How Does Gilbert Blythe Confess His Love To Anne Shirley?

Gilbert Blythe finally confesses his deep and true love to Anne Shirley in “Anne of the Island,” the third book in the series. His heartfelt confession occurs during a peaceful afternoon stroll from the old schoolhouse that they used to attend. It’s a serene setting and the crunching of leaves under their feet, coupled with the acutely charged atmosphere between them, makes his confession seem like it was pulled straight from a classic novel. For so long Gilbert has harbored secret feelings of love for Anne and even though it took him years to muster up the courage to reveal his true feelings to her, he confesses in a disarmingly simple manner. The kindness in his eyes is palpable as he confesses his love for her, saying that he has loved her for as long as he can remember and that she is the only person he ever wanted. The depth of his vulnerability is profound as he confesses that he would even wait forever for her if she needed time.

What makes this so unique and wonderful is the amount of history between Gilbert and Anne. I can recall when he first called her “carrots” and got hit with a slate by this prim and proper red headed girl. Their development from childish rivals to this confessional moment is what makes this so special. Gilbert loves Anne not just for who she is but for all her dreamy ideals, and her many flaws. His love for her acknowledges everything about her. Even though she turns him down in this chapter, and rejects him several more times before finally agreeing to be his, the scene lingers long after the chapter is over. This is a bittersweet kind of scene, and it leaves the reader feeling so for these two. This kind of love story is a destructive kind of story, it ruins you for all future relationships, because Gilbert Blythe is the kind of man that no one can ever live up to.

Gilbert’s confession to Anne is adorable in its awkwardness and earnestness. Because he’s known her forever, it works. On their way back from the Lesprawns’ after dinner Gilbert says, “I love you, Anne.” Then, “I’ve loved you as long as I can remember.” It’s so sweet it’s almost illegal. But Anne is panicked into all sorts of histrionics before she’s been able to admit her feelings. And Gilbert, poor guy, doesn’t push her to admit them. He lets her cope with her feelings as she needs to. He meets Anne where she is, even when that’s hard for him. What makes this scene so powerful is that it’s not set under fireworks or something dramatic to mark a turning point. It’s just Gilbert and Anne walking along a road through history they’ve been through together. Gilbert’s just a boy. He’s a brave boy. But he’s just a boy. And he’s wearing his heart on his sleeve.

I have never thought about the ‘how’ of that before but it explains so much. I always just got the warm fuzzies reading that scene. Now I need to go re-read ‘Anne of the Island’ to relive the long, slow build-up to the good part.