The Friendship Between Anne Shirley and Diana Barry

Anne Shirley and Diana Barry's friendship is the central emotional relationship of Anne's early life at Green Gables, a bond forged through a solemn childhood vow and tested by misunderstandings, parental disapproval, and Anne's own impulsive nature, ultimately proving resilient enough to survive separation and become a cornerstone of Anne's sense of belonging.

The Vow and the Beginning

Anne had dreamed of a "bosom friend" all her life, a "kindred spirit to whom I can confide my inmost soul." When Marilla Cuthbert told her that Diana Barry, a girl about her age who lived at Orchard Slope, might be a playmate, Anne's imagination seized on the possibility with desperate hope. Their first meeting in the Barry garden, surrounded by tiger lilies in the mellow sunset light, was charged with destiny. Anne, trembling and pale, immediately asked Diana if she could like her enough to be her bosom friend. Diana, laughing frankly, agreed. Not content with a simple promise, Anne insisted on a formal oath. They joined hands over a path Anne imagined was running water, and Anne repeated the vow: "I solemnly swear to be faithful to my bosom friend, Diana Barry, as long as the sun and moon shall endure." Diana repeated it, putting Anne's name in. This ritual, which Diana initially thought was "dreadfully wicked" to call swearing, sealed their friendship. They parted at the log bridge with their arms about each other, and Anne went home declaring herself "the happiest girl on Prince Edward Island this very moment."

The Currant Wine Crisis

The friendship's first great test came when Anne, left in charge of Green Gables, invited Diana to tea. Intending to serve raspberry cordial, Anne mistakenly poured Marilla's three-year-old homemade currant wine, which Diana drank three generous tumblerfuls. Diana became dizzy and sick, had to go home, and Mrs. Barry, smelling Diana's breath, concluded Anne had deliberately made Diana drunk. Mrs. Barry forbade Diana from ever playing with Anne again, calling Anne a "thoroughly bad, wicked little girl." Anne was devastated, crying that her "heart is broken" and that "Diana and I are parted forever." Marilla discovered the mistake—she had put the wine bottle in the cellar instead of the pantry—but Mrs. Barry refused to believe it was an accident. Anne, in a final desperate act, went alone to Mrs. Barry's door and pleaded, "Oh, please don't say that you won't let Diana play with me any more. If you do you will cover my life with a dark cloud of woe." Mrs. Barry was unmoved and shut the door. The girls were allowed only a ten-minute farewell by the Dryad's Bubble, where they exchanged locks of hair and dramatic speeches of eternal devotion. Anne told Marilla she would "never have another friend."

Reconciliation and Rescue

The estrangement ended when Anne saved the life of Diana's three-year-old sister, Minnie May, who was desperately ill with croup. While Mr. and Mrs. Barry were away in town, Diana rushed to Green Gables for help. Anne, drawing on her experience caring for Mrs. Hammond's three pairs of twins, took charge. She gave Minnie May repeated doses of ipecac, kept up a roaring fire, and worked through the long night with skill and presence of mind. When the doctor finally arrived from Spencervale, Minnie May was much better and sleeping soundly. The doctor told the Barrys that "that little redheaded girl they have over at Cuthbert's is as smart as they make 'em. I tell you she saved that baby's life." Mrs. Barry came to Green Gables the next day, apologized to Anne, and said she hoped Anne would forgive her and be good friends with Diana again. Anne went to Orchard Slope that evening, where Mrs. Barry kissed her and cried, and she and Diana had a "lovely afternoon." Anne reported to Marilla that she had said, "I have no hard feelings for you, Mrs. Barry. I assure you once for all that I did not mean to intoxicate Diana and henceforth I shall cover the past with the mantle of oblivion." The friendship was fully restored, and Anne felt "perfectly happy."

The Friendship's Enduring Shape

Throughout the years that followed, the friendship remained a constant in Anne's life, though it was tested by other circumstances. When Anne broke her ankle walking the ridgepole at a party, Diana was a "faithful friend" who came every day to cheer her. When Anne went to Queen's Academy in Charlottetown, the separation was painful, but Anne wrote Diana long letters describing her examinations and her new life. Diana, who did not study for the Entrance, was left behind in Avonlea, and Anne felt she had "tasted the bitterness of death" when she saw Diana walk home alone. Yet the bond endured. Anne promised Diana that no Queen's girl, no matter how much she liked her, would ever be as dear. When Anne returned home after winning the Avery scholarship, Diana was at Green Gables to meet her, and Anne told her, "Stella Maynard is the dearest girl in the world except one and you are that one, Diana. I love you more than ever." The friendship, born of a solemn vow and tested by crisis, proved to be one of the few stable, loving relationships in Anne's life, a counterweight to her orphaned past and a source of joy that even her growing maturity could not diminish.