Aisyah Restu Damayanti

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Theory of Literature - D

Ego Defence Mechanism Used by The Main Character in

“Anne of Green Gables”
Anne of Green Gables tells a story about a girl named Anne. She is an orphan and
then adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert whose house is in Green Gables. Even though
Anne is quite young, she had already survived with many uncomfortable experiences. She
once became a caregiver and got bad treatment by her adoptive parents. That’s why Anne
sometimes got shocked and trembled whenever she faced a situation that bringing up her bad
memories. However, Anne is like imagination very much. She uses her imagination to reduce
her negative emotions. These are part which show how often Anne using her imaginations.

This utterance comes when Marilla met Anne for the first time. Anne knows that
Marilla didn’t want her, yet Marilla wants to adopt a boy to be a worker. Therefore, Anne
imagining that she was born as a princess Cordelia to cover up her sadness and her painful
life. “Oh, I’m not ashamed of it,” explained Anne, “only I like Cordelia better. I’ve always
imagined that my name was Cordelia—at least, I always have of late years. When I was
young, I used to imagine it was Geraldine, but I like Cordelia better now. But if you call me
Anne, please call me Anne spelled with an E.”

This utterance comes at the morning when Anne will be sent back to the orphanage.
She was really upset and depressed at the night before because she really wants to live in
Green Gables, but after she woke up and ready, she decided to be grateful that she can woke
up in a sunshine morning and forgetting her problem for a while. “The world doesn’t seem
such a howling wilderness as it did last night. I’m so glad it’s a sunshiny morning. But I like
rainy mornings really well, too. All sorts of mornings are interesting, don’t you think? You
don’t know what’s going to happen through the day, and there’s so much scope for
imagination. But I’m glad it’s not rainy today because it’s easier to be cheerful and bear up
under affliction on a sunshiny day. I feel that I have a good deal to bear up under. It’s all very
well to read about sorrows and imagine yourself living through them heroically, but it’s not so
nice when you really come to have them, is it?”
 From the text above, it can be concluded that Anne uses her imagination as a
repressions (a feeling is hidden and forced from the concious to the unconcious because it is
seen as socially unacceptable), and it is become her ego defense mechanism.