I came across “The Radiant Life: Thoughts on the Enduring Significance of Charlotte’s Web” by Jonathan Young (L.A. Daily News Op-Ed Guest Column, 2007). Dr. Young is a psychologist and storyteller who oversees The Center for Story and Symbol and was the founding curator for the Joseph Campbell Archives and Library. The article isn’t new, but it’s a timeless analysis of Charlotte’s Web, enchanting for its comparison of Charlotte to Ariadne.

In a lifetime, there are a few stories that light up the imagination so vividly they change how we see the world. Such a tale is Charlotte’s Web. Fern, a good-hearted farm-girl rescues a pig from her father’s axe. The pig would have died simply because he was a runt. Right off, the story is really about our own experiences. We have all felt like runts at some time. We are each, like Wilbur, discovering that life is a risky proposition.

From his first days, Wilbur is protected by his substitute mother. Fern bottle feeds him and wheels him around in a pram. This is the innocence of early childhood, the universal Garden of Eden. It is lovely, but cannot last. Once Wilbur grows too big to be a pet, he moves to Uncle Homer’s farm. The Zuckerman barn is an unwelcoming community of various animals. This move could represent our introduction to social life. Things do not go well. Wilbur is terribly lonely.

Click here if you’d like to read the rest of Jonathan Young’s article.
Click here if you’d like to read an earlier post about E.B. White, mainly in reference to Stuart Little.