What happens in Chapter 38 of Anne of Green Gables?
Chapter 38, "The Bend in the Road," brings Anne of Green Gables to its emotional conclusion. Matthew Cuthbert suddenly dies from a heart attack after discovering that the Abbey Bank—where the Cuthberts had kept their savings—has collapsed. The shock of losing their savings proves to be too much. Anne, who has just returned from Queen's Academy with the Avery Scholarship and top marks, is consumed by grief. Marilla, already dealing with worsening eyesight, now faces the possibility of selling Green Gables and leaving their home. Determined not to let Marilla lose her home and independence, Anne quietly gives up the Avery Scholarship and her plans to attend Redmond College. Instead, she decides to teach at the Carmody school—later securing a position at the closer Avonlea school—so she can stay at Green Gables and care for Marilla. When Gilbert Blythe learns about her sacrifice, he offers her his own Avonlea teaching position, a gesture she appreciates and responds to with genuine warmth, finally opening up the friendship she had kept at bay for so long. The chapter concludes with Anne standing at her window at dusk, gazing down the road with a quiet, hopeful outlook.
Analysis
Montgomery concludes the novel with a chapter that exemplifies restraint in both structure and tone. The death of Matthew is depicted swiftly, almost without ceremony, avoiding sentimentality while still being devastating; the narrative's concise expression of grief reflects Anne's own hard-earned composure. The financial collapse of the Abbey Bank serves as a plot device, but its true purpose is to dismantle the external supports Anne has relied on for her ambitions, prompting the novel's central question: who is Anne Shirley when the future she envisioned has vanished?
The title's metaphor—the bend in the road—dominates the chapter and represents Montgomery's clear thematic intent. A bend signifies neither an end nor a direct continuation; it demands progress while keeping the destination unclear. Anne's embrace of this uncertainty is shown not as resignation but as a mature, self-directed choice, setting her apart from the orphan-as-victim stereotype she could have embodied.
Gilbert's decision to leave the Avonlea post is the novel's subtlest yet most significant act of characterization. It reframes his longstanding rivalry with Anne as a quiet, enduring devotion—and Anne's acceptance of his friendship marks her first step toward receiving care without suspicion. Montgomery refrains from providing a romantic resolution, allowing the gesture itself to bear the emotional weight.
The twilight setting of the final scene—neither fully day nor fully night—aligns perfectly with the bend metaphor, and Anne's focus on the future rather than the past highlights her evolution from a reactive child to a self-determined young woman.
Key quotes from Chapter 38
“'God's in his heaven, all's right with the world,' whispered Anne softly.”
Anne murmurs the Browning lines Matthew had always loved, standing over his body—her grief filtered through the very literary imagination that has defined her throughout the novel.
“'I don't know what lies around the bend, but I'm going to believe that the best does.'”
Anne speaks to Marilla near the chapter's close, articulating the novel's central philosophy of hopeful forward motion in the face of irreversible loss.
“'We are going to be the best of friends,' said Gilbert, jubilantly. 'We were born to be good friends, Anne.'”
Gilbert addresses Anne after she finally accepts his handshake, ending their years-long estrangement with a declaration that carries the weight of the entire novel's slow reconciliation.
Check your understanding
Ask about this work
The reader has this chapter in front of it — the summary, the analysis, the key quotes and the vocabulary — along with the rest of the book’s chapters. Ask what happens and why it matters, or push back on a reading.
It cites the chapter or the line it is working from, and it says so plainly when the guide doesn’t cover something. It’s instructed never to write an essay, a paragraph or an answer for you to hand in, and never to grade anything — it will show you how to approach the question instead.
Sign in to ask the reader about this work — 1 credit covers three messages.
Create an accountSign in