Readers of E.B. White are familiar with his children’s book Charlotte’s Web. It is the story of a spider who saves a pig’s life. This was not the first time White gave animals human characteristics (personification). In fact, one of the tell-tale signs of White’s work is his use of personification. He personified everything. In “Sunday Morn,” the day Sunday is made out to be a chiding god. Fred, his dog, appears in many essays, more often than his own son! Almost every piece White has written personifies something. White’s dry humor and self-depreciation become apparent when he humanizes things. Take these sentences from “The World of Tomorrow,” first published in 1939: “I wasn’t really prepared for the World’s Fair last week, and it certainly wasn’t prepared for me. Between the two of us there was considerable of a mixup.” Here, White wants to stress his own apprehensions about the future, so he gives the Fair human qualities. The Fair stood for the world of Tomorrow, a term White capitalizes like a first name. Whenever he does this, White wants you to pay attention. In this essay, White personified the Fair and Tomorrow to raise his concerns about the pace of technological innovation. Rather than use fancy words or intricate prose, White uses personification to instill meaning in his work.
Sims suggests that White uses personifications to deal with his own anxieties. Indeed, when he found out his wife was pregnant, he sent her a letter from their dog Daisy. Using the voice of the dog, White describes his own apprehensions about being a father. White admits that he was more comfortable with animals than humans. Sims says that “for White personification was a form of empathy—his way of bridging the gap between self and other—that made him more aware of other creatures' reality, not less.” By using personification, White was able to connect to human emotion that was difficult for him otherwise. In “A Death of A Pig,” he struggles to save a dying pig. White is no stranger to melancholy, but it makes him uncomfortable. He treats the pig like a child—this is to show the depth of his attachment to the animal. To lighten the mood, he describes his dog, Fred, following him around during this dark time. “I have noticed,” White writes, “that Fred will feverishly consume any substance that is associated with trouble - the bitter flavor is to his liking.” Although there is death, Fred demonstrates that life still goes on (and he enjoys it even in its darkness).
Sims suggests that White uses personifications to deal with his own anxieties. Indeed, when he found out his wife was pregnant, he sent her a letter from their dog Daisy. Using the voice of the dog, White describes his own apprehensions about being a father. White admits that he was more comfortable with animals than humans. Sims says that “for White personification was a form of empathy—his way of bridging the gap between self and other—that made him more aware of other creatures' reality, not less.” By using personification, White was able to connect to human emotion that was difficult for him otherwise. In “A Death of A Pig,” he struggles to save a dying pig. White is no stranger to melancholy, but it makes him uncomfortable. He treats the pig like a child—this is to show the depth of his attachment to the animal. To lighten the mood, he describes his dog, Fred, following him around during this dark time. “I have noticed,” White writes, “that Fred will feverishly consume any substance that is associated with trouble - the bitter flavor is to his liking.” Although there is death, Fred demonstrates that life still goes on (and he enjoys it even in its darkness).