The Gospel According to Charlotte's Web

One of my all-time favorite stories is Charlotte's Web by E.B. White.  White was a master of a simple, straight-forward writing style.  His small book, The Elements of Style, co-written with William Strink in 1958, is still one of the best and most succinct guides to writing well.  White was also the author of three of the best-loved children's stories of all time, Stuart Little, The Trumpet of the Swan and Charlotte's Web.  Of these three, my favorite by far is Charlotte's Web.  Here's why . . .

Charlotte A. Cavatica the Spider, heroine of Charlotte's Web, is such a beautiful and unusual picture of Christ.  As a spider, she knew what it was to be "despised and rejected by men (Isaiah 53:5)."  She befriends Wilbur the Pig who is under a sentence of condemnation because of his very nature.  He was born a pig, and as a pig, he is destined to die.  He was blissfully unaware of this at first.  Charlotte befriends him and, once Wilbur becomes aware of his fate, Charlotte makes a solemn promise to save Wilbur from his sentence of condemnation, no matter what.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13)."  Charlotte spends herself in saving Wilbur.  Even as she is expecting her 514 babies in her magnum opus egg sack, she risks and spends her life saving Wilbur.  She saves Wilbur even though Wilbur can do nothing for her.  Wilbur needs Charlotte to be his friend and to save his life, and Charlotte keeps her promise and is a faithful friend and an effective savior.

My favorite character in Charlotte's Web is Templeton the Rat.  He's become even more of a favorite to me as I've become a preacher and as I've come to see how much of a rat this preacher man really is.  Charlotte chooses to use Templeton to bring the words that will save Wilbur.  After Charlotte joins a web that declares Wilbur to be "Some Pig," she enlists the help of all of the animals in the barn in finding just the right word for Wilbur.  After they decide on "Terrific" and another word is needed later, Charlotte enlists Templeton's help.

It is important to know that Charlotte does not need Templeton's help.  Charlotte is a "great writer" with a very sophisticated vocabulary, including "Salutations," "Languishing" and "Magnum Opus."  Templeton is, well, a rat.  Yet Charlotte uses Templeton, and as she does, Templeton becomes useful.  He becomes a resourceful, inetlligent, helpful rat.  It is his words, first the somewhat clumsy "radiant" and then the perfect "humble," which bring salvation to Wilbur.

Finally, notice that it is humility, and not the distinctions of being terrific or radiant, that finally brings salvation to Wilbur.  Wilbur is, and remains, an ordinary and average pig.  It is Charlotte's great work, through Templeton and others, that brings salvation to the condemned pig.  Thus the word "Humble" speaks as much about Charlotte as it does about Wilbur. 

If it has been years since you have read Charlotte's Web or if you've never read it for yourself, I highly recommend that you treat yourself to a reading of this brilliant book.  We also own both of the well-known movie versions, the older cartoon version starring Debbie Reynolds and the newer live-action version starring Dakota Fanning and Julia Roberts as the voice of Charlotte.  I love both of them.