Gilbert has always been the brightest student in Avonlea. He is considered handsome and charming. All the girls have crushes on Gilbert Blythe. All girls except Anne.  He immediately becomes Anne’s rival when he makes the mistake of teasing her about her red hair. In Anne’s mind this is unforgivable. She becomes determined to be a better student than Gilbert. No matter how Gilbert tries to apologize Anne is unable to forgive him. By the end of the play their rivalry has become friendly and Anne’s opinion of Gilbert has softened.