From Anne of Green Gables
Matthew Cuthbert
Marilla’s brother • Shy and gentle
Marilla’s shy, gentle brother, who goes to meet the train and understands Anne from the very start.
Who is Matthew Cuthbert?
Matthew is a quiet, gentle farmer who lives at Green Gables with his sister Marilla. He is very shy, especially around girls, yet he loves listening to Anne’s chatter from the moment they meet. Matthew understands Anne better than anyone and always finds small, kind ways to make her happy.
Matthew Cuthbert is a character in Anne of Green Gables, the 1908 novel by L. M. Montgomery, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.
What is Matthew Cuthbert like?
- shy
- gentle
- loving
Matthew Cuthbert’s story
Matthew Cuthbert is the first person Anne meets. He is waiting at the Bright River station, expecting a boy, and he is far too shy to tell a talkative girl that there has been a mistake. On the long drive home he finds, to his surprise, that he enjoys her chatter. By the time they reach Green Gables he already hopes Marilla will let her stay.
Matthew speaks up for Anne when Marilla hesitates, and he becomes her quiet ally. He is the one who notices that she longs for a dress with puffed sleeves, and he is so shy that he nearly gives up buying it. He gets the dress at last, with the help of Mrs. Lynde’s sewing, and gives it to her on Christmas morning. He sits proudly at the school concert, and in the audience when Anne wins at Queen’s.
Matthew has a weak heart. In the last chapters of the book he has a shock when he reads that the bank holding the family’s savings has failed. He collapses at the door of Green Gables and dies quietly. The night before, he had told Anne that he was proud of her. His death is the saddest moment of the book, but Anne and Marilla comfort each other.
“Well now, I’d rather have you than a dozen boys, Anne”
A moment to remember
On Christmas morning, Matthew gives Anne a pale blue dress with the big puffed sleeves she has dreamed of.
Family and friends
- Marilla Cuthbert: his sister
- Anne Shirley: the girl he adopts
- Mrs. Rachel Lynde: neighbor
- Diana Barry: Anne’s best friend
Talk about it
Matthew noticed that Anne wished for puffed sleeves like the other girls. How can you notice what would make someone else happy?
Questions about Matthew Cuthbert
- Does Matthew die in Anne of Green Gables?
- Yes. Near the end of the book Matthew dies suddenly of a heart attack after reading bad news about the family’s bank. It is a sad chapter, but Anne and Marilla grow closer afterward.
- Why did Matthew want to keep Anne?
- He liked her at once because she talked so freely and he never felt shy with her. He tells Marilla that she is an interesting little thing.
- What did Matthew give Anne for Christmas?
- He gave her a dress with puffed sleeves, which she had wished for since she arrived at Green Gables.
Read the story in
Anne of Green Gables
Ages 6–9, 72 pages
