity she had missed" when Anne slips her hand into hers . Marilla's enforcement of the rule is not merely punitive; it is an expression of her care and her desire to shape Anne into a respectable member of the community. Years later, when Anne decides to stay at Green Gables to care for Marilla, Marilla confesses, "I love you as dear as if you were my own flesh and blood" . The rule, once a source of conflict, becomes part of the mutual understanding that binds them.

Thematic Significance: From External Command to Inner Virtue

The rule "No temper" embodies the novel's broader theme of self-discipline as a path to belonging and maturity. Anne's journey is not about erasing her passionate nature but about learning to channel it. By the end of the novel, Anne has not lost her intensity; she has learned to direct it toward worthy goals—her studies, her teaching, her care for Marilla. The rule, initially imposed from without, becomes an internalized value. Anne's final act of giving up the Avery scholarship to stay at Green Gables is not a surrender but a conscious choice, made with "peace in her heart" . The rule has done its work: Anne has learned to control her temper, not by suppressing her emotions, but by integrating them into a life of purpose and love.