From Anne of Green Gables
Gilbert Blythe
School rival • Clever and bold
A clever, mischievous classmate who teases Anne about her red hair, just once.
Who is Gilbert Blythe?
Gilbert is a clever, handsome boy at the Avonlea school with brown curls and a mischievous grin. When he teases Anne about her red hair, he starts a long rivalry, and the two race to be top of the class. Gilbert says sorry more than once and turns out to be generous and kind.
Gilbert Blythe is a character in Anne of Green Gables, the 1908 novel by L. M. Montgomery, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.
What is Gilbert Blythe like?
- clever
- playful
- generous
Gilbert Blythe’s story
Gilbert Blythe is the best-looking and one of the cleverest boys at the Avonlea school. On Anne’s first days there he tries to get her attention, and when she ignores him he tugs her braid and whispers “Carrots!” Anne breaks her slate over his head. Gilbert stands up for her to the teacher, saying the fault was his, and he says sorry more than once, but Anne refuses to speak to him for years.
The two become rivals, each aiming to be top of the class. When Miss Stacy’s class prepares for the Queen’s entrance exam, Gilbert and Anne tie for first place. At Queen’s, Anne still works hard to beat him, though she no longer wants to win just to defeat him.
Gilbert is also the boy who rows under the bridge in Harmon Andrews’s dory and rescues Anne when her pretend boat sinks. Anne still refuses his friendship. Near the end, Gilbert hears that Anne wants to teach in Avonlea so she can stay with Marilla, so he withdraws his own application and takes a school farther away, even though he must pay his own board. Anne thanks him at last, they shake hands, and they begin to be friends.
“We were born to be good friends, Anne.”
A moment to remember
Gilbert quietly gives up the Avonlea school so Anne can teach close to home and look after Marilla.
Family and friends
- Anne Shirley: rival, then friend
- Miss Muriel Stacy: teacher
- Diana Barry: schoolmate
- Mrs. Rachel Lynde: neighbor who tells Anne his news
Talk about it
Gilbert said sorry many times before Anne forgave him. Why can it be hard to forgive someone, and how does it feel when you finally do?
Questions about Gilbert Blythe
- Why did Gilbert call Anne “carrots”?
- He wanted to get her attention and teased her about her red hair. Anne was so angry that she hit him with her slate, and Gilbert later said sorry many times.
- Does Anne forgive Gilbert?
- Yes, near the end of the book. After he gives up the Avonlea school so Anne can teach there, she thanks him and admits she forgave him long ago.
- Does Gilbert marry Anne?
- Not in this first book. They only become friends at the end, and they marry in later books in the series.
Read the story in
Anne of Green Gables
Ages 6–9, 72 pages
