Emily Of New Moon

“Douglas Starr had once, in a fit of exasperation, told Emily that ‘Ellen Greene was a fat, lazy, old thing of no importance,’ and Emily, whenever she looked at Ellen after that, thought the description fitted her to a hair.”

Emily’s father was often dismissive of Ellen and her narrow-minded perspective. Though these words are not very kind, Emily is struck by their accuracy, which she appreciates as a writer.

“It had always seemed to Emily, ever since she could remember, that she was very, very near to a world of wonderful beauty. Between it and herself hung only a thin curtain; she could never draw the curtain aside—but sometimes, just for a moment, a wind fluttered it and then it was as if she caught a glimpse of the enchanting realm beyond—only a glimpse—and heard a note of unearthly music.”

This passage shows Emily’s intimate connection with the natural world and how she senses that she may be closer than others to accessing some magical realm that lies just beyond reality.

“It would hurt her with its beauty until she wrote it down.”

This quote shows that Emily has a very visceral response to beauty and her impulse is to write about it so that she won’t forget it. The idea that it would hurt her until she wrote it down connects with the idea that writing is therapeutic for her. She always feels better when she gets her thoughts down on paper, demonstrating her need for Creativity and Self-Expression.