Quote 10
Wilbur blushed. "But I'm not terrific, Charlotte. I'm just about average for a pig."
"You're terrific as far as I'm concerned," replied Charlotte, sweetly, "and that's what counts. You're my best friend, and I think you're sensational. Now stop arguing and go get some sleep!" (12.46)
Charlotte sure is bossy and loyal, all at once. She has no problem giving Wilbur a compliment and an order back-to-back. (Come to think of it, she's starting to sound a lot more like his mom than his friend.)
Quote 11
Every day Wilbur would stand and look at the torn, empty web, and a lump would come to his throat. No one had ever had such a friend—so affectionate, so loyal, and so skillful. (22.5)
Poor Wilbur. We really feel for him here. He's missing his best friend now that Charlotte is dead. Do you think Wilbur and Charlotte's friendship keeps going after she's died? Or does it have to stop once she's no longer physically around?
Quote 12
"I think it is only fair to tell you that I was devoted to your mother. I owe my very life to her. She was brilliant, beautiful, and loyal to the end. I shall always treasure her memory. To you, her daughters, I pledge my friendship, forever and ever."
"I pledge mine," said Joy.
"I do, too," said Aranea.
"And so do I," said Nellie, who had just managed to catch a small gnat. (22.62-65)
Wilbur's best friend is gone, but now he gets to pledge friendship to Charlotte's three kiddos. What do you think about Wilbur's pledge to be friends "forever and ever"? We have to admit, we're tearing up at this intergenerational chumminess.