As I reread Rilla of Ingleside and Rainbow Valley, I find myself increasingly interested in Mary Vance—specifically, her foil to Anne. Bear with me; this is more of a stream of consciousness rather than a full-blown analysis.
When Anne is introduced in AOGG, Marilla says something about how decent folks likely brought up Anne, as she speaks pretty politely. In fact, for all of Anne’s chatter throughout the series, even when she is angry (see her early argument with Mrs Lynde, or even smashing her slate over Gilbert’s head), she is never excessively rude nor vulgar. Anne fits in with the girls in her school, accepted as one of them despite her more queer habits, which are looked at as endearing rather than strange. Anne is dressed plainly by Marilla for a few years, but this is treated as something unordinary by the story and its characters, and as she comes of age, she is allowed to dress prettier - like the other girls of Avonlea. Anne’s story is about how she is accepted by Avonlea and, ultimately, about how she finds a home and a family, finding her place to belong.
Mary Vance, on the other hand, doesn’t speak like any other main character in the series - her accent is more working class, as referenced by her speech patterns in comparison to the Manse children or the Ingleside children. When we meet her, though she is good-hearted, she’s rough and abrasive in a way Anne never was and never is. Though allowances are made for her upbringing, she is clearly ‘othered’ - not entirely fitting in with the more innocent and light-hearted children of Ingleside and the Manse and veering on the thin line of being disliked. Subsequently, when Miss Cornelia adopts Mary and dresses her nicely, the story deals with it differently - she’s textually described as proud and vain - as if Mary Vance did not belong naturally in those clothes as the Ingleside children do, or the Manse children deserve. Mary Vance is accepted in a limbo state - she is part of the Glenn, but her background is never entirely forgotten. Unlike Anne, she is never quite accepted.
Anne was born to two loving parents who wanted her. Mary Vance is born to a scoundrel family (in her own words). Anne is made to do chores, but it’s all described more innocently - a child helping at home. When the text describes Mary Vance doing chores, I don’t read it as a child helping like perhaps Una would with Rosemary. It reads more like Susan Baker - or other househelp.
Now, Rainbow Valley is in the POV of neglected children, so it could be argued that the descriptions of Mary Vance are mainly due to her being viewed in the lense of a young child grappling with jealousy (my heart goes out to poor, sweet Una), but I do think that there is food for thought in this - especially when exploring the more classist undertones present in the later AOGG series.
