MovieChat Forums > Charlotte's Web (1973) Discussion > The Ram was the real hero of the story.

The Ram was the real hero of the story.


The Ram gets a lot of flack on this board, but he really is the hero of the story.

1. If it wasn't for his blunt remark, Wilbur would have gone on living in bliss until the day of slaughter. He had the guts to say what no one else would. His remark set off a chain of events which led to Zuckerman's decision to spare Wilbur's life.

2. He would not allow his child to play in the pig pen. This undoubtedly would have caused the Zuckermans to move Wilbur and he would never have met Charlotte.

3. He reminded Wilbur that he needs to act like a pig when he was to be loaded into the crate. Wilbur never lived around other pigs, so he had no idea what was normal for a pig. The Ram, who had grown bitter after seeing countless pig friends slaughtered, couldn't bear to see another pig die, advised Wilbur on how to avoid trouble.

Let's face it, the Ram saved Wilbur's life. He essentially turned Wilbur into a man.

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Well, most of the ram's actions you're describing weren't done with the intention of good will, so I wouldn't go so far as to call him a hero (someone coincidentally being saved because of another person's decision that actually was meant to benefit their own family, is not exactly heroism; more like the butterfly effect). But I do agree that he's not as much of a jerk as a lot of people seem to find him.

I think your last point sums it up well -- the fact that he actually reminded Wilbur how to behave in order to save his life (even though the ram was kind of a jerk in the beginning of the movie) indicates he did care about him. But he probably was just so used to seeing pigs slaughtered that, before he got to know Wilbur, he just figured there was no point in getting close to him, making his coldness toward Wilbur at first almost a defense-mechanism, in a way. Though, to be fair, he's also pretty downright snooty, noting how lambs and pigs don't mingle because pigs are essentially beneath them.

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I have not seen this film in so long, but you are right. I liked his quip about Charlotte and the fat being stowaways.

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