Wilbur's Farm Friends: A Study of Character Dynamics

The cast of animals that Wilbur meets in the farm serves as a collective word of advice of sorts. Although the advice that they offer isn’t always correct, such as when the goose suggests that Wilbur run wild and wreak havoc (page 17), they appear to be well-meaning and benign all things considered. They are also very fond of gossip, which is demonstrated by the rapid spread of the news of Wilbur’s escape (page 19). However, while most of them are kind-hearted, there is a singular nasty exception. This exception is a rat named Templeton, who is as self-serving and inconsiderate as they come. He blatantly expresses this by straightforwardly and rudely telling Wilbur that he will eat the latter’s food because he “hasn’t got sense enough” to eat

it himself (page 30). This shows an apparent lack of regard and respect on his part, which, if you think about it, are things that he isn’t really even concerned about at all. He also seems apathetic and cynical towards life in general, saying that he prefers to stay away from play and fun (page 29).
Another notable farm resident is Charlotte, the complete antithesis of Templeton.

While Templeton is irritable, defeatist, and acquisitive, Charlotte is warm, sensible, and altruistic. She is the one who Wilbur will be most affected by, and she is the one who Wilbur will value the most. (It’s also worth mentioning that she will be expounded on in a separate chapter, so she will be only given a brief mention in this one) In addition to Templeton and Charlotte, the farm inhabitants are completed by cows, geese, horses, lambs, sheep, and rats. It is through these animals that Wilbur will gain knowledge of the threat against his life, which comes in the form of a murder plot by Zuckerman. (This specific part of the story is very reminiscent of Agatha Christie's novels.) In addition, they sometimes take advantage of the innocent and callow Wilbur. And Wilbur, in his naivety, often bends himself to the will of these farm animals whenever they try to influence him. This is shown to have negative consequences, as when he ended up causing damage to the farm when the goose persuaded him to escape the boundaries of his pigpen (page 18). Interestingly, there seems to be an element of living vicariously that comes with the goose's egging on Wilbur to escape, almost as if it is trying to fulfill a dream that it cannot fulfill on its

own.