Quote 1
"Alone?" said Fern. "Alone? My best friends are in the barn cellar. It is a very sociable place. Not at all lonely." (14.16).
In Charlotte's Web, friendships aren't limited to the pigpen. In fact, Wilbur's first friend is Fern. And Fern sure likes being friends with all the barn animals. But keep an eye out for how this human-animal friendship changes over time.
Quote 2
"Control myself?" yelled Fern. "This is a matter of life and death, and you talk about controlling myself." Tears ran down her cheeks and she took hold of the ax and tried to pull it out of her father's hand. (1.11)
Fern is one determined little girl. It's got to be dangerous for her to try to grab the ax from her father's hands, but that doesn't stop her from doing everything she can to save the little pig's life. (Wonder what she'd do if Henry Fussy showed up?)
Quote 3
"Where's Papa going with that ax?" said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast. "Out to the hoghouse," replied Mrs. Arable. "Some pigs were born last night." (1.1)
Sheesh, what an opening line! Right off the bat, we know that death is going to be important in this novel.
Quote 4
"Please don't kill it!" she sobbed. "It's unfair."
Mr. Arable stopped walking.
"Fern," he said gently, "you will have to learn to control yourself." (1.8-10)
Fern makes a huge fuss when her dad decides to kill a newborn pig. But according to her papa, over time Fern will need to learn some self-control. Do you think Fern learns to control herself as the novel goes on? Or is this something she doesn't grow out of? (And check out that Charlotte says the same thing to Wilbur, later on.)
Quote 5
"We have no time to lose!" shouted Mr. Zuckerman. "Lurvy, help with the crate!"
"Can I have some money?" asked Fern.
"You wait!" said Mrs. Arable. "Can't you see everybody is busy?" (19.58-60)
Fern sure has changed over the course of the novel. At first, she couldn't stand being away from Wilbur. Now, when Wilbur is about to get a special prize, all she cares about is money to spend at the fair. Clearly Mrs. Arable is annoyed by this change. What do you think about Fern's new attitude?