![Book Cover of Pollyanna](/image/book/pollyanna.webp)
Pollyanna
'Pollyanna' Summary
The title character is Pollyanna Whittier, an eleven-year-old orphan who goes to live in the fictional town of Beldingsville, Vermont, with her wealthy but stern and cold spinster Aunt Polly, who does not want to take in Pollyanna but feels it is her duty to her late sister. Pollyanna's philosophy of life centers on what she calls "The Glad Game," an optimistic and positive attitude she learned from her father. The game consists of finding something to be glad about in every situation, no matter how bleak it may be. It originated in an incident one Christmas when Pollyanna, who was hoping for a doll in the missionary barrel, found only a pair of crutches inside. Making the game up on the spot, Pollyanna's father taught her to look at the good side of things—in this case, to be glad about the crutches because she did not need to use them.
With this philosophy, and her own sunny personality and sincere, sympathetic soul, Pollyanna brings so much gladness to her aunt's dispirited New England town that she transforms it into a pleasant place to live. The Glad Game shields her from her aunt's stern attitude: when Aunt Polly puts her in a stuffy attic room without carpets or pictures, she exults at the beautiful view from the high window; when she tries to "punish" her niece for being late to dinner by sentencing her to a meal of bread and milk in the kitchen with the servant Nancy, Pollyanna thanks her rapturously because she likes bread and milk, and she likes Nancy.
Soon Pollyanna teaches some of Beldingsville's most troubled inhabitants to "play the game" as well, from a querulous invalid named Mrs. Snow to a miserly bachelor, Mr. Pendleton, who lives all alone in a cluttered mansion. Aunt Polly, too—finding herself helpless before Pollyanna's buoyant refusal to be downcast—gradually begins to thaw, although she resists the Glad Game longer than anyone else.
Eventually, however, even Pollyanna's robust optimism is put to the test when she is struck by a car and loses the use of her legs. At first she does not realize the seriousness of her situation, but her spirits plummet when she is told what happened to her. After that, she lies in bed, unable to find anything to be glad about. Then the townspeople begin calling at Aunt Polly's house, eager to let Pollyanna know how much her encouragement has improved their lives; and Pollyanna decides she can still be glad that she at least has had her legs. The novel ends with Aunt Polly marrying her former lover Dr. Chilton and Pollyanna being sent to a hospital where she learns to walk again and is able to appreciate the use of her legs far more as a result of being temporarily disabled and unable to walk well.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1913Author
![Eleanor H. Porter image](/thumbs/image/author/eleanor-h-porter.webp)
Eleanor H. Porter
United States
Eleanor Emily Hodgman Porter (December 19, 1868 – May 21, 1920) was an American novelist, most known for Pollyanna (1913) and Just David (1916). Porter wrote mainly children's literature, adven...
More on Eleanor H. PorterDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books
![Peterchens Mondfahrt Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/peterchens-mondfahrt.webp)
Peterchens Mondfahrt by Gerdt von Bassewitz
Peterchens Mondfahrt ist ein Märchen für Kinder von Gerdt von Bassewitz. Es handelt von den Abenteuern des Maikäfers Herr Sumsemann, der zusammen mit...
![The Prince and the Pauper Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-prince-and-the-pauper.webp)
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
A poor young boy from the slums of London watches a royal procession pass, with the youthful Prince of Wales riding at its head. He ventures too close...
![Ozma of Oz Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/ozma-of-oz.webp)
Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Ozma of Oz: A Record of Her Adventures with Dorothy Gale of Kansas, Billina the Yellow Hen, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, , the Cowardly Lion and th...
![The Children's Homer, The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy by Padraic Colum Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-childrens-homer-the-adventures-of-odysseus-and-the-tale-of-troy.webp)
The Children's Homer, The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy by Padraic Colum by Padraic Colum
Also known as "The Children's Homer," this is Irish writer Padraic Colum's retelling of the events of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey for young people. Colu...
![The Princess and Curdie Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-princess-and-curdie.webp)
The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald
The Princess and Curdie is a children's classic fantasy novel by George MacDonald from late 1883. The book is the sequel to The Princess and the Gobl...
![The Enchanted Island of Yew Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-enchanted-island-of-yew.webp)
The Enchanted Island of Yew by L. Frank Baum
The Enchanted Island of Yew: Whereon Prince Marvel Encountered the High Ki of Twi and Other Surprising People is a children's fantasy novel written by...
![History of the Britons Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/history-of-the-britons.webp)
History of the Britons by Nennius
The History of the Britons is a purported history of the indigenous British (Brittonic) people that was written around 828 and survives in numerous re...
![Stories of Old Greece and Rome Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/stories-of-old-greece-and-rome.webp)
Stories of Old Greece and Rome by Emilie Kip Baker
The Stories of Old Greece and Rome is an easy to read summary of all of the famous and not so famous Greek and Roman mythological stories. All of the...
![The Adventures of Maya the Bee Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-adventures-of-maya-the-bee.webp)
The Adventures of Maya the Bee by Waldemar Bonsels
Maya the Bee (German: Die Biene Maja) is the main character in The Adventures of Maya the Bee, a German book written by Waldemar Bonsels and published...
![The Peterkin Papers Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-peterkin-papers.webp)
The Peterkin Papers by Lucretia Peabody Hale
The Peterkins were a lovable but comically inept family that possess ingenuity, logic, resourcefulness, and energy--but not common sense. The general...
Reviews for Pollyanna
No reviews posted or approved, yet...