Based on Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic Anne of Green Gables books, Netflix's Anne with an E tells the story of Anne Shirley's adoption and life in Avonlea in a grittier fashion. Anne's past is much darker than it is in the original story, and the world around her is not as welcoming as the Avonlea of the books.
Anne is shunned by many of the other Avonlea families and works very hard to be accepted. She also meets other characters in similar positions to her own, in whom she often finds kindred spirits. Yet Anne's optimism is a little hard to understand, given her background. The same could be said of her desire to fit into a world that doesn't want her.
Her Optimism
Given her background and upbringing, Anne is extraordinarily upbeat and positive. She's always bursting with hope even when things seem hopeless, and she doesn't seem to mind when others don't like her.
This is strange, given her awful background in the orphanage and in various abusive homes. She was beaten, teased, mentally and physically abused, and had bleak prospects for her life. Yet, as Mary says, she is the way she is.
She Doesn't Learn
Anne has so many experiences throughout the show of people not liking her, wishing she would stop talking, and being offended by her running her mouth. She repeatedly makes the same mistakes, never learning from them.
For instance, when she meets Miss Stacy, she cannot stop talking about things that aren't really her business, and when she decides to publish a piece about feminism in the paper, she doesn't even consider how others will receive it.
Why She Wants To Be A Teacher
In the books, Anne is set on being a writer when she grows up. She even has a few stories published. Teaching for her is just a means to make a living while she's studying. Many of her fellow classmates become teachers for a few years while they work on their vocation.
In the series, Anne loves to read and write as she's always concocting stories. It would be only natural for her to want to pursue writing as a career - if not fictional writing, then journalism. She is, after all, highly passionate about the school newspaper. However, Anne decides to become a career teacher.
Why She Likes Diana So Much
In terms of personality, Diana is just about as far away from Anne as she can get. She has no imagination, doesn't read or make up stories, and has had everything in life handed to her.
And yet, Anne immediately wants to be best friends with her. She is stricken by Diana's beauty and envies her looks, but this is no base for friendship. Perhaps she's grateful that Diana has accepted her, but gratitude isn't friendship, either.
Why She Wants To Be Friends With Ruby
Ruby is just as mean as the other girls, especially when the Cuthberts offer to take her in while her house is being restored. She is utterly ungrateful, self-absorbed, and shallow - the opposite of everything Anne is.
Yet Anne is desperate for Ruby and the other girls to like her. Even in the third season, Ruby often expresses disagreement with Anne's ideas, including how she feels about Gilbert and the way Anne approaches Josie and Billy.
Her Desire To Fit In
Anne desperately longs for a dress with puff sleeves because "all the girls are wearing them". She clearly wants to fit in and make some friends, but most of the people in school aren't people she's interested in befriending.
She's very passionate about things like language and wearing hats stuffed with flowers, yet she wants black hair instead of red. She seems proud to be different, yet she's always looking for ways to fit in and be accepted - which is understandable, but self-contradictory.
Her Desire To Stand Out
On the other hand, Anne also seems to embrace her uniqueness. She likes doing things that none of her peers do, and she knows she will never be the same as them given her upbringing.
After such a tumultuous childhood, never having a home, moving from place to place, and finally being welcomed (sort of) into Avonlea, wouldn't Anne want to fit in? She often feels isolated because others don't understand her, but she also tries her best not to be like everyone else.
Why The Girls Suddenly Rally Around Her
As she grows, Anne becomes even more passionate about expressing her opinions. Normally, her classmates would be annoyed by this and just ignore her. But on some occasions, they agree with her - like in the case of saving Miss Stacy, even though the others openly expressed their distaste upon meeting her and later make fun of her teaching methods.
In season 3, when Anne tries to get back at Billy, everyone opposes her decision but shows up to the rally anyway. At their graduation, everyone listens to Anne tell stories, and in other scenes, the girls join Anne for her birthday and for the Beltane ritual. This is odd because, in almost every other scene, the girls want nothing to do with her.
How She Sneaks Out At Night
Especially in season 3, Anne is seen sneaking out of the house or staying out late on quite a few occasions, though Marilla certainly wouldn't allow it. For instance, she asks the girls to join her for a cleansing Beltane ritual at midnight.
When she returns, she hides her flower crown from Matthew, meaning she wasn't supposed to be out of the house. How did she sneak out in the first place? She also stays out very late writing her article in response to Billy taking advantage of Josie, and it seems that nobody even bothered to look for her.
Her Visit To The Orphanage
Anne has terrible memories of the orphanage and knows that no child there is happy or looked after. When she and Cole visit in season 3, hoping to gather information, they find nothing. The visit serves no purpose except to remind Anne of how awful the place was, which sparks thoughts of who she really is. She also runs into her childhood bully, who's still stuck there.
Perhaps she's so affected by being back there, but Anne's reaction to seeing her is very un-Anne-like. Her passion for justice would normally see her try to do something about it, as viewers see with her relationship with Ka'kwet. In the books, Anne and Marilla adopt twins when Anne is a little older. If the series hadn't been canceled, this might have been an interesting story to pursue, and one that makes sense for Anne.