Keyword Guide · book-summary
This Charlotte’s Web summary gives a clear overview of the plot, characters, and themes. It’s designed to help students prepare for class discussions, quizzes, and short essays without rereading the whole book.
The story follows Wilbur, a runt pig saved from being killed by a young girl named Fern. Wilbur grows up on a farm, where he learns he will eventually be slaughtered. His life changes when Charlotte, a clever spider, creates words in her web that make people see Wilbur as special. These messages bring fame to the pig and ultimately save his life, while Charlotte quietly completes her own life cycle.
Wilbur is gentle, anxious, and deeply values friendship. Charlotte is intelligent, patient, and selfless, using her skills to protect Wilbur. Fern represents empathy and moral awareness, especially early in the story. Templeton the rat adds contrast, showing selfishness but also occasional usefulness.
Key themes include friendship, sacrifice, and the natural cycle of life. The novel shows how kindness and loyalty can change outcomes. It also teaches that life includes both joy and loss, and that meaning can come from helping others.
For quizzes, focus on who helps Wilbur and how. For discussions, connect Charlotte’s actions to the theme of sacrifice. For essays, track how Wilbur changes from fearful to confident and how friendships shape that growth.
It is about friendship and sacrifice, shown through a spider who saves a pig by using intelligence and care.
Charlotte drives the main conflict and resolution by protecting Wilbur, even at great personal cost.
Yes. While often read by younger students, its themes of life, death, and morality work well for high school and college analysis.
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