Conservative Party

The Conservative Party in Avonlea is not a distant political abstraction but a deeply personal and communal identity, woven into the fabric of daily life, family loyalty, and even religious conviction. For the Cuthberts, Conservatism is a matter of inherited principle, as natural and unquestioned as attending the Presbyterian church. Matthew Cuthbert, when asked how he votes, answers "Conservative" promptly, and the narrator notes that "to vote Conservative was part of Matthew's religion." This reflexive allegiance requires no debate or justification; it is a settled fact of his existence, as immutable as his shyness. Anne Shirley, upon learning Matthew's affiliation, immediately declares, "Then I'm Conservative too," adopting the party label as she adopts Green Gables—as a belonging that defines her new place in the world. Her reasoning is telling: she is glad because "some of the boys in school are Grits," revealing how political identity, even for a child, becomes a marker of social alignment and rivalry.

Political Life in Avonlea

The Conservative Party's presence in Avonlea is felt through its local representatives and the rhythms of community life. Mr. Bell, the Sunday-school superintendent, is a figure of authority whose political leanings are known and discussed. The party's fortunes are tied to the community's sense of itself, and its leaders draw crowds from across the island. When the Premier comes to Charlottetown to address a "monster mass meeting," nearly all the Avonlea men and a goodly proportion of the women travel thirty miles to attend. Mrs. Rachel Lynde, a red-hot politician despite being on the opposite side of politics, cannot believe the rally could be carried through without her, so she goes to town and takes her husband Thomas and Marilla Cuthbert with her. Marilla, who has a sneaking interest in politics herself, thinks it may be her only chance to see a real live Premier. The event is a social occasion as much as a political one, a chance to see and be seen, to affirm one's place in the community.

The Party as a Marker of Character and Conflict

Political affiliation in Avonlea serves as a shorthand for character and a source of gentle conflict. Mrs. Lynde, a Liberal, is outspoken in her views, declaring that "Canada is going to the dogs the way things are being run at Ottawa" and that if women were allowed to vote "we would soon see a blessed change." Her political passion is as intense as any Conservative's, and her principled absence from the Conservative rally is noted. Marilla, after attending the Premier's meeting, reports that she was "proud of being a Conservative" while Mrs. Lynde, "being a Liberal, had no use for him." The party divide even extends to judgments about character: Mrs. Lynde, commenting on the new minister's theology, approves because she "questioned him thoroughly on all the points of doctrine," and she notes that his wife's people are "most respectable." The party system, in Avonlea, is not abstract; it is lived, debated, and felt in the rhythms of church, school, and home, shaping how people see themselves and each other.

The Party and the Wider World

The Conservative Party also connects Avonlea to the wider world of provincial and national politics. The Premier's visit to Prince Edward Island is a major event, and the decision of a certain Canadian Premier to include the island in a political tour has consequences that reach even to the fortunes of little Anne Shirley at Green Gables. The party's policies are discussed in the general store and at the Aid Society, and its leaders are judged by their appearance and oratory. Marilla, after seeing the Premier, remarks that "he never got to be Premier on account of his looks" but concedes that "he can speak." The party, in this sense, is a lens through which the community views the larger forces shaping their lives, from economic policy to the quality of baking powder, which Mrs. Lynde insists the Government ought to regulate. The Conservative Party, in Avonlea, is not merely a political organization; it is a thread in the intricate tapestry of a small community's identity, loyalty, and daily conversation.