Charlotte's Web

Charlotte’s Web was written by E. B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams, and first published in 1952. It is considered a quintessential American children’s fiction novel and has been adapted into two films (1973, 2006) and a stage musical. Over the years, Charlotte’s Web has been awarded the Newbery Honor Award for children’s books, the George C. Stone Center for Children’s Books Recognition of Merit Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award. Elwyn Brooks White was a children’s author who wrote many timeless children’s books, including Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan. Charlotte’s Web is considered one of the top 100 children’s novels of all time.

This guide utilizes the 1980 publication of the novel.

Plot Summary

Charlotte’s Web begins on a spring day when a runt piglet is born, and Mr. Arable announces that he must slaughter it. His daughter Fern protests this decision, considering it unfair that this pig must die simply for being small. Her parents agree to let her keep it for a while, and Fern names him Wilbur. She takes extraordinary care of Wilbur for the first two weeks of his life, and he grows too big to live with her. Wilbur is moved to Fern’s uncle’s farm nearby, the Zuckermans. There, he is given a new home with a pig pen and a barn.

Fern comes to visit Wilbur almost every day, and Wilbur begins to grow quickly. He misses Fern when she is not there and takes it upon himself to make new friends. His first friend is a rat named Templeton, but the rat is standoffish and not always around. Wilbur is offered friendship from an unlikely source instead: a spider named Charlotte, who has made her home in the barn doorway. The two quickly become friends, and Charlotte becomes protective over Wilbur. When a sheep announces that Wilbur may likely be slaughtered at Christmas time, Charlotte decides she must find a way to save him. Meanwhile, Fern is the only one who hears the animals talk and decides to spend her summer watching this all unfold.

Charlotte formulates a plan to save Wilbur by spinning words into her web that describe him as an extraordinary pig. She knows that she can fool the gullible humans into believing it is true, and her plan succeeds. From the time she spins the words “some pig” into her web, people from far and wide become enamored with Wilbur. Charlotte spins two more subsequent phrases, “terrific” and “humble,” which serve to propel Wilbur into winning a special prize at the County Fair that fall. The entire county becomes convinced that Wilbur is a miracle pig, and Charlotte becomes convinced that the Zuckermans will not eat him. Charlotte knows her life as a spider is short and wants to ensure Wilbur is safe before she is gone.

After the fair, Charlotte knows she is nearing the end of her life. Having laid her egg sac the night before, and secured Wilbur’s future with her tricks, Charlotte can die in peace. Wilbur takes the egg sac back to the farm with him, and Charlotte dies in the pen at the fair on her own. The next spring, many new spiders hatch from Charlotte’s egg sac, and three of them decide to make their homes in the barn. Wilbur instantly befriends them, vowing to protect them. Charlotte’s children have children, and this cycle continues for many years. Wilbur is never again without a friend, but he never forgets his truest friend, Charlotte.