Synopsis
When orphaned Pollyanna Whittier comes to live with her stern maiden aunt, the entire town of Beldingsville is affected by the bubbly nature of this lively eleven-year-old. Not only is she perpetually cheerful, she also brightens the lives of everyone she meets. How does Pollyanna manage to be so eternally optimistic? How does she spread her bright outlook among the sick, sad, and abrasive people of the town and transform the life of her lonely aunt? It's the "glad game," she says, describing the antidote to hardship and depressed spirits. But in a serious accident, the town almost loses its "Glad Girl," and everyone looks for a way to make this youngster happy again.- ★★★★★
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- What is “The Glad Game” and how is it played?
- Pollyanna says, “There is something about everything that you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it.” (p. 39-40). How can we apply this in our life? Be patient with the will of Allah ﷻ and find good in all that comes from Him.
- Think of a time that finding gratitude could have helped you through a difficult situation.
- Reflect on the following quote: “I was playing the game—but that’s one of the times I just did it without thinking.” (p. 39). Pollyanna built a habit of gratitude so she could practice it “without thinking.” Gratitude becomes second nature to her. How can we build good habits? How can habits become part of our nature?
- It takes a lot of courage and patience to continuously visit people such as Mrs. Snow and Mr. Pendelton—both physically and emotionally unwell. Visiting the sick is a deed with great reward. Discuss the following hadith: Allah ﷻ will say on the Day of Resurrection: O son of Adam, I fell ill and you visited Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant so-and-so had fallen ill and you visited him not? Did you not know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him? (Muslim)
- Through Pollyanna’s innocent understanding of the world, we gain insight into diseases of the heart such as showing-off and miserliness. Pollyanna advocates for Jimmy Bean, an orphan in their town, asking the ladies’ charity group to give money to Jimmy Bean or to take him in as their own, but they prefer sending their money overseas. Why? The “charitable” ladies are more worried about their reputation instead of the actual needs of those around them.
- Pollyanna and Jimmy Bean are orphans. The ladies in the charity group and Mr. Pendelton were reluctant to take in Jimmy Bean. Discuss the status of one who takes care of an orphan in Islam. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Myself and the caretaker of an orphan will be in Paradise like this,” and he held his two fingers together. (Bukhari)
- Pollyanna discusses an upcoming Sunday sermon with a minister who is worried about the increasing sins of his congregation (ch. 22). When she reminds him that the Bible often commands worshippers to rejoice in their Lord, the Reverend decides to remove from his sermon the verses warning the congregation of punishment for sins. He replaces them with verses reminding them of their inherent good character and the mercy of their Lord, hoping it will be a more effective sermon in preventing sin. Muslims believe in a middle path. Our Prophet ﷺ came as a clear warner, reminding us of the consequences of sin and the reward of good deeds. We need both hope in Allah’s ﷻ mercy and fear of Allah’s ﷻ punishment in order to succeed in this life and the next.
- How does Pollyanna spend her free time in the afternoons? How much time does she spend serving others and how much time does she spend for her own pleasure? By spending her time in service of others, she is actually benefiting herself in innumerable ways. Sometimes your good deeds can set positive change into motion even if you don’t see the end result. We see this when John Pendleton adopts Jimmy Bean after Pollyanna’s accident even though she was not there to see it.
- After completing the book, reflect on the different ways Pollyanna was grateful in her life. How did that spread to others? Being grateful is an important Islamic principle. In the Quran, Allah ﷻ tells us, “And if you count the bounties of Allah, you cannot count them all. Surely, man is very unjust, very ungrateful.” (14:34) Can you make a habit of playing “The Glad Game” and teaching it to others?
- Reflect on the hardships Pollyanna faced. Think about the verse in the Quran “with hardship there is ease.” (94:6). Does she experience ease after her hardships?
- The name Pollyanna is now used to describe a certain attitude towards life. What do you think it means when someone says “She is such a Pollyanna”? Merriam Webster defines Pollyanna as “a person characterized by irrepressible optimism and a tendency to find good in everything.”
Mindful Muslim Review
“There is something … you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it.” Originally published in 1913, this timeless story of gratitude beautifully illustrates the Quranic verse, “And if you count the bounties of Allah, you cannot count them all.” (14:34) An orphaned girl, Pollyanna, approaches life through a “game” of gratitude her late father, a Christian minister, taught her—a game that teaches her to see the benefits in the hardships she faces. With her pure heart and altruistic nature, she melts the stern, harsh demeanor of the aunt she comes to stay with, brightens the outlook of those in despair around her, and wins the hearts of the townspeople. The gratitude everyone learns from Pollyanna comes full circle when it helps Pollyanna through a hardship of her own, earning this classic, our Gold Star.
We may not necessarily recommend all books in this series/collection.
Teaching Tools
Genres: General Fiction, Historical Fiction
Series: Pollyanna
Publisher: Dover Publications
*This review applies only to ISBN number noted above.
