Anne Shirley is an orphaned girl whose parents, Walter and Bertha Shirley, died of illness when she was three months old. Walter Shirley possessed an imaginative nature and fondness for storytelling, naming his daughter after a former Queen of England. Bertha Shirley cherished reading and baking. Anne inherited her father’s bright red hair and imaginative spirit, along with her mother’s love of literature.

Following her parents' deaths, Anne entered the care of the Thomas family. Her maternal aunt, Joanna Thomas, raised Anne alongside her own five children but treated her as a servant. Bert Thomas, Joanna’s alcoholic husband, created a tense household through neglect and domestic violence. Anne performed extensive childcare and cleaning duties from age six. The eldest Thomas daughter, Eliza, showed Anne kindness and acted as a supportive figure, though she later eloped with Roger Emerson, unable to take Anne. After Bert died in a train accident, worsening financial struggles led Joanna to send Anne to the Hammond family.

The Hammonds, with eight children including three sets of twins, exploited Anne as an unpaid caretaker. She endured harsh labor and received minimal schooling. Mr. Hammond’s death caused the family to disperse, sending Anne to Hopetown Orphanage. There, she faced bullying from Mildred Plimson, a wealthy classmate envious of Anne’s storytelling abilities and popularity. Other children ostracized Anne due to her red hair and orphan status, amplifying her isolation.

Throughout these hardships, Anne relied on her imagination and love for learning. She taught herself to read using materials like Shakespeare’s sonnets and medical botany books, escaping into imaginative worlds. Her resilience was bolstered by small acts of kindness, such as receiving a kitten named Lochinvar from Mrs. Minton. Anne developed a deep affection for animals, including the Hammonds’ cat, Violetta. She frequently envisioned Prince Edward Island—a place her father romanticized as "a cradle on the waves"—as an idyllic refuge.

Anne’s physical appearance included bright red hair, youthful freckles, and large expressive eyes. She predominantly wore a light chartreuse green dress with an apron during her time with the Thomases and Hammonds. Teasing about her hair and thin frame compounded her self-consciousness.

In one notable act of defiance, Anne retaliated against her primary bully, Edna, leaving her bruised after enduring prolonged mistreatment. She also attempted to run away to Prince Edward Island but returned to the orphanage, unable to find directions.

Before departing for Prince Edward Island, Anne received a hat and a letter from Joanna Thomas, who expressed improved family circumstances after Bert’s death. Eliza also sent a letter, revealing she had named her daughter after Anne. These gestures provided emotional closure as Anne prepared for her new life.

Her experiences forged a resilient yet hopeful character, shaped by adversity yet sustained by imagination and fleeting human connections.