What happens in Chapter 15 of Anne of Green Gables?
Chapter 15 begins with Anne's first day at Avonlea school, where she quickly gets swept up in the thrill of social interactions and underlying rivalries. Gilbert Blythe, the school's top student, notices Anne and tries to get her attention by pulling her braid and calling her "Carrots." Anne reacts promptly and dramatically: she slams her slate against Gilbert's head and loudly declares that she will never speak to him again. Mr. Phillips, the schoolteacher, punishes only Anne, making her stand at the front of the room next to the boy she despises. Anne's pride is deeply hurt, and she vows to leave school for good. Marilla, dismissing what she sees as theatrics, insists that Anne return. The chapter ends with Anne back at her desk, her hatred for Gilbert solidifying into a feeling that will influence the novel's main relationship in the upcoming chapters. Meanwhile, the classroom dynamics—Diana's loyalty, the admiration of the other girls, and the boys' teasing—are quickly and skillfully outlined.
Analysis
Montgomery crafts this chapter as a pressure cooker filled with competing humiliations, showcasing her skill in calibrating each one with precision. Gilbert's taunt goes beyond mere cruelty; it strikes at Anne's deepest vulnerability—her appearance, specifically her red hair, which has labeled her an outsider long before her time at Green Gables. The slate-smashing isn't just a spur-of-the-moment reaction, but a motivated act of self-defense, and Montgomery ensures that readers feel the justice in it, despite the social consequences that follow.
The chapter's title—taken from the phrase "a tempest in a teapot"—carries a subtle irony. Montgomery uses it to hint that adults like Marilla and Mr. Phillips will trivialize Anne's suffering as exaggerated, but the narrative pushes back against that dismissal. Mr. Phillips's uneven punishment highlights institutional unfairness: Gilbert provoked Anne, she reacted, yet only she is left to bear the shame. Through free indirect discourse, Montgomery immerses us in Anne's intense sense of injustice while keeping the writing from slipping into sentimentality.
Additionally, this chapter presents Gilbert as a genuinely complex character rather than just a typical antagonist. His "maddening" grin after the punishment suggests curiosity rather than malice, planting the first ambiguous hint of the long romantic tension that will develop throughout the novel. The schoolroom serves as a social microcosm, reflecting the hierarchies and loyalties of the broader Avonlea community that Anne is beginning to navigate. Montgomery’s control over tone—shifting from slapstick to wounded dignity to dry comedy—is the chapter's standout achievement.
Key quotes from Chapter 15
“'You mean, hateful boy!' Anne cried. 'How dare you!' And then—thwack! Anne had brought her slate down on Gilbert's head and cracked it—slate not head—clear across.”
Anne retaliates instantly after Gilbert calls her 'Carrots,' the narrative's parenthetical clarification landing the scene's comedy without deflating its emotional stakes.
“'I shall never forgive Gilbert Blythe,' said Anne firmly. 'And Mr. Phillips spelled my name without an e, too. I shall hate this school forever.'”
Anne conflates two separate grievances into one declaration, revealing how her sense of identity—her name, her appearance—are inseparable wounds.
“Gilbert Blythe wasn't used to putting himself out to make a girl look at him and meeting with failure.”
Montgomery introduces Gilbert's perspective in a single dry sentence, immediately complicating him from bully to someone genuinely caught off-guard by Anne's indifference.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Chapter 15
- tempest
- A violent storm; used figuratively in the chapter title to mean a fierce outbreak of conflict or uproar, in this case a quarrel at school.