MBTI Type: ESFJ

Gilbert is somewhat cocky in his ability to charm the other girls, all except for the one he truly cares about in the end; Gilbert is free with his feelings and opinions, able to offer sincere congratulations and encouragement, never afraid to give a compliment, and concerned for Anne’s well-being as much as her success. He exchanges a teaching position with her, so that she can remain closer to home as needed; Gilbert shows a desire to fit in socially, and be “appropriate,” but also knows when a well-placed snub will make his point. Gilbert often clashes with Anne’s “head in the clouds” mentality, while being simultaneously captivated by her ability to give everything in her life specific meaning. He repeatedly tries to convince her to keep her feet on the ground, and to connect with “real” things… to write real stories, about real people in Avonlea, from her own experiences. Though ambitious, Gilbert likes to stay close to home and has a sentimental streak for Avonlea. His desire is for a normal life, connected to something real that serves the world around him; he becomes a doctor, settles down with Anne, and maintains his roots to the community. When faced with a problem, Gilbert can think of different ways to tackle it; he tries everything he can think of, to make up for his earlier insult to Anne, and refuses to give up in his desire to win her heart. But he is somewhat skeptical of romanticism, ideas outside of reality, and her tendency toward idealism. His intelligence is never in question; he’s good at school work, at analyzing things objectively, and pointing out the practical problems in Anne’s thinking. He genuinely wants to help Anne succeed, so his criticisms are never meant cruelly, nor pleasant for him to give, but are earnest assessments of her character, shortcomings, and misbehavior.

Enneagram: 2w1

Gilbert is a playful young man, but who takes his responsibilities and commitments seriously; he is hard-working, ambitious, and also willing to sacrifice his own further education to help out Anne by doing what he can to ensure she gets to attend university. He goes out of his way to support her, promote her work, and pick up the slack for her, while trying to bring her back down to earth, remind her to care about the people in her life more than her fanciful notions of literary heroes, etc. He can be very moralistic and even lecturing, often provoking her temper through his teasing, yet still finding her intriguing. He also pursued becoming a doctor, a very hands-on profession all about caring for patients and looking after their well-being.

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