Charlotte’s Web Chapter 5 – Charlotte
Wilbur spends a restless night, hungry and with much on his mind. When Templeton the rat wakes him up by gnawing on a board, Wilbur thinks “Why does he have to stay up all night, grinding his clashers and destroying people’s property?”
The goose then goes on to tell Wilbur that sometimes on warm days she cheats by covering the eggs with straw so that she can get away for a bit.
Finally morning comes. “Oh, beautiful day, it is here at last! Today I shall find my friend!”
Wilbur calls out to the party who addressed him before he went to bed last night.
“Stop your nonsense, Wilbur!” said the oldest sheep. “If you have a new friend here, you are probably disturbing his rest; and the quickest way to spoil a friendship is to wake somebody up in the morning before he is ready. How can you be sure your friend is an early riser?”
Wilbur apologizes to the barn occupants. Breakfast is served by Lurvy and it’s time for Wibur’s nap when he hears “Salutations!” Wilbur asks what that word means and the tiny voice explains.
“Salutations!” calls out Wilbur.
Wilbur soon discovers that the voice belongs to Charlotte, a very beautiful, near-sighted spider. “I wish I could see you, Wilbur, as clearly as you see me.” To prove that her sight didn’t get in her way, she wraps up a fly who had gotten tangled in her web. “He’ll make a perfect breakfast for me.”
“You eat flies?”
Charlotte explains that yes, she eats flies and all sorts of other things that happen to fly into her web.She can’t help it, Charlotte tells Wilbur, it’s just the way she is.
When Wilbur calls her out for such a bloodthirsty way of eating, Charlotte tells Wibur he’s one to talk. She explains that the farmer brings his food to him. He doesn’t have to work for it or figure out how to get it. He only has to be present. Charlotte has to work to survive but she’s okay with it bcause she knows that in her eating of bugs, she is also helping to keep the world population of them down.”
It’s all good.
The goose looks on from her nest. “Poor Wilbur” she thinks. He doesn’t know what is ahead for him at Christmas time.
Charlotte goes to eat her fly and Wilbur takes a nap. As he falls asleep he wonders if he can be friends with somone hwo is so “fierce, brutal, schemeing, bloodthirsty – everythings I don’t like. How can I learn to like her, even though she is pretty and of course, clever?”
Turns out he will.
Chapter 5 Lessons Learned
Wilbur can’t sleep because he has too much on his mind.
Lesson Learned – It’s important to calm and clear your mind before you go to sleep. What is is and whatever it is, it can certainly wait until morning. .
The goose admits that sometimes she “cheats” and gets time away from her eggs.
Lesson Learned –All moms need a break once in a while.
Finally morning arrives and Wilbur is excited to see what will happen.
Lesson Learned – Greet each day enthusiastically and be grateful for the opportunities it brings.
Wilbur calls out to his new friend early in the morning which bothers everyone else in the barn.
Lesson Learned –I’m going with my mother’s rule when I was growing up on this one – don’t call anyone’s house before 9 a.m..
Charlotte teaches Wilbur what the word “saluatations” means.
Lesson learned – An important part of friendship is what we can learn and teach each other.
Charlotte is near-sighted, but she can still weave a mean web.
Lesson Learned – Have a weakness? Then figure out what you do well and do that.
Wilbur is dismayed that Charlotte catches and eats flies.
Lesson Learned –Hey, we all gotta do what we need to do, in order to get by.
We learn that something bad is going to happen to Wilbur at Christmas.
Lesson Learned – Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
Wilbur wonders if he can be friends with a formidable female like Charlotte?
Lesson Learned – Trust me on this one, strong females can be very, very good friends.
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Wendy Thomas writes about the lessons learned while raising children and chickens in New Hampshire. Contact her at [email protected]
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