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Kylah Lohnes
English 233
November 26, 2013
Imagination and Anxiety
The imagination of children is something which is both wonderful and troublesome.
Children use their imagination in many ways, including in play, storytelling, conversation,
learning, and as a coping mechanism. Like all human beings, children are often presented with
circumstances and ideas that cause them to feel anxious; and while each individual has unique
ways of dealing with this anxiety, many children choose to cope through the use of their
imagination. Using the imagination in this way, as a means of escapism, is often looked down
upon in adults but is an acceptable means by which children are able to cope with anxietyproducing circumstances. Perhaps one of the most vivid examples of the childhood imagination
is in L. M. Montgomerys Anne of Green Gables, hereafter referred to as Anne. In this novel
Anne, an orphan girl who is taken to reside with an elderly couple on Prince Edward Island, uses
her imagination frequently and to various degrees in order to bring new meaning to the world
around her, changing her ordinary circumstances into something that she views as far more
exciting and engaging. Another example of a child character who uses the imagination as a
means of escapism is Max, from Maurice Sendaks Where the Wild Things Are, hereafter referred
to as Wild Things. In this story Max creates an alternate reality for himself after being faced with
the anxiety of being sent to bed without any supper. In each example, although the child is
allowed to participate in their alternate reality for a short period of time, they must ultimately
learn the appropriate use for the imagination in order to correctly engage with formal reality.

Childrens literature, specifically Anne of Green Gables and Where the Wild Things Are, shows
that the imagination is a powerful tool which can be used in both positive and negative ways, but
should ultimately be used as a support to children, while still allowing them to remember the
formal reality which they must become a part.
There are many different uses for the imagination that vary from one person to another.
For example, while children often use the imagination in play, to create friends to play with or
landscapes to play in, adults more commonly use the imagination in design of architecture, or as
a means to consider a different way of living with more wealth, greater happiness and health,
fewer frustrations or more social equalities. Due to the many uses and possible definitions of the
imagination, the term can be ambiguous. Mary Rubio states that by the time Montgomery uses
this word at its worst [the imagination] had come to mean pure escapism; at its best, it was a
faculty by which man ordered the world into a complex set of symbols (Rubio, 33). An example
of the complex set of symbols being referred to are objects such as numbers or letters, which
although are simply marks on a page come to mean something to the educated reader. Every use
of the imagination can be placed on a continuum, with pure escapism at one end and usefulness
through symbols and as a means of change at the other. Although many adults have difficulty in
acknowledging the anxieties and preoccupations of childhood [due to] their desire for children to
be happy-happy-happy (Lukens, 62), children do, in fact, experience unpleasant emotions such
as sadness, anger, fear and anxiety. Often, it is when children are experiencing these negative
emotions that they use the imagination as escapism. Escapism is a healthy way that children can
deal with their emotions as Max does, who through fantasy discharges his anger against his
mother, and returns to the real world sleepy, hungry and at peace with himself (Sendak,
Acceptance Speech, 250). Maurice Sendak said that children continually cope with frustration

as best they can. And it is through fantasy that children achieve catharsis (Acceptance Speech,
250). Children must be allowed to use the imagination for escapism, but as they mature, their
understanding and use of the imagination should develop further along the continuum.
Development along the continuum is important, and this development is shown in Anne,
but far less so in Max. Anne falls along many places in the continuum throughout the novel, from
her use of the imagination to create friends for herself prior to arriving at Green Gables, to her
role in changing the attitudes and character of the people she meets in Avonlea. The novel begins
by portraying Anne as a young girl with an overactive imagination, but it continues by portraying
a transition over time having the disciplining of Annes too-active imagination [as] a central
theme (Reimer, 92). By the end of the novel, Marilla notes that Anne does not chatter half as
much as [she] used to, nor use half as many big words (Montgomery, 204). Annes tendency to
talk a lot and use extravagant words was her attempt at sharing her vibrant imagination with
others. As Anne matures she recognizes that the imagination is more often useful for personal
reflection, while in written and oral communication with others simple words are often just as
effective, if not more so, than complicated ones. Max, however, fails to progress as far along the
continuum, using the imagination only as a means of escapism when experiencing anxiety. It is
only once the imagination fails to satisfy Maxs needs that he chooses to enter back into formal
reality (Sendak, Wild Things, 29). This decision is based on desire to escape loneliness, and
although Max learns that the imagination is not always able to satisfy his needs, he does not
develop significantly along the continuum. While the use of the imagination as escapism is
appropriate for children, since it creates a safe space for the child to retreat to when experiencing
anxiety, it is hoped that, as Anne does, children will grow out of this use and learn to better
engage with formal reality.

Use of the imagination in inappropriate ways or at inappropriate times can cause

mistakes that may result in the child becoming disillusioned with certain aspects of the
imagination. This disillusionment helps facilitate an easier transition for children between the
various uses of the imagination. It is the failure of the imagination to fulfill their needs that
causes both Anne and Max to alter their use of the imagination, although in different ways. Max
enters his imagined reality partly as a means to escape the loneliness of his room, however Max
later experiences loneliness inside of his imagined reality and this, along with the realization that
supper is now available, is what prompts him to quit his use of the imagination for a period of
time (Sendak, Wild Things, 29/30). The realization that his needs go unmet in imagined reality,
but can be met in formal reality, is only a minor development for Max, but it is important to note
that this development was brought on by the failure of the imagination. Anne experiences many
mistakes as a result of her imagination. Annes overactive imagination often causes her to be
forgetful, such as when she starches Matthews handkerchiefs and burns the pie for dinner
(Montgomery, 133/34). It is through these experiences that she learns when it is appropriate to
become lost in the imagination and when she should remain focused on reality. In a similar
manner, Anne learns the appropriate use of the imagination through her misuse of it, the most
notable being when she and Diana imagine the Haunted Woods purely for [their] own
amusement (Montgomery, 135). This use of the imagination later causes trouble for Anne when
Marilla forces her to walk through the woods after dark (Montgomery, 136). Another, more
reoccurring failure of the imagination in Anne is Annes inability to imagine away her red hair
(Montgomery, 20). Anne describes her red hair as a lifelong sorrow (Montgomery, 20) and
often blames the colour of her hair for the trouble that she causes. Anne begins to focus less on
the colour of her hair after the incident in which her hair becomes green after she tries to dye it

a beautiful raven black (Montgomery, 174). Through this incident Anne learns that some
dreams will simply always be unfulfilled, in both imagined and formal reality. Often it is through
the failure of the imagination, or the mistakes caused by improper use of the imagination that
children learn the most about the uses of the imagination and its place within formal reality.
When individuals develops along the continuum of the imagination they are forced out of
using the imagination purely as escapism, but if pushed too far they may reject all uses of the
imagination and thus limit their outlook on life. Marilla is a prime example of this limited
imagination at the beginning of Anne, when she states that she doesnt believe in imagining
things different than what they really are (Montgomery, 50). Marilla rejects all forms of the
imagination from reimagining ones environment, to imagination in play, and even reading of
novels. This rejection of the imagination in Marilla, and in other characters such as Rachel
Lynde, creates a sense of stagnation within Avonlea. The opening chapter of Anne provides the
readers with a scene of a small town in which there seems to be a set way in which things just
are; such as the way the brook runs, Mrs. Lyndes knowledge of everyones business, and sense
of perfection and cleanliness both inside and outside of Green Gables (Montgomery, 7-9). This
stagnation is very clearly contrasted with the excitement and new life brought into Avonlea by
Anne, the girl who was supposed to be a boy, and who spends much of her time in Avonlea
renaming places and changing the old order of things through her extensive use of the
imagination. Anne is quite opposite from many of the people in Avonlea in this way, but neither
is ideal. Balance is a key component to the use of the imagination and its integration in formal
reality. Anne exemplifies this balance later in her life while at Queens, when she remains
focused on her studies but also allows herself time to stare out the window dreamily as a brief
moment of escape and relaxation (Montgomery, 228). Anne tries to share this balance with others

as well, through the creation of the story club. The goal of this club is to help its members
cultivate [their] imagination[s] (Montgomery, 169) through the writing and sharing of stories.
Anne uses her active imagination to inspire the other schoolgirls to develop their imaginations in
order that they would be able to use them properly, considering the world from different points of
view. Writing, both for the story club and for class, provides a good balance between formal and
imagined realities because although the stories are imagined, all of the stories created within the
club contain a moral (Montgomery, 170) and in class Miss Stacy wont let [them] write
anything but what might happen in Avonlea in [their] own lives (Montgomery, 205). Although it
is important that children learn to engage in formal reality, it is equally important that they retain
some use of the imagination in order to avoid a stagnant society.
The imagination is a powerful tool which can be used to create positive change in
individuals and societies. However, if an individual only ever uses the imagination as escapism,
this change cannot occur. Annes imagination is a mechanism for change (Gray, 174) in the
lives of the people whom she meets. Anne presents herself as an interesting and impulsive child,
one the Cuthberts need because she can furnish them with the psychological, emotional, and
imaginative dimensions which are lacking in their own lives (Rubio, 35). It is precisely Annes
impulse and imagination that creates an atmosphere conducive for change in both Matthew and
Marilla. Many of the things that Anne does and says cause Marilla to laugh, or at least want to
laugh, even if Marilla often reprimands herself for doing so. In one instance, after Anne has been
crying due to her imagining Diana on her wedding day, Marilla laughs so loudly that Matthew,
crossing the yard outside, halted in amazement. When had he heard Marilla laugh like that
before? (Montgomery, 101). Obviously it had been a very long time since Marilla had allowed
herself to laugh, and this positive change comes about through Annes influence. As Marilla

herself puts it, no house will ever be dull that [Annes] in (Montgomery, 88). Anne also
changes Matthews perspective. On his way to pick up Anne there are very few details noted
about the landscape, just that
it was a pretty road, running along between snug farmsteads, with now and again a bit
of balsamy fir wood to drive through or a hollow where wild plums hung out their filmy
bloom. The air was sweet with the bloom of many apple orchards and the meadows
sloped away in the distance (Montgomery, 14).
The details provided are rather simple, ones that Matthew, a farmer who has lived in the area all
his life and takes scenery for granted, might observe (Reimer, 61). The trip back to Green
Gables, with Anne along for the ride, gives the reader a much more extensive view of that pretty
road, including Annes mention of a tree looking like a bride, and her renaming places to the
White Way of Delight and the Lake of Shining Waters (Montgomery, 17 - 22). The addition
of Anne, and the imagination that she carries, creates a new world, and a very different lens
through which Matthew can now view the world to which he had grown so accustomed. Annes
role in changing both Matthew and Marilla happens only because Anne shares her imagination
through her words, actions and stories. If Anne had chosen to remain inside her imaginary reality
and not share it with others, her influence would be far less.
Unlike Anne, Max creates an imaginary reality for himself that he does not share with
others, resulting in very little change in Maxs formal reality. The only change, outside of Max
himself, is his mothers choice to give him supper (Sendak, 35). This change comes about out of
motherly love and compassion for her child, and not because of anything that Max has done to
influence her or anyone else in formal reality. So while the imagination is useful for creating

positive change in others, those who use the imagination must first develop in their use of the
imagination out of pure escapism for themselves and into a shared experience in order for the
change to occur most effectively.
The imagination is a powerful tool that is used in many ways for various individuals at
different times and ages. Childrens literature, especially Anne of Green Gables and Where the
Wild Things Are, gives an overview of the various uses of the imagination, as a support to
children experiencing negative emotions, and a tool to create change. While it is healthy for
children to use the imagination as escapism, it is also important that as children develop, their
use of the imagination matures in such a way that they are able to engage in formal reality
without completely neglecting the usefulness of their imaginations. Throughout childhood the
imagination is useful for play, learning and coping with anxiety, while in adults the imagination
is important as a means to understand the world, think abstractly and create positive change in
societies. As a useful tool for people of all ages, it is important that we use our imaginations in a
way appropriate for our time, circumstances, and age in order to create positive change in
ourselves and the world around us.

Works Cited
Grey, Paige. ""Bloom in the Moonshine" Imagination as Liberation in Anne of Green Gables."
Children's Literature 42 (2014): 169-96. Project MUSE. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
<http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/childrens_literature/v042/42.gray.pdf>.
Lukens, Rebecca J. A Critical Handbook of Childrens Literature. 8th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson
Education, Inc., 2007. Print.
Montgomery, L. M. Anne of Green Gables: Authoritative Text, Backgrounds, Criticism. Ed. Mary
Rubio and Elizabeth Waterston. New York: W.W. Norton, 2007. Print.
Reimer, Mavis. Such a Simple Little Tale: Critical Responses to L.M. Montgomery's Anne of
Green Gables. West Lafayette, IN: Children's Literature Association, 1992. Print.
Rubio, Mary. "Satire, Realism & Imagination in Anne of Green Gables." L.M. Montgomery: An
Assessment. Ed. John R. Sorfleet. Guelph, Ontario: Canadian Children's, 1976. 27-36.
Print.
Sendak, Maurice. Where the Wild Things Are. New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1963. Print.
--- . Caldecott Award Acceptance Speech. Newberry and Caldecott Medal Books: 1956-1965.
Ed. Lee Kingman. Boston, MA: Horn Book, Inc. 1965. 246-253. Print.