Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White changed the way I read. Its a heartfelt story that brought out my emotions for the first time from reading a book. The psychological obstacle of Charlotte, a cavatica, large grey spider, is developed very well and shows manipulation in a positive light, which I found interesting. Fern spends her free time with Wilbur the pig whom she loves and the other barn animals who play a large part in the life of Wilbur. Charlotte befriends Wilbur and helps him deal with the shocking news that his life will, since they want to turn him to bacon, just like the rest of the other pigs. Charlotte goes as far as coming up with an interesting plan that only this spider could carry out with the help of Templeton the rat, who never does anything unless there is something in it for himself to help Wilbur escape death.
The strong points in the book are how Charlotte responds to Wilbur as a friend. She commits her time to spinning words in her web. She is also a lot wiser than Wilbur and a maternal love is portrayed is portrayed. Charlotte is constantly giving thought to how she is going to save Wilbur’s life and gives all the advice she has until she feels he has taken everything in and can handle everything on his own.
The movie, directed by Gary Winick, did a good job keeping the same time frame as the book. There is a big responsibility when it comes to changing a great, classic story such as this one into a film, but I think Winick did a great job in staying true to the book. He did not try to modernize it with silly jokes and pop culture references. The movie shows how lonely Wilbur is and in need of friendship, just like the book does. The main similarity I find between the book and movie is that they both carry the same charm. The themes of acceptance, loyalty, self-sacrifice and general optimism come through quite well in the movie. Of course there are some differences between the book and movie. One of the differences is how fast Fern learns whether Wilbur will live or die. The book has Fern’s father bringing the pig in as a surprise for her ability to persuade him not to kill the animal. Movie version has Fern receiving Wilbur immediately after persuading her father that it was not right to call the animal. Another difference is how the book does not mention the incident that happens at school. Fern sneaks Wilbur to school on the first day she receives him in the movie. Once Wilbur causes commotion she gets sent to the principal office where her mother is called to pick them up from school. Book also has Fern listening to the animal’s conversation and actually understanding what is being said among them. Movie also added one extra scene with her mother talking to the family doctor about Fern spending so much time with the animal.
Most movies do not portray the message and some themes the book reveals. Charlotte’s Web turned great into a film. It is not as good as the original, but what movie is?
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