The Bosom Friend Ideal: Anne of Green Gables in Mad Mabel

What Is the Symbol and Where Does It Appear?

In Mad Mabel, the novel Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery functions as a concrete symbol of the ideal of perfect friendship—specifically the “bosom friend” bond between Anne Shirley and Diana Barry. The book first appears in Chapter 8, when Ness, the librarian, presses a copy into young Mabel’s hands and tells her the protagonist reminds her of Mabel—smart, creative, and an orphan. This gift comes with a rare hug, the first Mabel remembers receiving without obligation. Later, in Chapter 9, Mabel observes her aunt Cess and friend Ness communicate in half-sentences and calls them “bosom friends” like Anne and Diana, a comment that earns a knowing smile but also leaves her aching with longing.

The symbol recurs most powerfully in Chapter 34 (corresponding to chapter 35 in the chapter outline). After Billy’s accident, Mabel and her friend Daphne retreat to the library. Mabel retrieves a copy of Anne of Green Gables and suggests they reenact the solemn vow between Anne and Diana. The two girls swear to be faithful to each other “as long as the sun and moon shall endure,” and Mabel later calls this the happiest moment of her life. In Chapter 20 (chapter 21 in the outline), when Mabel’s father walks out of the hospital after revealing Kitty’s death and blaming her, she throws her copy of Anne of Green Gables against the wall, denting the plaster—a gesture of rage and grief that shows the book has become a container for her emotional pain.

The symbol also appears in Chapter 16 (chapter 15 in the outline), where Mabel, lying in the hospital after falling from a flying fox, longs for a friend like Anne’s Diana Barry. And in Chapter 53 (chapter 54 in the outline), after discovering Mr. Loukas’s fiancée and learning that he is a serial abuser, Mabel thinks bitterly, “He wasn’t my Gilbert. I wasn’t Anne.” The book becomes a measuring stick for a betrayal that shatters her romantic fantasy.

How the Symbol’s Meaning Changes

Throughout Mad Mabel, Anne of Green Gables shifts from a fantasy of belonging to a blueprint for real friendship, then to a source of corrosive disillusionment, and finally to a resilient touchstone of identity.

• In childhood: Ness’s gift gives Mabel the first validation she has ever felt. The novel offers an alternative world where a smart, fiery-haired orphan finds a home and a true friend. Mabel internalizes the Anne-Diana bond as the gold standard of connection, but at this stage it remains aspirational—something she believes she will never have.
• In adolescence: When Daphne re-enters her life in the hospital (Chapter 20), Mabel immediately recognizes her as a potential bosom friend. The pinkie swear that seals their friendship mirrors the solemn vow from the book. In Chapter 34, performing the exact words from Anne of Green Gables turns fantasy into reality. The symbol no longer represents longing; it represents achieved connection.
• During betrayal: Mr. Loukas’s manipulation twists the symbol into a cruel irony. Mabel had cast him as her Gilbert Blythe, but he is instead a predator who uses his position to groom students. The realization that he is “not her Gilbert” forces Mabel to confront the gap between literary ideals and adult predation. The book, once a comfort, becomes a record of her own naivety.
• In the present timeline: As elderly Elsie, Mabel still references Anne of Green Gables when she calls Daphne her “bosom friend.” The symbol endures as a shorthand for a lifelong bond that survived every trauma. It also links her to her younger self, showing that the ideal was not destroyed by betrayal—only refined.

Character Connections

• Mabel: The book is her emotional anchor. She quotes it, lends it, throws it, and uses it to test whether people truly see her. The trajectory of her relationship with the novel mirrors her journey from isolation to trust to betrayal and finally to self-acceptance.
• Daphne: Daphne is the living embodiment of Diana Barry. She not only agrees to perform the bosom-friend vow but also lives it unconditionally, defending Mabel against accusations of pushing Billy and staying loyal even when Mabel is labeled Mad Mabel.
• Ness: Ness introduces the symbol by giving Mabel the book and comparing her to Anne. She models the kind of friendship Mabel craves through her unspoken understanding with Cess. Ness’s role as catalyst makes her crucial to the symbol’s origin.
• Mr. Loukas: He represents the toxic inversion of the ideal. Mabel’s fantasy that he is her Gilbert Blythe is shattered when she learns of his predatory history. The symbol thus also exposes the danger of projecting fictional romance onto real authority figures.
• Cess: Cess and Ness’s bond is the first real-life example of a bosom friendship Mabel witnesses. Their half-sentence communication and easy companionship set the standard she later demands and gives in her relationship with Daphne.

Theme Intersections

Study Questions with Answers

1. In Chapter 8, Ness says Anne Shirley “reminds me of you.” What exactly does Mabel understand from that comparison, and why is it so significant?

Mabel understands that Ness sees her as a smart, creative, and brave outsider—someone who deserves love and a place to belong. The comparison is significant because it is the first time an adult has reflected back a positive identity to Mabel. Her own parents either ignore her (mother’s impersonal letters) or blame her (father’s coldness). Ness’s words, paired with a spontaneous hug, fill a gap that Mabel’s family has left empty.

2. How does Mabel’s reaction to throwing the book against the wall in Chapter 20 change the way readers interpret the symbol?

Throwing the book shows that the symbol is not purely comforting; it can also represent Mabel’s rage at being denied the kind of love and security the book promises. The dent in the plaster is a physical mark of her grief over Kitty’s death and her father’s abandonment. This action transforms the book from a passive token into an active participant in her emotional life—something she can use to express what words cannot.

3. In Chapter 53, Mabel thinks, “He wasn’t my Gilbert. I wasn’t Anne.” What does this realization reveal about the limits of literary ideals?

It reveals that the Anne of Green Gables ideal of a pure, romantic friendship (or courtship) can be dangerously misleading when applied to real relationships with power imbalances. Mr. Loukas is a teacher who grooms students; comparing him to Gilbert Blythe blinds Mabel to the abuse. The symbol of the bosom friend works for platonic friendship but fails when stretched to cover a predatory authority figure.

4. Why does the solemn vow in Chapter 34 remain “the happiest moment of my life” even after Mabel has experienced decades of love, loss, and forgiveness?

Because the vow represents a moment when Mabel’s deepest longing—for a friend who sees her fully and promises never to leave—was literally fulfilled. Unlike her childhood fantasy, the vow was real and mutual. Daphne kept that promise, staying loyal through Mabel’s murder trial, institutionalization, and old age. The happiness is not naive; it is earned by the friendship’s endurance. The symbol therefore moves from aspiration to testimony.