Wilbur's Coming-of-Age in Charlotte's Web: A Analysis

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 undergoes a maturation process thanks to some help from a few loving friends. This paper shows 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: 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 hardened by practicalities, Wilbur is spared the ax and lives for a time as her pet. Eventually, however, the pig is sold to Fern's uncle Homer. Wilbur is housed with the other barnyard animals, Fern's affections for him 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 is befriended by a spider named Charlotte, who, like Fern, thinks of others outside herself. 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 she 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 entrusts 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 pig of good character.

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 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 becomes able to sense a melancholy strain in nature that 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 carried through this trial, however, with the help of Charlotte, who spins a message in her web that fools the people into believing there is something extraordinarily special about the pig — and thus convinces them to spare his life. The attention that Wilbur receives thanks to Charlotte's continual messages does not spoil his character or his good nature. In fact, it seems to enhance it. He is grateful for her help and shows an admirable humility even while such generous things are being "written" about him.

Moreover, Wilbur tries to live up to the reputation that Charlotte spreads for him. When Charlotte spins the word "RADIANT" in her web, Wilbur tries to look radiant: "It is not easy to look radiant, but Wilbur threw himself into it with a will. He would turn his head slightly and blink his long eye-lashes… And when his audience grew bored, he would spring into the air and do a back flip with a half twist" (White 114–115). In other words, Wilbur puts his whole self into the role — or at least as much as he is able — that Charlotte has cast him in. He does his best to become the "terrific," "radiant," and truly "humble" pig that Charlotte says he is.