Charlotte's Web

My first thought upon finishing the book: “So that was it?”

Perhaps I have been accustomed to children's books either having lots of plot or having lots of secret wisdom about life or love. But that really is the symptom of adults reading children's books to find adult reflections on love and loss.

Firstly, that cover truly depicts the deception of the book. The girl who had a pig. From the first page you would have thought this book would be about the friendship between Fern and Wilbur the pig. But eventually it was the spider who saved Wilbur multiple times but recognised only, in Charlotte's words, was “to a small degree”. You might not have noticed the spider on the cover if you didn't read the book. And Templeton the rat who ran much errands for them isn't even on the cover. “I notice that it's always me you come to when in trouble. But I've never heard of anyone's heart breaking on my account. Oh no. Who cares anything about old Templeton?”

Upon some reflection, I think the beauty of this book boils down to these:
1) A simple, innocent and giving friendship between imperfect characters.
- Wilbur is whiny, yes. But he is also a rather ignorant, young pig. Nevertheless, he understood and treasured the friendship he had with Charlotte.
- “You have been my friend,” replied Charlotte. “That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a while, we die.”

2) Small, understated and positive observations about life that does not revolve around the self, nor have bittersweet undertones.
- “Life is always a rich and steady time when you are waiting for something to happen or hatch.”
- Love, whether for a friend or others, entails giving. Wilbur and Charlotte do not proclaim love but they showed it in how they treat each other - by acting on it.

3) Great descriptions about the seasons and surroundings. It's almost poetic how E.B. White describes the setting. There is so much richness to the description.