In E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White introduces a few farm animals and some farm pests. In this story a blood-thirsty spider turns out to be the best friend that anyone could ever have. The stubborn pig ends up being very dynamic and lucky by narrowly escaping death multiple times with the help of his friends. The last character is commonly symbolized as selfish and uncaring and Templeton the rat matches his symbolism, although he does not learn morals in the story, he teaches them. E.B. White uses the opposite of the characters symbolism to learn and teach morals throughout the novel.

In Charlotte’s Web E.B. White makes all the characters not act how they are depicted in society, and she shows this most with Charlotte. When people think of spiders they think of nasty or creepy creatures. Spiders are sometimes feared so much that people develop arachnophobia. Although spiders have a bad rap and are not exactly the most cherished of animals, E.B. White makes Charlotte the complete opposite. Charlotte may still have to hunt and feed like a spider, but she is the heroine of the story and is the most unselfish characters in the novel by helping Wilbur numerous times. It eventually leads to sacrificing herself for his safety. She justifies her acts by simply saying “You have been my friend,” (White 164.)

When Wilbur first appeared in the barn he asked for friends, but from his search he received no takers, except for Charlotte. She apparently was not friends with any of the farm animals because they did not pay any attention to her. “Although the other animals did not really associate with her they did not hate her because she got rid of pests in her web,” (White 40.) So that leads me to believe she chose to be Wilbur’s friend because she was lonely too. Although Wilbur had found a friend he did not think much of her.

“Charlotte is fierce, brutal, scheming, blood-thirsty—everything I don’t like,” (White 41.)
Wilbur is talking about the way Charlotte obtains her meals. He acts a little ignorant by not understanding that Charlotte has to find a way to eat, and trapping her food may seem scheming and barbaric, but it’s how she lives. She also uses her web to spell words and that helps save Wilbur’s life, which in a way her web symbolizes creating new possibilities ("Incredibl...

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