Central Conflict, Theme, Protagonist And Antagonist In Charlotte's Web

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Charlotte’s Web
The central conflict in Charlotte’s web is the planned slaughter of Wilbur. Homer Zuckerman wants to Slaughter Wilbur because he is small and weak and has low chances of surviving (White 1). However, other animals ensure that he is not slaughtered by ensuring he wins a prize at the fair. Wilbur is the main protagonist while Homer Zuckerman is the antagonist. Wilbur is the protagonist because he is innocent and he is being targeted for slaughter by Zuckerman, something that Charlotte the spider and Fern the young girl are against.
Themes in Charlotte’s Web
The first theme in the book is about friendship and its power in making others feel better during tough times. This theme is well revealed through the friendship between Wilbur the pig and Charlotte the spider. Charlotte sets to save Wilbur from being killed by Zuckerman. At her death, Charlotte explains to Wilbur that she would gladly save Wilbur’s life in exchange for hers, a gesture that clearly indicates the power of friendship and the lengths to which individuals can go to protect their friends from harm. In order to repay Charlotte, Wilbur picks Charlotte’s eggs to ensure that her children survive and are taken care of. This is an explicit theme because it is indicated directly in the book (Wolf 55).
The other theme in the book is about death and White shows how death instils fear in the characters. Fern, the young girl who has taken Wilbur as her pet, is scared and upset when she learns that her father plans to kill Wilbur because he is small and weak. She questions her mother about the decision to kill Wilbur, and White shows us how Fern puts herself in the shoes of Wilbur, wondering whether the same could have happened to her if she was born small and weak. The idea of death frig...