One of the things Anne with an E does best is represent intentional families.
AwaE is fantastic for portraying that nuclear families (Dad + Mom and 2.3 kids) are not necessarily the ideal we should be striving for. In fact, all the families that are blood-related, and therefore forced to be a family, have major relationship issues - think the Pyes, the Barrys, or the Andrews. Let’s look at a few intentional families in the show:
Matthew and Marilla are siblings who, for one reason or another, never married or had children. As would have been socially acceptable at that time, they lived together because Marilla wasn’t able to be on her own as an unmarried woman. They acquire Anne by accident, and come to love her almost immediately. Although they have their fair share of squabbles, the three of them support each other through a multitude of issues - from health problems and financial instability, to identity crises and romance troubles. They may not be conventional parents, but Matthew and Marilla raise Anne the best they know how, and with all the love they have to give.
The Blythe-LaCroix Family
Perhaps the ‘oddest’ family portrayed by the show, we have Sebastian Lacroix, a labourer who has emigrated from Trinidad; Gilbert Blythe, an orphaned teen whose father left him a farm; and Delphine, the infant daughter of Bash and his late wife, Mary. Gilbert and Bash call each other ‘brother’, and to Delphine, Gil is referred to as ‘Uncle Gilby’ by others. Initially, they worked together on the boat, and later on the Blythe farm. Now, they live together as a family, cook and share meals, and provide emotional support to each other as they face many hardships. The death of Bash’s wife hits the entire family hard, and they are forced to accept help from many women in their community to raise Delphine. While they have occasional arguments (usually related to miscommunication), Gilbert and Bash are the ultimate example of intentional family.
Josephine Barry + Cole Mackenzie
An elderly ‘spinster’ (widowed after the death of her female life partner) and a gay teen runaway make the perfect pair. After growing up in a working-class family, and struggling to be himself in a closed-minded community, Cole heads for Charlottetown, and is welcomed, as well as unconditionally accepted for exactly who he is, by Josephine. She has company after being alone for many years, and he has someone he can relate to. Also, it helps that Aunt Josephine has money, so they can have extravagant parties with all their flamboyantly gay friends. It’s beautiful, and I love it.
In conclusion, Anne with an E features beautiful relationships between people who are a family because they choose it daily, not because it is required of them because of their genetics.
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