Quote 1
"The message I wrote in my web, praising Wilbur, has been received. The Zuckermans have fallen for it, and so has everybody else. Zuckerman thinks Wilbur is an unusual pig, and therefore he won't want to kill him and eat him. I dare say my trick will work and Wilbur's life can be saved." (12.20)
Wow, Charlotte is quite a wily little spider. Check out how she calls her writing in the web a "trick." This would mean writing is equivalent with trickery, which is a crazy intriguing idea. Does calling her message a "trick" make it sound like a good thing or a bad thing?
Quote 2
"O.K., Wilbur," said Charlotte. "You can go back to sleep. O.K., Templeton, the soap ad will do, I guess. I'm not sure Wilbur's action is exactly radiant, but it's interesting."
"Actually," said Wilbur, "I feel radiant." (13.50-1)
After Templeton brings Charlotte a soap ad with the word "radiant," Charlotte has to figure out if the word accurately describes her little piggy friend. But Wilbur doesn't need much convincing at all. It took him a little while to start feeling "terrific," but now he feels radiant almost immediately.
Quote 3
"Your success in the ring this morning was, to a small degree, my success." (21.5)
Charlotte didn't receive a lick of recognition for her work in earning Wilbur the county fair prize. But to her, their success is still something they share together. It's like she's living vicariously through Wilbur because he's her best bud.
Quote 4
But as he was being shoved into the crate, he looked up at Charlotte and gave her a wink. She knew he was saying good-bye in the only way he could. And she knew her children were safe. (21.50)
It's pretty amazing how Charlotte and Wilbur can communicate without talking. They're such good friends that they don't even need words to send one another messages. Turns out maybe there's something more important than writing.
Quote 5
"Your future is assured. You will live, secure and safe, Wilbur. Nothing can harm you now. These autumn days will shorten and grow cold. The leaves will shake loose from the trees and fall. Christmas will come, then the snows of winter. You will live to enjoy the beauty of the frozen world, for you mean a great deal to Zuckerman and he will not harm you, ever. Winter will pass, the days will lengthen, the ice will melt in the pasture pond. The song sparrow will return and sing, the frogs will awake, the warm wind will blow again. All these sights and sounds and smells will be yours to enjoy, Wilbur—this lovely world, these precious days…" (21.5)
Charlotte has a good forecast for Wilbur's future: he's going to live! This means he'll get to see the changing seasons. He was worried he'd never see winter turn into spring, and now he has lots of seasonal changes to look forward to. But (sorry to bring you down), not so for Charlotte.
Quote 6
When the first gosling poked its grey-green head through the goose's feathers and looked around, Charlotte spied it and made the announcement.
"I am sure," she said, "that every one of us here will be gratified to learn that after four weeks of unremitting effort and patience on the part of our friend the goose, she now has something to show for it. The goslings have arrived. May I offer my sincere congratulations!" (6.7-8)
The goose has been sitting on her eggs for a month, and now she finally gets to see the result. And in the end, she has seven little goslings to show for it. Check out how Charlotte compliments her friend's hard work.
Quote 7
"But no—with men it's rush, rush, rush, every minute. I'm glad I'm a sedentary spider."
"What does sedentary mean?" asked Wilbur.
"Means I sit still a good part of the time and don't go wandering all over creation. I know a good thing when I see it, and my web is a good thing. I stay put and wait for what comes. Gives me a chance to think." (9.36-38)
Charlotte doesn't think it's a good idea for humans to be too active. Instead, she likes staying more stationary. But when Wilbur is in trouble, Charlotte definitely shows us how much work she can get done with her webs. In fact, she works so much we're not even sure we'd call her "sedentary" after all. What do you think?
Quote 8
"Oh, I'll work it out alone," said Charlotte. "I can think better if I think alone." (9.65)
Charlotte is working on a plan to save Wilbur from becoming Christmas dinner. Clearly Wilbur isn't the only hard worker on this farm. Charlotte can be a go-getter, too. But while Wilbur likes to have his friends nearby, Charlotte likes her alone time.
Quote 9
Charlotte got so interested in her work, she began to talk to herself, as though to cheer herself on. If you had been sitting quietly in the barn cellar that evening, you would have heard something like this:
"Now for the R! Up we go! Attach! Descend! Pay out line! Whoa! Attach! Good! Up you go! Repeat! Attach! Descend! Pay out line. Whoa, girl! Steady now!" (13.8-9)
Need someone to keep you motivated? Charlotte is your girl. She likes to act as her own cheerleader. Sure, it's great to have friends to cheer you on, but Charlotte is a one-woman show: she can cheer and work at the same time.
Quote 10
"Oh, don't pay any attention to me," said Charlotte. "I just don't have much pep any more. I guess I feel sad because I won't ever see my children." (19.19)
What a horrible thought! We've been so worried about Wilbur dying that the fact that Charlotte is going to die soon feels almost like a surprise. Check out how even when she's so close to the end, Charlotte doesn't want attention on herself.
Quote 11
"After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die. A spider's life can't help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that." (21.9)
Charlotte is a bit of a downer in her old age. But even her bleak outlook on life has a bright side. For Charlotte, helping out a friend can help make life better. We're thinking Wilbur will return the favor when he helps out Charlotte by saving her spider babies.
Quote 12
"Maybe," said Charlotte quietly. "However, I have a feeling I'm not going to see the results of last night's efforts. I don't feel good at all. I think I'm languishing, to tell you the truth."
Wilbur didn't understand the word "languish" and he hated to bother Charlotte by asking her to explain. But he was so worried he felt he had to ask.
"What does 'languishing' mean?"
"It means I'm slowing up, feeling my age. I'm not young any more, Wilbur. But I don't want you to worry about me." (19.21-24)
For Charlotte, growing up means growing older. And being older means Charlotte's got lots of wisdom. We're pretty thankful that she has the know-how to save our buddy Wilbur. But growing up also means that she has less energy, which stinks big time.