Matthew Cuthbert is one of the main characters of Anne with an E. He is portrayed by R.H. Thomson.
CBC Biography[]
A pathologically shy man with a tender heart, Matthew’s broken spirit and zest for life is reinvigorated by his love for Anne. He is played by R.H. Thomson. [1]
Appearance and Personality[]
Matthew Cuthbert, younger brother of Marilla Cuthbert, is a shy and reserved man, often keeping to the shadows and away from spotlight. He has social anxiety and shies away from large crowds. During his school years, when he used to feel down, he would hide away in the upper level of the Green Gables barn. His older brother, Michael Cuthbert, would find him there and console him, gifting him marbles. Matthew is happy and more sprung when he is with Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, underlining the intensity of their father-daughter relationship.
Story[]
Matthew Cuthbert is first introduced in the pilot episode of Anne (TV series) on horseback. He rides his horse past Rachel Lynde's house, piquing the old woman's interest and prompting her to visit Marilla Cuthbert at the Green Gables house. Matthew arrives at Bright River in order to pick up the orphan boy him and his sister Marilla were planning to adopt. He walks by Anne, who is sitting in front of the station's window on a bench. As soon as Anne sees Matthew, she sits up straighter, believing him to be her new foster parent.
Matthew asks the stationmaster if he has a boy in possession, but the man responds saying that Anne was the only orphan that had been dropped off by Ms. Spencer, an Avonlea resident and acquantaince of the Cuthberts. The stationmaster describes Anne as a talkative individual, which slightly worries Matthew. He goes back outside to see the orphan girl, waiting patiently for Matthew. He walks up to her, wordlessly, and Anne immediately introduces herself to the older man. The two board Matthew's carriage and set off towards Green Gables, unbeknownst to Anne that she was not the orphan that the Cuthberts were looking to adopt.
Anne is a very imaginative girl, proven as she talks in descriptive sentences and wondrous expression. Her tone and nature to speak open-mindedly amazes and amuses Matthew, who stares at her in awe. Anne, remembering that Ms. Spencer had told her to quiet herself during her train ride to P.E.I hours before, pauses before asking Matthew whether he minds if she keeps talking. Matthew lets her know that he, indeed, does not mind and the girl happily continues speaking.
The two, still in the carriage, ride past Barry's Pond—a lake belonging to the Barry family—and Anne renames it "The Lake of Shining Waters," referring to its sparkly surface. Matthew smiles to himself as he watches Anne become excited at the greenery around them. They ride underneath through a grove of cherry blossom trees, and Anne names it "The White Way of Delight."
Happiness is put on pause as the two arrive at Green Gables. Marilla, who had been waiting for Matthew and the orphan boy's arrival, makes her way towards Anne and Matthew, anger evident in her expression. She asks her brother where the boy they had asked for was, and Matthew answers her saying that "there was no boy, only her," referring to the now upset Anne. Moments later, Anne falls to her knees as she realizes that the Cuthberts did not want her— and had never wanted her. She cries as the Cuthbert siblings converse about what to do with Anne. A brief moment later, Marilla shakes Anne out of her trance as she asks her for her name. After a few back-and-forths, Anne admits that her name is "plain-old Anne", and she is allowed to stay at the Gables house for the night before she is sent back to the oprhanage in the morning.
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Gallery[]
Episode Appearances[]
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Notes[]
- As a child, he left school after his brother died. [2].