The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh Friendship

This is right after Pooh's encounter with the Gorse-bush, which we know is more than just a gorse-bush (See "Symbols"). This is our first sign of the profound, genuine emotional connection between Pooh and Christopher Robin—in a time of need, Pooh automatically goes to his friend.

Friendship is a two-way street. It requires empathy, understanding and perspective. Pooh cares so much for his friend that Eeyore's sadness makes him sad too. Awwww.

Enough said... okay we can never say enough. These are all such ordinary things, but for Milne, doing ordinary things with friends is the source of all sorts of happiness. So go see your friends! But come back and finish reading the Learning Guide, too. Promise?

Unique experiences are pretty amazing, but what good are they if you can't share them with someone? That time you blew a bubble that was actually the size of your face? When someone needed your help snuggling this dog while he ran a quick errand? The cloud that looked just like the dude from Roger Rabbit who was a human but turns into a cartoon and his eyes pop out and his voice gets all squealy and stuff? Those once-in-a-lifetime experiences don't mean as much unless you can share them with loved ones. We are a social species, after all. 

Friends have a way of picking you up when you're down. Thanks, CR.

It's the little things. Sure, violets in and of themselves aren't that amazing, but to know that your friend was just thinking about you, and went out of his way to do something nice just because? We all have a thing or two to learn from Piglet. Really. Just ask our significant others.

Sometimes just knowing your friend is there is enough. Someone should turn this into a greeting card. Oh, wait. 

Of all the relationships in the Pooh books, we here at Shmoop think Pooh and Piglet is the best example of Friendship According to A. A. Milne. You see, it's very casual, genuine, and thoughtful. They don't need a plan; it's just the natural thing to do to get together, because life is better when you're together. Even if it's just sitting out of the wind and doing nothing. 

Good friends are up for anything. Pooh is ready to go wherever Christopher Robin takes him, even without knowing where or why. But the key here is that Pooh's also ready to take on different roles as CR's friend. He could be the carefree companion who goes for an Explore, or he could be the caring listener and advisor that helps a friend in need. For Milne, true friends serve many functions for each other. And yes, actual stuffed animals can be emotional companions for actual children. 

As we get older, we probably know this better than we'd like to: friends lose touch. For Milne, that doesn't mean you're not friends anymore, though. So, to all our friends out there, we're sorry we haven't responded to your emails with links to cute cat videos. Though we particularly like this one. It's just that, well, you know, um...we still love you,
Shmoop