Anne of Green Gables
Gilbert Blythe
Anne's rival
Clever, popular, and good-humored, Gilbert is the schoolboy Anne refuses to forgive for years.
Gilbert is tall and athletic, with chestnut curls, hazel eyes, and a warm smile. He is the top student at Avonlea school, and he is also honorable, hardworking, and genuinely kind. His one early mistake is to tease Anne in a bid for her attention, and he spends years trying to make up for it. Readers see him as a charming rival long before Anne does.
Gilbert tugs her braid and shouts "Carrots!" on her first day in the classroom. Anne answers by breaking her slate over his head, and she holds a grudge for years. He apologizes sincerely more than once and is always rejected. His rivalry with Anne drives both of them to excellence, and the two lead their class together at Queen's.
“We were born to be good friends, Anne. You've thwarted destiny long enough.”
In the story
Contains spoilers.
Gilbert rescues Anne from the bridge pile when her Elaine boat springs a leak and asks again to be friends. Her pride makes her refuse him a second time. He and Anne tie for first place on the Island in the Queen's exams, and at commencement Gilbert wins the Medal while Anne takes the Avery Scholarship.
When Anne must stay home to care for Marilla, Gilbert quietly gives up the Avonlea school so that she can have it. Anne thanks him on the road near the Dryad's Bubble and asks for forgiveness, and he tells her they were born to be good friends. The grudge ends and the friendship begins.
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