When Anne first arrives in town, she adorns herself with wildflowers to go to Church, an act that astonishes the other churchgoers even though, as Anne indicates, many girls wear artificial flowers. Anne, unaware that placing flowers in her hair would offend anyone, realizes that nature is not revered by Christians. In fact, Churches are noticeably devoid of nature and natural beauty, which is why Anne seeks solace in the natural world and the wilderness of Avonlea. For Anne, nature is Church, and nature is the primary means for Anne to develop spiritual awareness.

Tom's spiritual growth is alluded to through his moral development. Like Anne, Tom does not develop his character through Church but rather through his observations of nature and natural law. One of Tom's formative experiences was his witnessing of Dr. Robinson's murder by Injun Joe, an event that stimulated ethical action on the part of the...
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