# Why does Anne hate Gilbert Blythe?

> Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

## Answer

Anne hates Gilbert because he calls her hair “carrots” and pulls her braid in school — public humiliation for a girl already ashamed of her looks. She holds the grudge for years, refusing to speak to him even when he tries to be friendly. Pride and sensitivity, not mere temper, fuel the feud.

Montgomery uses the slate incident to launch rivalry that becomes respect. Gilbert saves Anne from drowning, shares the school prize, and chooses a teaching post so Anne can stay near Marilla — acts Anne slowly acknowledges. The hate is plot engine for maturity: forgiveness arrives when Anne sees Gilbert as equal, not tormentor. Avoid reducing it to “she likes him” in book one alone; the text tracks slow thaw through Queen’s Academy.

## Evidence

- [xv-a-tempest-in-the-school-teapot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anne_of_green_gables_se/chapters/xv-a-tempest-in-the-school-teapot.md): Gilbert teases Anne; she breaks a slate on his head.
- [xxxii-the-pass-list-is-out](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anne_of_green_gables_se/chapters/xxxii-the-pass-list-is-out.md): Academic rivalry continues as both excel.

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