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Charlotte's Web John Arable Quotes

John Arable

Quote 1

Mr. Arable studied Wilbur carefully. "Yes, he's a wonderful pig," he said. "It's hard to believe that he was the runt of the litter. You'll get some extra good ham and bacon, Homer, when it comes time to kill that pig." (16.46)

Wilbur had hoped all of Charlotte's signs would convince his owners not to kill him. But here it sounds like they might be convincing the humans to kill him instead! Plus, it's the morning of the fair. Does Mr. Arable really need to be so rude? Talking about death right before the fair might put a damper on the day, especially for Wilbur. (To be fair, they don't know he can understand them.)