Archetypes

I noticed something very interesting, while looking at the archetypes in Charlotte’s Web. Each of the different character archetypes has a different journey archetype.

The Hero: I choose Wilbur. He is obviously the main character, and the plot center’s around him. He also show’s some the traits of a hero. I also interrupted ‘hero’ to mean ‘hero of the story’ which would mean protagonist. And Wilbur is the protagonist.  Wilbur’s journey is that of the loss of innocence. He goes from being an extremely naive young pig to an experienced adult. On his journey, he learns that there is a plan to kill him, his mother grows apart from him, he wins medals, learns vocabulary, and strikes deals. In the end he loses his innocence the most, one he has to cope with the death of his best friend.

The Mentor:  This was an easy one. Charlotte is obviously the mentor.  She helps Wilbur in SO many ways. She devotes her entire life to him, from teaching him new words, to saving his life. She even travels with him to the fair, even though she has to lay her eggs, and it would be better to lay them in the barn. She asks nothing in return, and she dies alone.  Her journey is The Task. An enormous task for sure. She has to save Wilbur by writing in her web. She spends her entire life on this task.

The Shapeshifter: This one was a difficult one. There wasn’t anyone who actually changed ‘sides.’ Indeed there wasn’t even an evil character. The most controversial character however, was Templeton. He easily COULD have been an evil character if not for his love of food which motivates him to save the day.  Templeton’s journey is the Quest. He is in search of a meal, and will do anything (or do nothing)  to procure one.

This proves the point if my previous essay, which states that the Theme was do what’s important to you. Each of the characters are doing what’s important to them. 

Templeton and other things.

Templeton. Or Ol’ Templeton as he refers to himself.  He is an interesting character for sure.  Obviously painted as a villain, Templeton does do many good things throughput the book.  E.B White uses certain words to describe him and his mannerisms. ‘Sharp’, ‘beady’, ‘surly’ ‘disgusted’ ‘grumbled’ ‘sneered’ and ‘snarled’. What the other animals, or White says is considerably worse. “The Rat had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no consideration, no consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no higher feeling, ,no friendliness, no anything” (p. 48) There are times when Templeton is frustratingly selfish and greedy, climaxing in the argument between him and Wilbur near the end.  The only thing that seems to makes him a 3d character is that sometimes he does a favor, or a good thing. Some see this as “character change.” I don’t think so, but nor do I view him as a villain. I view him as realistic.

The reason he is viewed as a villain is because people personify him. The fact is he is a rat. He is the most animal like of all the barn creatures in the book. Indeed if a man refused to save a dying woman’s babies even as her best friend pleaded with him, it would be terrible. But Templeton is a rat. A RAT. He honestly is not obligated to care about anyone but himself, not because he is evil, but because he is an animal. It’s even a little unfair to him, that White gives higher ideals to the other animals, while leaving him out. But how does this really relate to anything really?

At the end of the book I discovered an over arching theme. Not ‘an’ actually but I think ‘the’ over arching theme. When charlotte said that the days are precious and shouldn’t be wasted. Then I saw ‘After all what’s a life? We’re born, we live a little while, we die’ what were we to gain from the sentiment? To do what’s important. In a life so short, so fleeting, you have to do what’s important to you. For Charlotte it was helping a friend ( a very human urge). And in the case of Templeton, well, helping people isn’t important for a rat.  What’s important for rats in real life and in the book is eating. It might seem selfish but it’s the truth. Templeton can’t be judged for not having human feelings and for not having the same priorities as humans do.

We can see this theme occur in the authors’ writing. He focused on the things in a book that he thinks are important. Namely lists descriptions and the like. Last essay I realized that a message was for us to slow down (just as he slows the book down).  But why? Because that’s what he views as important.  On the very last page he tells us what’s important to him, or at least to Wilbur. ‘The garrulous geese. the changing seasons, the heat of the sun, the passage of swallows, the nearness of rats, the sameness of sheep, the love f spiders, the smell of manure, the glory of everything’  Templeton’s might read like this “The glory of rotten cheese, the finding of an egg, the closeness of the tunnel, the smell of dead things”

While they sound sounds so different, they have actually carry the same message.

Charlotte's Web essay

The first thing that jumped out at me as I re-read my annotations was how much I annotated on lists.  After our discussion on lists in class, I began seeing them everywhere in the book.  I began to think to myself, ‘well what does it mean? Why would he put them there’? Not many authors (that I have read, at least) use lists.  Then I came across, an annotation that pointed out something Charlotte said on page 60.  She says “But no-with men its rush rush every minute. I’m glad I’m a sedentary spider.” I looked up the meaning of sedentary, and sure enough it means either to be settled, or to do a lot of sitting; not much physical activity. I interpreted it to mean, that one takes their time. There. A morale. I re-looked at the lists and I concluded something.

E.B White’s writing style reflects that sentence. The book takes its time, it meanders through the pages. He doesn’t leave out details just to move the plot along. Instead he adds every detail possible. The world he paints is much more vivid then that of other authors. In the 77 pages the plot only pops up once or twice.. Almost (if not all) of the chapters start with lengthy descriptions that last one or two or maybe even three pages.  And the lists. Oh the lists! On and on about what Wilbur’s is eating, plans to do, or what Charlotte eats, or how many parts are in a her leg.  Every one of them is a delight to read too. They’re so complex and fascinating, and at times, humorous. If another Author had written this book it might have taken up all of 80 pages. The style also enhances the re-read. Everyone remembers the plot, which is pleasant. It holds no surprises though. However with each read one get’s to re experience the brilliant details, the long lists and descriptions. The swing, the dew the barn. Things we take for granted in the book, would not exist if E.B white did not take his time.

The countryside is portrayed with lazy days and peaceful nights, and the characters love it. The book is a not so subtle endorsement of an agricultural life-style. It is an endorsement of a sedentary life style. Not in the terms of being lazy, but taking your time, and noticing details in life, not keeping your head down and walking swiftly, but to go on a long walk with your head up.  Wilbur plans an hour in his schedule where he watches bees and sparrows for an HOUR!  Fern spends whole afternoons on the stool in the barn. Even Charlotte, who is dying, doesn’t spend the days rushing around with a bucket list like I would. She takes it slow and enjoys herself. The book embraces the silences of dawn and late afternoon, not the loudness of the crowds and cars.

The fact that you know everything that charlotte likes to eat, and her leg parts, and how her aunt caught a fish in a web makes, the big finale, her death, all the more tragic.