Using Imagination as Defense Mechanism in L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables

Imagination is one aspect of people's creativity. Anne of Green Gables, a novel written by L. M. Montgomery, proves that imagination also works as a tool of people's defense mechanism. Anne of Green Gables is narrated by a young little orphan girl, named Anne Shirley, who is dealing with her tragic past experiences that influence her present condition. This study is aimed at analyzing how the novel portrays the function of imagination and how it works to protect Anne, especially in overcoming past trauma of her past experiences. Psychoanalytic criticism by Sigmund Freud is used to conduct this research and this novel is analyzed by using character analysis. The findings are that imagination is able to protect Anne Shirley's self to deal with her unconscious condition. From eight defense mechanisms proposed by Freud, I have chosen defense mechanisms which are dominant in Anne Shirley's behavior: repression, denial and displacement