Abstract

E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web is widely known all around the world as an anthem of friendship and life and even a “miracle”. In this great novel, the pure, impeccable friendship touches a lot of people. This thesis is an exploration of the theme friendship of Charlotte’s Web. E. B. White describes not only the friendship between a spider, Charlotte and a pig, Wilbur, but also the relationship between Templeton and other animals to highlight the value of former friendship. In this thesis, I analyze the two relationships in detail. From the friendship between Charlotte and Wilbur, we can see that friendship should have no external precondition; friendship is something about supporting and even sacrificing for each other; friendship elevates each other. From the relationship between Templeton and other animal, we can see that friendship is not about asking for something in return. To study the theme of friendship is of great significance. In contemporary society where the material life gets richer while the spiritual world becomes barren, human relations have gradually become indifferent, which makes this study more thought-provoking. 

Key words: E. B. White  Charlotte’s Web  friendship

摘要

E• B•怀特的《夏洛的网》广为人知， 是一首关于友情和生命的礼赞诗，可以称作是一种奇迹。在这篇巨作中，那纯粹无暇的友情深深打动了无数人。本文就是就友情这一主题展开探究。文中，E. B.怀特为读者既描绘了蜘蛛，夏洛和小猪，威尔伯的深刻友情，同时又描写了老鼠，坦普尔顿和周围小动物的关系去突出友情的珍贵。 笔者就这两种关系进行详细的分析。从夏洛和威尔伯的友情，有以下几点所得：友情没有外在前提；友情意味着互相支持，甚至牺牲；友情有助于提升双方。从坦普尔特和周围人的关系发现，企图有所回报的友情不能称之为友情。而研究夏洛的网的友情主题对当代社会意义重大：物质生活的日益丰富，而人们的精神世界却越发的空虚，人们的人际关系逐渐淡漠，本文中友情的探究势必会引发大家思考。

关键词：E• B•怀特  《夏洛的网》  友情

I.  Introduction
1.1 Biography of E. B. White
E. B. White (July 11, 1899 - October 1, 1985) is a famous modern American essayist, largely through work for the New Yorker magazine. White is also a reviewer. White was born in Mt. Vernon, New York and graduated from the Cornell University where he worked as editor of The Cornell Daily Sun with classmate Allison Danzig who later became a sportswriter for The New York Times. He published his first article in The New Yorker magazine in 1925, then joined the staff in 1927 and continued to contribute for six decades. Best recognized for his essays and unsigned “Notes and Comment” pieces, setting the tone of informed, intelligent, tolerant, faintly amused city life in observations on the passing scene, a feature that continued after his death, he gradually became one of the most important contributors to The New Yorker at a time when it was arguably the most important American literary magazine.