Charlotte's Web Theme

Charlotte's Web is one of the greatest books of its time. We still enjoy the
magic of its contents. It is a book for children, but many adults also enjoy
reading it. Charlotte's Web is a story that centres on the three themes of
friendship, death and growth.

Summary

Fern’s caring for Wilbur teaches her responsibility, and she realizes that if
she stands up for what she believes in she can make a difference in the
world. Charlotte and Wilbur’s friendship, despite their differences in
nature, teaches tolerance. As he grows up, like any child, Wilbur learns to
cope with fear, loss, mortality, and loneliness. Although a story of life
and death, it is also full of warmth, with silly characters such as the geese
and the snobby sheep. In addition, Charlotte’s Web contains a wealth of
detail about spiders and other animals, which White drew from his own life
on a farm. Wilbur was allegedly inspired by an ailing pig that White tried
unsuccessfully to nurse back to health. The incident served as the basis for
the essay Death of a Pig.