| “ | Do away with it? You mean kill it? Just because it's smaller than the others? | „ |
| ~ Fern shocked at the reason WIlbur will be killed, before saving his life. |
Fern Arable is a major character from the E.B. White story Charlotte’s Web as well as its film adaptations. She is a kind-hearted young girl who saves the pig Wilbur from being slaughtered by her father and raises the pig to adulthood.
She was played by Pamelyn Ferdin in the 1973 film and Dakota Fanning in the 2006 film.
Her Good Ranking[]
What Makes Her Close to Being Pure Good?[]
- She's an innocent and compassionate person who loves animals and values all life.
- She saves Wilbur from being killed as a runt, putting herself in front of her father and trying to pull his axe away from him while insisting that it's unjust to kill Wilbur just for being too small.
- She immediately agrees to raise Wilbur and nurses him into adulthood, and despite her father's predictions that he would be too sickly to live, Wilbur thrives under her care and grows into a healthy and strong pig, so she's the reason Wilbur survived to adulthood at all.
- She tries to argue against letting Wilbur be sent to Zuckerman's farm and wants to keep him safe, and often comes to visit him on the farm.
- While in the book she stops visiting Wilbur as often, it's explained by Charlotte that she's just growing up and still cares for him so it's not portrayed as corrupting. The 1973 film version makes this more clear as she's seen comforting Wilbur when he's crying over Charlotte's death.
What Prevents Her From Being Pure Good?[]
- While she has no corrupting traits, she fails the in-universe admirable standard to Charlotte, as after Wilbur is sent away she stops having as much of an active role in the story, and Charlotte becomes more proactive in saving Wilbur's life.