Quote 4
Wilbur had been feeling dizzier and dizzier through this long, complimentary speech. When he heard the crowd begin to cheer and clap again, he suddenly fainted away. His legs collapsed, his mind went blank, and he fell to the ground, unconscious. (20.25)
All this admiration can tucker a pig out. Wilbur is so overwhelmed by all the attention that he actually faints. In front of a huge crowd! This has us wondering if admiration may not be such a good thing all the time.
Quote 5
"But Charlotte," said Wilbur, "I'm not terrific."
"That doesn't make a particle of difference," replied Charlotte. "Not a particle. People believe almost anything they see in print. Does anybody here know how to spell 'terrific'?" (12.27-8)
Charlotte knows just how powerful writing can be. She knows that she needs to make people believe that Wilbur is terrific by using the right words. Do you think this makes Charlotte a liar? Or is she just really good at campaigning for her friend?
Quote 6
Charlotte had written the word RADIANT, and Wilbur really looked radiant as he stood in the golden sunlight. Ever since the spider had befriended him, he had done his best to live up to his reputation. When Charlotte's web had said SOME PIG, Wilbur had tried hard to look like some pig. When Charlotte's web said TERRIFIC, Wilbur had tried to look terrific. And now that the web said RADIANT, he did everything possible to make himself glow. (15.6)
Wilbur's relationship with the words in the web gets closer all the time. Instead of wondering if he's terrific, now he does his best to just be as terrific as possible. Check out how the last three sentences use a similar structure. It's almost like cause and effect: the web says one thing, so Wilbur tries to act it out.