Archtype entry on Charlotte's Web

     This is going out on a limb, however, I say that death is the shapeshifter.  Wilbur and charlotte have very different views on death.  When they first met, wilbur was disgusted at even at the death of a fly, while charlotte said that things have to  at some point or another, but also I feel that part of what she felt is what you can do with life that matters.
     Death definetly has a presence in this book, it lays it's hand down in forboding, not when wilbur is to be killed by mr. Arable, but at the end of the chapter when wilbur meets Charlotte, and E.B. White describes her as "...a loyal friend, until the very end."  and she would be, death then suggests wilbur to be killed in the wintertime. 
     But the reason I believe death to be the shapeshifter is because I believe he inhabits almost every single animal in this book.  Now I know that's a bit oughtright and blunt, however I have much reason to believe this.  The old sheep  tells wilbur that he will be killed, and although this could be said by anyone, he tells wilbur theirs no use he has to die. templeton clearly states, " what if I don't want to do this anymore"  he was the holder of the life of 514 spiders in his hands, and constantly helps charlotte save wilbur.  Wilbur has strong views against death itself, and in a way is I feel the nagging voice in the back of death's mind (figurativly) saying, is what i'm doing right?  and Charlotte of course, she states that death is necessary for life.  Even the crickets song sparrows and flowers, have some death in their hearts being.  The flowers shrivel up and die because of death, joining wilbur as the feeling that what death's doing is wrong.  the sparrow sings "sweet, sweet, sweet, interlude."  the interlude being death.  the crickets warn summer (life) won't last forever.     

connecting annotations entry

Templeton really is the hero of the story...
mark this, he may be sneaking and evil and vicious, and everything else mentioned in my last blog post, however, I decided to play devil's advocate... and was thouroghly shocked.

I have made small annotations on parts of the text such as on pg.  72 when templeton's egg saves him Charlotte from Avery.  In accordance, had charlotte been killed she would have never thought up a plan to save Wilbur.  on pg.  99, templeton saves wilbur by going to look, albiet grumpily, for a word for Charlotte to use in her web.  Although I haven't "re-read" it yet, I know Templeton saves Charlotte's eggs, and wakes wilbur up after his fainting escapade.  strange as it is it seems Templeton switches from obvious antaganist to a hidden protaganist. 

I think that, though this may sound strange, templeton fits this moral type idea, the whole cliche don't judge a book by it's cover, is partly right.  though he is who he is, it's those  "Bad"  qualities that helped save Charlotte and wilbur many a time, according with a strange impulse of good.  everyone hates the rat, on accordance with a quote on pg. 46 about Templeton, though I still think that was E.B. White breaking the communication wall, I think he's created a character we hate, but one which we don't like to hate.

even when he's not there, they're talking about him, and how he, not any of the other animals could help Wilbur and Charlotte.  The fact is that without templeton the story would not and could NOT move on. 

charlottes web extended response

Annotation: 

"The rat had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no compunctions, no higher feeling, no friendliness, no anything. He would kill a gosling if he could get away with it - the goose knew that, everybody knew that." - I wonder if this is E. B. Whites opinion of rats?

Extended Response:

E. B. White seems to be speaking directly to the reader here, as no character is thinking or saying it. the thought has occurred that this could be a diversion from Tempelton  " saving the day " however he only does so when he has something to gain.  Though there is one exception where he looks for words to write on Charlotte's web. When he stops Charlotte from being killed, it's only because Tempelton's greedy habit that saves the day because of the bad egg he took. when Charlotte is about to die he only saves her because he is promised first eating at Wilbur's slopping. All and all, as described by White, Tempelton is a lazy greedy opportunistic dirt bag only intent on filling his own needs.  and of course this very much lends itself to the belief that E. B. White is utterly disgusted by rats.  a small side argument against this theory, would be, as stated helping charlotte save wilbur, and helping save charlotte's egg sac after she begins to die.  however aside from the first argument mentioned, Tempelton only acts for his own gain.