Storyformed

By Sarah Clarkson

“Why are you visiting Prince Edward Island?” the flight attendant shouted over the plane’s engine. My mom, sister, and I were scrunched into our seats across from the attendant as we flew on a tiny puddle-jumper plane to Charlottetown. I grinned ear to ear with delight as I explained that we girls were fulfilling a long-treasured dream: We had always wanted to visit the countryside of our favorite literary heroine, Anne of Green Gables. My new friend looked blank.

“Anne of Green who?”

Looking back, I hope my face didn’t register as much shock as I felt. For a moment, I was silent. How could anyone not know about Anne of Green Gables? This flight attendant flew in and out of Prince Edward Island on a weekly basis, and she had an eleven-year-old daughter—just the right age for the Anne books—yet she had never heard of one of the most beloved classics of children’s literature.

...I found myself troubled long after that encounter. I couldn’t stop thinking about how the flight attendant’s little girl had never encountered the clear beauty, the unfettered imagination of Anne of Green Gables. A tale like that is more than a mere storybook. A book like that shapes the inner landscape of a little girl’s mind; it forms how she sees and experiences her own life. I realized that what troubled me was the soul of the little girl—she hadn’t had the chance to be shaped by this story. This was a new idea for me....