I feel like-especially in children’s books- that there must be a “bad guy” included in the story. One way or another, there’s always someone looking to cause a conflict and of course, books need conflict or else they’d be monotonous; but to kids, this isn’t just a character in a book. It represents more to them because they are so young and know little of the world. To them it represents the way life works- there’s always a felon.
A perfect example from this book is Templeton the rat. Yes, he ends up helping Charlotte and Wilbur many times but the way the author writes it, it’s obvious he doesn’t care, really, about anyone but himself. This becomes abundantly clear at the end of the book. He does his final good deed for Wilbur- taking down Charlotte’s egg sac to bring back to the barn- but he demanded something out of it; this being the first to eat out of Wilbur’s trough. This small detail was the turning point. It's now apparent that Templeton is a dreadful character.
But I feel like the author needed to write him like this. This is all children know- there are good people and then there are bad. Without it, they would be lost; it’s like food to them.
A child’s mind is delicate. One wrong turn and it can come crashing down. I think this is why authors are so afraid to change anything about the way children’s books are supposed to work. They know it will only lead to confusion. To change an idea kids have imprinted into their brains is one of the most difficult things to do. Like telling a child who’s grown up knowing and loving Santa Clause that he doesn’t exist, they just wouldn’t believe you. To take away this “bad guy” these children have learned to recognize would be unbelievable. It’s all they know.
Soon these children won’t be so little anymore and with this image of a delinquent in their minds, they will grow up waiting for their bad guy to come along. They’ll grow up with a bit of fear in the back of their brains. It’s there, always.
So maybe Charlotte’s Web is teaching us exactly the wrong thing. To despise the twisted character that does harm is creating more hate and we don’t need it. Maybe one day someone will speak out and make this clear. Maybe they’ll help the Templetons of the world become a Charlotte. Let’s do what’s right here.
It’s important.
