Setting
In many ways, Charlotte's Web is rooted in E. B. White's own barn in Maine. It was there that White noticed the web of the spider Aranea cavatica in the doorway while he was carrying a bucket of slops to his pig. This encounter inspired him to write a story about a spider that saves a pig. By transforming his barnyard into a fictional universe, White gives the animals distinct voices and personalities. He also includes human characters, mainly Fern and the Zuckermans.
The book's lasting appeal to multiple generations of readers lies in its blend of reality and fantasy. Despite the fantastical events, the barnyard remains a genuine farm setting, complete with all its sights, sounds, and smells. In this setting, Wilbur the pig sleeps in a manure pile, and Charlotte the spider kills flies and consumes their blood. Additionally, Charlotte devises a plan to save Wilbur from being slaughtered for the Zuckermans' table. White uses the authenticity of the farmyard to ground the story and create suspense. The central tension revolves around which world will triumph—the fantastical world where animals speak or the human world where animals are destined to die for sustenance.
Literary Qualities
White employs the fable genre to weave a story that subtly conveys its moral lesson. While he doesn't explicitly state it, readers can easily grasp White's message that love has a transformative power. Indeed, love works miracles. Initially, Fern's love, and subsequently Charlotte's, rescues Wilbur. However, Wilbur doesn't achieve all his desires. His moments of happiness are fleeting and tinged with sorrow. Fern matures and becomes more interested in Henry Fussy, the neighbor boy, than in Wilbur. Additionally, he realizes that his friend Charlotte is helpless against life's true adversaries—time and death.
For Further Reference
Beck, Warren. "E. B. White." College English 7 (1946): 367-373. A perceptive critical analysis.
Elledge, Scott. E. B. White: A Biography. New York: W. W. Norton, 1986. A comprehensive and engaging biography with a helpful bibliography.
Neumeyer, Peter F. "The Creation of Charlotte's Web: From Drafts to Book." Horn Book 58 (October and December 1982): 489-497, 617-625. A detailed examination of White's writing process.
Sampson, Edward C. E. B. White. Boston: Twayne, 1974. A general overview of White's life and literary works.
Thurber, James. "E. B. W." The Saturday Review of Literature 28 (October 15, 1938): 8-9. A profile of White by a notable friend.
Welty, Eudora. "Dateless Virtues." New York Times Book Review (September 25, 1977): 7, 43. An evaluation of White's exceptional qualities as a writer.