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Charlotte's Web
An Analysis of Wilbur's Maturation in Charlotte's Web
The journey of Wilbur (the runt-sized pig) from childhood into adulthood is full of perils, twists and turns. While Wilbur's story encompasses the lives of several animals and a few humans, it is more than a collection of assorted characters gathered together in a children's tale: it is a kind of bildungsroman -- a coming-of-age novel in which a pig (Wilbur) undergoes a maturation process thanks to some help from a few loving friends. This paper will show how Wilbur matures into an adult despite some handicaps and a few very real threats along the way.
As Nancy Larrick points out, E.B. White's Charlotte's Web contains a "startling note of realism" when it introduces the very first threat of Wilbur's life: the ax (Larrick 67). The serious defect of Wilbur's size (at least in the eyes of Fern's father) sheds light on a harsh reality: the pigs are there to support the farm -- and a runt is more a burden than a help.
But thanks to the intercession of Fern, a compassionate young girl, whose heart is not yet blighted by practicalities, Wilbur is spared the ax and lives for a time as Fern's pet. Eventually, however, the pig is sold to Fern's uncle Homer. Wilbur is housed with the other barnyard animals. Fern's affections for the pig dwindle as she herself grows into adulthood, and Wilbur finds himself alone in the world -- and faced with another trial.
And yet he is not alone. He...
A friend is what Wilbur needs and Charlotte says she will be his friend. Unlike Fern, however, Charlotte is not a child. She is an adult spider and will intercede on Wilbur's behalf again and again in a very clever and adult way.
It is thanks to Charlotte's friendship and intervention that Wilbur is, first, given the chance to mature, and second allowed the opportunity of looking after something outside of himself. What he looks after, of course, is Charlotte's egg sac, which she imparts to him after her death and his success at the fair. But even before that moment of repayment and full-fledged coming-of-age, Wilbur shows himself to be a good pig of good character.
Indeed, Wilbur matures from the curious, rambunctious pig of his youth into a caring adult by way of suffering. The first trial he experiences is the suffering of separation -- separation from Fern. This suffering deepens his character and adds some dimension to it: he senses sadness in all the things of the world -- even in the songs of the crickets. It is as though Wilbur undergoes a growth of perception: he is able to sense a melancholy strain in nature (which is, inevitably, associated with death).
The second trial Wilbur experiences is again death-related: the news of his imminent slaughter at the hands of Homer. He is seen through this trial, however, with the help of Charlotte who spins a message…
Works Cited
Larrick, Nancy. A Parent's Guide to Children's Reading. PA: Westminster Press, 1982.
Print.
White, E.B. Charlotte's Web. NY: HarperCollins, 1999. Print.
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