When Marilla took Anne up to bed that night she said stiffly:
“Now, Anne, I noticed last night that you threw your clothes all about the floor when you took them off. That is a very untidy habit, and I can’t allow it at all. As soon as you take off any article of clothing fold it neatly and place it on the chair. I haven’t any use at all for little girls who aren’t neat.”
“I was so harrowed up in my mind last night that I didn’t think about my clothes at all,” said Anne. “I’ll fold them nicely tonight. They always made us do that at the asylum. Half the time, though, I’d forget, I’d be in such a hurry to get into bed nice and quiet and imagine things.”
“You’ll have to remember a little better if you stay here,” admonished Marilla. “There, that looks something like. Say your prayers now and get into bed.”
“I never say any prayers,” announced Anne.
Marilla looked horrified astonishment.
“Why, Anne, what do you mean? Were you never taught to say your prayers? God always wants little girls to say their prayers. Don’t you know who God is, Anne?”
”’God is a spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth,’” responded Anne promptly and glibly.
Marilla looked rather relieved.
“So you do know something then, thank goodness! You’re not quite a heathen. Where did you learn that?”
“Oh, at the asylum Sunday-school. They made us learn the whole catechism. I liked it pretty well. There’s something splendid about some of the words. ‘Infinite, eternal and unchangeable.’ Isn’t that grand? It has such a roll to it—just like a big organ playing. You couldn’t quite call it poetry, I suppose, but it sounds a lot like it, doesn’t it?”
“We’re not talking about poetry, Anne—we are talking about saying your prayers. Don’t you know it’s a terrible wicked thing not to say your prayers every night? I’m afraid you are a very bad little girl.”
“You’d find it easier to be bad than good if you had red hair,” said Anne reproachfully. “People who haven’t red hair don’t know what trouble is. Mrs. Thomas told me that God made my hair red ON PURPOSE, and I’ve never cared about Him since. And anyhow I’d always be too tired at night to bother saying prayers. People who have to look after twins can’t be expected to say their prayers. Now, do you honestly think they can?”
Marilla decided that Anne’s religious training must be begun at once. Plainly there was no time to be lost.
“You must say your prayers while you are under my roof, Anne.”
“Why, of course, if you want me to,” assented Anne cheerfully. “I’d do anything to oblige you. But you’ll have to tell me what to say for this once. After I get into bed I’ll imagine out a real nice prayer to say always. I believe that it will be quite interesting, now that I come to think of it.”
“You must kneel down,” said Marilla in embarrassment.
Anne knelt at Marilla’s knee and looked up gravely.
“Why must people kneel down to pray? If I really wanted to pray I’ll tell you what I’d do. I’d go out into a great big field all alone or into the deep, deep, woods, and I’d look up into the sky—up—up—up—into that lovely blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness. And then I’d just FEEL a prayer. Well, I’m ready. What am I to say?”
Marilla felt more embarrassed than ever. She had intended to teach Anne the childish classic, “Now I lay me down to sleep.” But she had, as I have told you, the glimmerings of a sense of humor—which is simply another name for a sense of fitness of things; and it suddenly occurred to her that that simple little prayer, sacred to white-robed childhood lisping at motherly knees, was entirely unsuited to this freckled witch of a girl who knew and cared nothing bout God’s love, since she had never had it translated to her through the medium of human love.
“You’re old enough to pray for yourself, Anne,” she said finally. “Just thank God for your blessings and ask Him humbly for the things you want.”
“Well, I’ll do my best,” promised Anne, burying her face in Marilla’s lap. “Gracious heavenly Father—that’s the way the ministers say it in church, so I suppose it’s all right in private prayer, isn’t it?” she interjected, lifting her head for a moment.
"Gracious heavenly Father, I thank Thee for the White Way of Delight and the Lake of Shining Waters and Bonny and the Snow Queen. I'm really extremely grateful for them. And that's all the blessings I can think of just now to thank Thee for. As for the things I want, they're so numerous that it would take a great deal of time to name them all so I will only mention the two most important. Please let me stay at Green Gables; and please let me be good-looking when I grow up. I remain,"
Yours respectfully, Anne Shirley.
“There, did I do all right?” she asked eagerly, getting up. “I could have made it much more flowery if I’d had a little more time to think it over.”
Poor Marilla was only preserved from complete collapse by remembering that it was not irreverence, but simply spiritual ignorance on the part of Anne that was responsible for this extraordinary petition. She tucked the child up in bed, mentally vowing that she should be taught a prayer the very next day, and was leaving the room with the light when Anne called her back.
“I’ve just thought of it now. I should have said, ‘Amen’ in place of ‘yours respectfully,’ shouldn’t I?—the way the ministers do. I’d forgotten it, but I felt a prayer should be finished off in some way, so I put in the other. Do you suppose it will make any difference?”
“I—I don’t suppose it will,” said Marilla. “Go to sleep now like a good child. Good night.”
“I can only say good night tonight with a clear conscience,” said Anne, cuddling luxuriously down among her pillows.
Marilla retreated to the kitchen, set the candle firmly on the table, and glared at Matthew.
“Matthew Cuthbert, it’s about time somebody adopted that child and taught her something. She’s next door to a perfect heathen. Will you believe that she never said a prayer in her life till tonight? I’ll send her to the manse tomorrow and borrow the Peep of the Day series, that’s what I’ll do. And she shall go to Sunday-school just as soon as I can get some suitable clothes made for her. I foresee that I shall have my hands full. Well, well, we can’t get through this world without our share of trouble. I’ve had a pretty easy life of it so far, but my time has come at last and I suppose I’ll just have to make the best of it.”
背景介绍和作者简介
这段文字选自《绿山墙的安妮》，这是一部备受喜爱的经典小说，由加拿大作家露西·莫德·蒙哥马利创作，于1908年首次出版。故事讲述了安妮·雪莉，一个富有想象力和活力的孤儿女孩，她被误送到玛丽拉和马修·卡斯伯特那里，这对兄妹原本打算收养一个男孩来帮助他们的农场。小说以爱德华王子岛上的虚构村庄艾凡利为背景，探讨了归属感、身份认同和想象力的力量等主题。
露西·莫德·蒙哥马利大量借鉴了自己在加拿大乡村长大的经历，为故事注入了生动的自然描写和强烈的社区意识。她对安妮性格的刻画——热情、富有创造力，有时又很固执——吸引了全世界几代读者。
详细解读和意义
这段摘录突出了安妮适应新家以及随之而来的期望的关键时刻。玛丽拉是一个严厉而务实的女人，她试图在安妮的生活中灌输纪律和秩序，而安妮富有想象力和情感的天性与这些要求发生了冲突。关于祈祷的对话揭示了安妮缺乏正规的宗教教育，但也展现了她独特而真诚地与精神世界联系的方式。
安妮的祈祷，虽然不落俗套，并带有一丝幽默，但却表达了她真诚的感激和愿望，反映了她的纯真和希望。玛丽拉的反应突显了弥合不同生活经历和观点之间的挑战。这一幕生动地阐释了成长的主题——包括个人成长和精神成长——以及在培养孩子发展过程中理解和耐心的重要性。
给学生的启示和见解
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**想象力和个性的价值：**安妮对祈祷和生活的富有想象力的方式鼓励年轻读者拥抱他们的独特性和创造力，即使面对严格的规则或期望。
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适应和成长的重要性： 像安妮一样，学生们经常面临新的环境和挑战。学会平衡个人表达与社会规范是成长的关键技能。
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理解和同情： 玛丽拉对安妮的态度转变教会了我们耐心和同情——认识到人们来自不同的背景，需要时间和指导来适应。
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感恩和反思： 安妮的祈祷提醒我们要感谢我们生活中的祝福，无论它们看起来多么渺小或不寻常。
在日常生活中应用
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在学校： 学生们可以学会尊重规则和规章制度，同时也能找到表达个性的方式。安妮的故事鼓励在纪律和创造力之间取得平衡。
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在社交场合： 了解他人的背景和观点可以培养善良，减少评判，就像玛丽拉学会接受安妮的怪癖一样。
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个人成长： 培养像感恩和反思这样的习惯，就像安妮尝试祈祷一样，可以帮助学生建立积极的心态和情感韧性。
从故事中培养积极的品质
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好奇心和想象力： 鼓励写作、绘画或讲故事来培养创造力。
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责任感和整洁： 就像玛丽拉坚持整洁一样，学生们可以练习整理他们的个人空间和物品。
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精神和情感意识： 无论是通过祈祷、冥想还是安静的反思，学生们都可以培养对自己的感受和价值观更深入的理解。
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耐心和同情心： 对自己和他人都要有耐心和同情心，认识到成长是一个过程。
结论
《绿山墙的安妮》提供了永恒的智慧，并以迷人的叙事方式呈现。特别是这段文字，邀请读者欣赏成长的复杂性以及将想象力与纪律相结合的美好。对于学生和年轻读者来说，安妮的旅程是忠于自我，同时学会以善良、感恩和勇气面对世界的灵感来源。
