Charlotte’s Web Book Summary

Brief Summary:

“The Charlotte’s Web” is a spectacular storybook written by E.B White, who portrays the essence of death through its vital characters, Wilbur and Charlotte. Here, Wilbur is a pink-colored pig and Charlotte is a lady spider.  Both of them represent different views on embracing death. Charlotte is close to reality with death being the ultimate truth and no one should be feared. On the other hand, Wilbur is fearful of his death and takes every possible means to delay as much as possible. The story unfolds spectacular twists in Wilbur’s lifestyle. 

Analytical Summary of Events:

Characters and Saviors:

“The Charlotte’s Web” brings forth a bunch of characters with Wilbur and Charlotte holding the center stage. Wilbur is a pink pig, who was saved from slaughter by a little girl Fern. She stopped her father John from doing so when Wilbur was a piglet. Later on, Fern’s father forced her to sell Wilbur to their uncle. After leaving Fern, Wilbur started feeling lonely as no other animal liked him. Then, he made friends with a spider Charlotte who turned out to be his savior. She used to weave words on her web about Wilbur to gain attention and let people notice Wilbur. 

Wilbur’s Fear of Death:

It was the traumatic incident in Wilbur’s life that made him fearful of death. Though he was saved by Fern, Wilbur had close contact with his death in childhood. The incident got etched in his mind which made him do everything possible to delay his death. After being sold by Fern to her uncle, Wilbur felt lonely because other animals hated him. He befriended a spider and talked about his fear of death. Later, she devises a plan to save Wilbur’s life by making him famous. 

Charlotte’s Willpower:

In contrast to Wilbur, Charlotte is aware of death and considers it as a truth of life. She does not fear death and tries to convince Wilbur about the same. To help Wilbur save his life, she makes him popular by weaving praiseworthy words for Wilbur on her web. This attracts the attention of the people and the barn where Wilbur, Charlotte, and other animals live, becomes famous. The purpose of doing so was to save Wilbur from any slaughtering because the barn owner would not kill a famous pig. It shows Charlotte’s positive side and willingness to help her friend in need. 

Favorable Turn of Events for Wilbur:

After Charlotte started weaving words in praise of Wilbur on her web, people started getting attracted to the pig. In fact, they considered the weaved words to be godly acts. This made Wilbur famous and people started coming to the barn to see him. Indirectly, the barn became a tourist spot because of the words. So, it created a safe place for Wilbur because the barn’s owner would not slaughter a famous pig and affect his spreading fame. 

Wilbur’s Life After Charlotte’s Death:

Before dying at the fair, Charlotte made Wilbur and the barn popular enough to save his life. She hands her egg sac to Wilbur and he takes care of her kids after the egg sac. Though Wilbur lost his friend Charlotte, he got more friends in the form of her children. Also, the barn owner Zuckerman cherishes Wilbur because of his popularity. Furthermore, the future generations of Charlotte kept giving Wilbur company.