Charlotte’s Web, written by E.B. White, is a children’s book and is often seen as an innocent story of a piglet named Wilbur, who made friends with a spider named Charlotte. However, when analyzing the story closer, one can see that it transcends a simple narration and illustrates discrimination, which was imposed on Wilbur from the day he was born. In Charlotte’s Web, the author accentuates that from the beginning of life, both people and animals are characterized as fitting or unfitting.
The story of E.B. White starts with a little girl, Fern, asking her mother why the father took an axe and went to the barn. With this, the author sets the tone of the narration and introduces the characters to the readers. As soon as the girl realizes that the father took the axe to kill one of the piglets, she is bewildered. In the opinion of the child, the animal’s life was going to end “just because it’s smaller than the others” (White 1). Here, the reader sees how the owner of the farm separated the animals based on their benefits. While those who could grow bigger were left to live, the lives of those who could not bring any money were ended. After this, the reader sees how everyone in the household even refuses to consider the small animal a pig. As Avery pointed, “it’s no bigger than a white rat” (White 5). Therefore, the story conceals the unfair treatment of those who do not fit the standards.
Hence, the author of Charlotte’s Web emphasizes how both people and animals are classified as fitting or unfitting from the beginning of existence. According to each animal’s advantages, the farm’s owner divided the animals. The lives of those who could not bring in any money were ended, but those who could grow larger were allowed to live. The reader then observes how everyone in the home rejects the notion that the little animal is a pig. As a result, the unfair treatment of animals who do not meet the requirements is hidden by the tale.
Work Cited
White, E. B. Charlotte’s Web. HarperCollins, 2015.