In children's literature, supernatural elements can be found in many novels and short stories. The definition of supernatural according to merriam-webster is “attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature” (Webster). In Charlotte's Web by EB White and Holes by Louis Sachar, nature is the catalyst for all the events that take place in the two novels. Nature and the supernatural are often correlated with each other as many things in the world are still unexplained and may never be fully explained. Humans have an innate sense of wonder and amazement and often seek answers to such inexplicable supernatural events. In Charlotte's Web, the supernatural events that happen and represent the mysticism of nature are the basis of the entire plot of the stories while in Holes, the supernatural elements of history, destiny and nature are the backbone of the events that take place in the novel . no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Charlotte's Web by EB White, supernatural elements can be found throughout the plot of the novel. The entire concept of this novel is based on the supernatural ideas of talking animals, the "miracle" of words appearing in a spider's web, and the sense of wonder at the beauty of the natural world that is often seen as a safe haven. In terms of talking animals, it is a universally accepted concept that animals do not speak, but in the world of fantasy and supernatural events, this concept can be completely ignored. Fern's mother, Mrs. Arable, believes that animals simply cannot talk and becomes concerned for her daughter's well-being when Fern relays events that have recently occurred in the barnyard. Mr. Arable concludes that it is simply Fern's imagination stating that “she simply has a lively imagination. Children think they hear all sorts of things” (White 54). So it suggests that perhaps a child's ears hear more than an adult's. Adults are often too busy dealing with the confusion of everyday life, while children take the time to listen to their surroundings. Even adults attribute what children say to an overactive imagination, as Mr. Arable did. This idea of overactive imagination ultimately detracts from the supernatural essence of this novel, even though many of the events that occur would be considered out of the ordinary if such things happened in reality. Although the adults in this novel do not believe that animals talk, it is a strange contradiction that they are naive enough to believe that supernatural forces are at work for words to appear in a spider's web. According to Trudelle H. Thomas, “Stupid adults who read these messages decide that a supernatural sign has occurred: a miracle! Wilbur must indeed be very special to deserve such praise” (Thomas 203). Adults are quick to dismiss the idea that any animal, let alone a tiny gray spider, can communicate through writing. The concept of talking animals could only be understood by a child who, thanks to his active imagination, can understand it. If a pig could receive a supernatural gift, the pig must be superior in one way or another. Wilbur's life is ultimately saved by the end of the novel, but for no real reason. The networks claim that Wilbur is superior by saying that it is "Some Pig", "Terrific", "Radiant", and "Humble", although there is no concrete evidence that Wilbur is such things (White 78, 94, 114,149).characters in this novel simply assume and believe that the common pig is anything but, due to the miracle of the web. If “logical” adults are to believe that the words in a spider web could be caused by a possible miracle or supernatural phenomenon, who really has an active imagination here? If children hear more than what is actually said or done, does this mean that parents are looking for signs and meanings in events that don't actually exist? Nature is often seen as a safe haven where love can blossom, as a saving grace, or as an outlet into the realities of life. In terms of Charlotte's Web, all three of these concepts apply. Almost the entire novel is set in nature, and nature is where Charlotte and Wilbur develop and cultivate a pure, selfless Plutonic love for each other. EB White states that “Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved his children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever took their place in his heart. She was in a class by herself” (White 184). The love he has for Charlotte is passed on long after her death through the many generations of his offspring, though no love surpasses the love he has for Charlotte. Wilbur will never be able to replace his love for Charlotte, especially because she has dedicated much of her life to saving his life. Wilbur in return sacrifices his life in a sense and dedicates it to caring for Charlotte's offspring, generations after her passing. Nature is the place where these loves develop and without the nature itself that surrounds it there wouldn't even be a story to tell. It is nature itself, specifically a spider's web, that ultimately saves the life of an all-too-common pig. Charlotte's natural ability to form a web is elevated to a supernatural circumstance due to humanity's natural attraction towards nature as a source of supernatural activity. According to Sue Misheff, “Charlotte's Web is a lifelike spider's web constructed by an all-too-lifelike spider that devours flies in seemingly bloodthirsty ways. Is she evil or is she simply doing what comes naturally?" (Missheff 132). Charlotte is simply an ordinary spider with an extraordinary gift. Charlotte selflessly performs these acts out of love because she is never given credit for such feats, and instead, Wilbur is the one who is praised. It is in nature itself that Charlotte produces a web that she naturally creates through her biological instincts to be the saving grace that Wilbur needs to stay alive Charlotte] who transcends the natural way of things and inspires her to save her friend through her masterful weaving of words" (Misheff 132). This transcendence of natural ways is what leads the human characters in the novel to seek this miracle of nature as a source of escape from reality. Human characters, especially adults, use this “supernatural phenomenon” as a possible source of hope, wonder, or a sign of something more. The children in the novel are depicted as simply curious and in awe of such events, rather than seeking more from what is, a spider's web. Nature is seen in this novel as Wilbur and Charlotte's safe haven for their friendship to grow, it is where Wilber is ultimately saved, and it is where humans go to search for something more than what is simply put before their own eyes. in the novel Holes by Louis Sachar, the theme of fantasy and/or the supernatural is prevalent throughout the story. The entire novel focuses on the supernatural events of fate and nature as a source of refuge. In terms of fate, the book is full of instances where fate brought characters together. An example of suchsupernatural events told by Pat Pinset, the author of “Fate and Fortune in a Modern Fairy Tale: Louis Sachar's Holes”, “There is no shortage of magic formulas either, from the curse that ruined Elya, to the song that Elya should have sung to the old on the mountain in Latvia but which, much later, his great-grandson sings to his great-grandson, Zero” (Pinset 207). Elya Yelnats and his descendants received their curse due to Elya's breaking his promise to take Madame Zeroni to the mountain where he drank the piglet she gave him. Madame Zeroni's great-grandson, Zero, or Hector Zeroni, meets Elya's great-grandson more than 100 years in the future after that fateful accident. Fate brought these two descendants together after they were both arrested on two separate, seemingly unrelated theft charges, but we later learn that's not true. Zero states that “I should have just kept them. […] If I had kept those smelly old sneakers, then none of us would be here now” (Sachar 184). It is a supernatural fate that Stanley finds the Clyde Livingston sneakers that Zero originally stole and attempts to take them home for his father's failed Zeroni curse-induced shoe stink remedies. Destiny also brings the boys together to break the curse cast by Ettore's great-great-grandmother, Madame Zeroni. After escaping Camp Green Lake and seeking refuge on God's Thumb, Stanley transports Zero to the rest of the mountain once he becomes ill and is too weak to continue on his own. Stanley then proceeds to sing him the song that Madame Zeroni had asked Elya to sing to her when he promised to take her up the mountain all those years ago, finally fulfilling the obligation to a Zeroni. At this moment, the curse is broken. It is fate that brought Stanley and Hector's families together to break the curse in an all-too-familiar setting. Nature is strongly depicted as a refuge for both Stanley Yelnats and Hector Zeroni (Zero) in the novel. Nature saves Stanley and Hector's lives not just once, but three times in the novel. Kirsten Mllegaard's article "Haunting and History in Louis Sachar's Holes" explores the concept that landscapes are haunted by their past and argues that Holes illustrates the turn to the supernatural in the process of recovering history and highlights the difficulty of achieving the access to a lost or denied past [...]. In Holes the narrative constructs the reality of the characters. Stories provide frameworks for understanding bizarre events, seemingly arbitrary acts of violence and injustice, and for establishing meaningful bonds and relationships between people (Mllegaard 139). It was stated before that fate brought these two young people together, but along with fate, the surroundings themselves brought Stanley and Zero closer than ever. This can be seen when Zero escapes from Camp Green Lake, he is protected from the environment by a piece of this land's history that has long been forgotten. Zero is protected by Sam's old upturned boat which supplies him with nutrients from cans of rotting peaches which he calls sploosh. While searching for Zero, Stanley also stumbles upon the overturned boat and seeks refuge from the heat beneath this haunted piece of history, luckily finding Zero in the process. After hiding under the boat and eating the last of the foam, Stanley decides that to survive, he and Zero must climb God's Thumb. Since Stanley had arrived at Camp Green Lake, he had a growing attraction to God's Thumb and it referenced the story of Stanley's great-grandfather finding and seeking refuge on God's Thumb when he was robbed by Kissing Kate. After a treacherous climb up the mountain and finally fulfilling, 2012.
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