The Miracle of Friendship in a Perilous World: The Lesson of Charlotte's Web
by Dr. Marc T. Newman
December 15, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Allan Bloom, Neil Postman, and other cultural critics have noticed that the west is increasingly filled with people who live in isolation from one another. Plugged into personal entertainment devices that shield them from having to converse, or locked into screens that imitate intimacy while promoting anonymity, many young people have become relationally retarded. It is ironic that, while technology has opened new ways for people to "communicate," a large number of teens complain of feeling alienated. The simple answer to isolation and alienation is friendship -- but it appears that few have time for that anymore. The General Social Survey noted this year that 25 percent of those surveyed said that they have no one with whom to talk over important matters, and that most people reported having only two close friends. When we shun true friendships, we reject a gift from God. Charlotte's Web, the latest offering from Walden Media and Paramount, reinforces the value and beauty of friendships for an audience at risk of moving toward isolation. Charlotte's Web is the story of Wilbur the pig, and how one spring he struck up unlikely friendships with a little girl and a large spider that, quite literally, saved his life. What Charlotte's web did for Wilbur, literally, I hope Charlotte's Web can help do for viewers, figuratively. Young people (and most adults as well) need reminders about how people care for one another in a perilous world, and how miraculous such friendships can be, especially when they require sacrifice.
Marc Newman's analysis of Charlotte's Web continues below
Discover the miracle of nature, the miracle of friendship, and the miracle of sacrificial love in MovieMinistry's new downloadable Bible Study, "Looking for a Miracle?" based on the new film from Walden Media, Charlotte's Web.
Peril Is Ordinary
If you go to the theater this week, there is no shortage of spectacular perils to face: blood-thirsty Mayan warriors (Apocalypto), ultra-violent African diamond hunters (Blood Diamond), terrorists (Casino Royale), madmen (Déjà Vu), evil magicians (Eragon), bad movies (Eragon), monomaniacal toads (Flushed Away), and a back-stabbing legendary figure (The Santa Clause 3). The good guys are placed, relentlessly, in dangers so extraordinary that, while you enjoy them vicariously, it is unlikely you would actually be threatened by any of them in reality. One of the great virtues of Charlotte's Web is the way it illustrates the simple truth of just how ordinary peril can be.
When little Wilbur is born, he is a runt. Because Wilbur is small and weak, because he is different from his piglet brothers and sisters, he is in peril. As danger approaches there is no threatening soundtrack. The person who is about to visit mayhem on Wilbur is not some deranged ax murderer -- though he is carrying an ax -- it is just Mr. Arable, Fern's farming father. Mr. Arable explains to Fern that this is the way of farm life: the little guy gets the ax. Being weak in a competitive culture, we learn, is to be in mortal danger -- a lesson as applicable to the real world as it is the cinematic one. But being normal, even being big and strong, is no sure salvation.
Once Wilbur survives his infancy, he discovers that -- like every other pig -- he is destined to be sold. Ultimately a compromise is struck and Wilbur ends up at the Zuckerman's farm across the street from Fern's house. But the pardon is only temporary. In no time at all a savvy rat named Templeton makes it clear that Wilbur's future is in lunch meats. "They're saving you for Christmas," Templeton tells Wilbur. When Wilbur protests that "humans love pigs," Templeton replies, "They love pork."
Americans buy into the myth of self-sufficiency: the idea that whatever problems assail us, we just need to rely on ourselves. While this view is romantic, it is not true and is contradicted by Scripture. Ecclesiastes 4 teaches that the world is filled with oppressors that are stronger than individuals (4:1). Peril is normal, but there is a way out.
Friendship Is Miraculous
The writer of Ecclesiastes goes on to say that two or three people who act as companions are better than one alone. Co-workers labor better together, and if one person falls another can lift him up. More importantly, "if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart" (4:9-12).
Fern is Wilbur's first and staunchest ally. When she comes across her father on a (fittingly) dark and stormy night as he is about to do away with Wilbur, the act strikes her as uniformly unfair and unjust. Though the world's way is to attack the weak, Fern's words and actions indict the world's wisdom in favor of the universal principles of fairness and justice. "He can't help that he was born small!" Fern says to her father. And when Mr. Arable turns pragmatic, arguing that the sow won't feed him, Fern stands behind her virtues and says, "I will." And true to her word, she does feed Wilbur. She also talks to him, reads to him, and forms a true bond of friendship with him.
Fern's human responsibilities make constant companionship impossible (and, as she finds out when she tries to sneak Wilbur into school, against the rules). Unfortunately, the barnyard is not a friendly place, and Wilbur finds himself alone, until a voice greets him from above with "Salutations." The one thing all of the unfriendly animals agree upon is their distaste for Charlotte the spider. But Charlotte reaches out to Wilbur, and Wilbur returns the favor.
The relationships between Wilbur and Fern and Charlotte are not merely pragmatic. They like each other, though there is no rational reason that they should, other than spontaneous mutual delight. It is not an accident that Fern loves Wilbur, or that Wilbur finds Charlotte beautiful. They each look on the other with the eyes of a friend. That is the miracle. As C.S. Lewis aptly points out, friendship "is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of all the others." One of the most visible, tangible expressions of that beauty is when it is exhibited in sacrificial love.
Sacrificial Love Is the Key
Jesus told His disciples that "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). When we read this, most immediately think of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us all. But there are other ways that we can lay down our lives for each other. One way is to put others first.
Both Fern and Charlotte demonstrate their friendship for Wilbur by making and keeping promises. To rescue Wilbur, Fern pledges to feed and care for him, even though it requires her to risk the displeasure of her father, and costs her time. Charlotte vows to find a way to spare Wilbur from the smokehouse, even though she spins her life away creating words in her web to achieve that goal. Though Fern and Charlotte are not under any external obligation to Wilbur, they freely choose to sacrifice for him because that is what friends do for one another.
Wilbur is a very young pig, so it takes him awhile to learn the lessons of friendship. But because he has great mentors, he learns them well. By the end of the film, Wilbur engages in some self-sacrifice of his own, and has the painful adult experience of discovering that not all sacrificial acts are appropriately acknowledged. Sometimes our thoughtfulness is taken for granted. But lack of thankfulness from the recipient does not mar the generous heart, which always finds ways to sustain itself.
When Charlotte has to choose a word that reflects her desire for Wilbur's inner-pig, she rejects "glory" and "remarkable" and chooses "humble" instead. The humble heart will always think of others first. It is a noble virtue that attracts like-minded people, and leads to life-long friendships.
Children's Films That Are for Everyone
It is not a terrible thing for young people to recognize that they inhabit a perilous world. Fairy tales and great children's literature have been effectively teaching that lesson for generations. Ordinary peril is part of the human experience. But to counteract that condition, God gives us friends -- if we are willing to look for them and extend ourselves to others in order to make the connection. People demonstrate their friendship by sacrificing for one another, even when it is painful to do so. To make friends and be friends are two of the highlights of being human. Friendship is to be cherished, and never taken for granted.
For adults with eyes to see, all of these lessons are amply revealed in Scripture, and our great example is Jesus Christ. For children, adults with children, or for anyone with the eyes of a child, these lessons are reinforced by Charlotte's Web, a beautiful, and tender-hearted film. Go see it. And bring a friend.
Marc T. Newman, PhD (marc@movieministry.com) is the president of MovieMinistry.com -- an organization that provides sermon and teaching illustrations from popular film, and helps the Church use movies to reach out to others and connect with people.
