Death and Children's Lit, and Charlotte's Web

[osprey_archer]

I just finished rereading Charlotte's Web today. It really is better as an adult: half the theme went over my head when I read it when I was eight. I got the friendship part, but the meaning of Charlotte's death went over my head.

Her death is probably one of the best-done death's in children's literature. Usually with kids' books the author wants to teach a Very Important Lesson about how death EXISTS and is RANDOM and COULD HAPPEN TO SOMEONE YOU LOVE (I hate and loathe and DESPISE Bridge to Terabithia) - and it's SO CHEAP, because of course in fiction, unlike life, death is never random. The author chooses to kill a character, occasionally because the death arises naturally from the story but more often because she wants to be "edgy" or "deep" or "realistic" or to win a Newberry medal.

And, having made that choice, generally the rest of the book is consumed in horror and mourning. These books suggest, simultaneously, that death is a common occurrence that affects everyone, and that when someone you know dies it will WRECK YOUR LIFE and make you miserable FOREVER, or at least till the last two pages of the book when a glimmer of hope gets tacked on to make it publishable.

I feel this message is pernicious.

Charlotte's death, on the other hand, is beautifully done. It really is one of those rare literary deaths that grow naturally from the story: it's well foreshadowed and it comes at a natural time, both in her life cycle and in the story itself. Moreover, while her death is terribly sad, life goes on. Wilbur mourns her, but he doesn't collapse in a puddle of endless misery.

And leaving aside DEATH, the book is wonderfully written. I especially love the sense of setting, the very intense sense of being in a barn, of seasons changing, the sights and smells and sounds. White is a deliciously descriptive writer. It's a fun book to sink into, like sitting on the porch eating gingerbread.

One caveat: the ending of Fern's story still MAKES ME FURIOUS. One Ferris wheel ride with a silly boy and she completely ceases to care about Wilbur? TOTALLY BOGUS. I hate that scene almost as much as Bridge to Terabithia.

Comments

[intertext.livejournal.com]

And the line "And no one was with her when she died" is one of the simplest and most heartbreaking in literature.

[bogwitch64.livejournal.com]

There is a reason why, nearly 60 years later, Charlotte's Web is still being read. THIS is a classic! So beautiful. So NOT trying to be what it actually became--an icon of childhood.

Yeah, I hate the whole "Fern grows up and forgets about Wilbur," thing, but it's a sad fact of life. We grow older, we leave childhood behind. Perhaps it was a heartless way for Mr. White to symbolize this growth, but it was, unfortunately, realistic, especially in a time when the end all, be all goal of a female life was to marry.

Yeah...Bridge to Terabithia. I was told forever that it was such a ME book. Meh...I found it contrived.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I remember the illustrations of that book very well. I remember the one with Fern cradling Wilbur and giving him a bottle--I remember her penny loafer shoes, which I didn't know, at the time I read the book, were called penny loafer shoes. I just knew I liked them. I remember the great words that Templeton comes up with for Wilbur. But you know, I'm sure I'd gain more out of rereading it now, too--I'm sure I didn't take in the depth of it as a kid.

It's pretty remarkable to think of a story that presents death as present, and sad, but also natural, and peaceful, and that does all this, moreover, without feeling the need to either push or debunk an afterlife.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Very much. I teared up when I read it.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I love the illustrations. Seeing them again was like meeting old friends.

And yes, death as sad but also natural. Off the top of my head I can't think of any other children's books that present it that way, except the Babysitters' Club book where Claudia's grandmother expires. (The Babysitters' Club was often surprisingly good quality.)

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

But she's only eight. I know people in the fifties married astonishingly early, but surely she didn't need to get a man quite so young? And she abandoned Wilbur at his moment of triumph! *sniffles*

[bogwitch64.livejournal.com]

I think Mr. White knew what he was doing. Fern might have saved Wilbur's life initially, but she was a child and did so out of a childish sense of justice. She came to love Wilbur, yes, but Charlotte and Wilbur had a much deeper friendship, one that transcended life. Had Fern not deserted Wilbur in her way, would Charlotte's forced desertion have been as poignant?
I think Wilbur being alone in his triumph, in his security, might have had deeper meaning than a child can grasp, even if it evokes that sense of, "No fair! How mean!" that understands on a deeper level.

Wow...didn't mean to wax all literary on you! Hahahaa!

[bogwitch64.livejournal.com]

That made me tear up just reading you repeat it! Truly one of the greatest deaths in book history.

[bogwitch64.livejournal.com]

Gadzooks! You know, I have to read this again now. Thanks!

[intertext.livejournal.com]

Obviously you are not the only one to love the art (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2010/10/charlottes_web_cover_art_fetch.html?wprss=comic-riffs)

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Wow!

Yeah, Garth Williams, that's the illustrator. He has such a human touch (<--inane thing to say, isn't it? Because who doesn't have a human touch? But what I mean is, his art is gentle and celebrates humanity in its human-ness)

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

DO IT!

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

He also illustrated the Little House books! I loved those books so much, and remember the illustrations with startling clarity.

And yes, his art is lovely and gentle without being a bit saccharine.