Great article, thank you! Our Lady of Gauadalupe really is a beautiful wonder!
Though I cannot help but point out whether the covering in Charlottes web isnt about the abused aspect of motherly covering - which is the devouring. Covering with nice flashy words so that the child can be 'spared' from danger by being named an exception. 'Humble' even sounds like virtue signalling. And just as you say the pig ends up being fed until death because it is believed to be special. It that a saving or a life going to waste without participating in higher meaning through sacridice? And afterl all spiders quite obviously clothe with the deadly kind of death so that they can suck them out.
I know that to the pure all is pure but
this sounds too much like modern perverted parents making unque snowflakes from everything about their chidren. I mean it is after all a pig which is being elevated here into attention as something great.
So even though the symbolic pattern of feminine clothing is inevitably there and I can very much appreciate how exeptional exagerrated poetic clothing of words is what revivifies language as the wine, i cant help but see it as the sick garment of exception. Empty praising of the exceptional and obedience rejecting culture is the exact opposite of how the Mother of God clothes the Word. She actually does clothe Him in humility. She disguises God as a man. And fist of all she gives her Son to the world even though He will be slaughtered by it, not keep Him from death. She leaves Him to the system of the Law not pleading for any exceptions even though She has literally EVERY reason to claim that, as He is not only innocent but the only One who perfectly fills the Law. But She gives Him up to the system so He can both break and renew and thus complete the system by becoming its absurd exception and showing its limits but also crowning it.
In Charlotte's web, there is no reason whatsoever for keeping the pig alive. Almost all pigs are raised to be eaten and integrated into a higher body. Here the exception is empty and unjustified, it breaks the system in the destructive way. If the pig really was an exception for ex that it could sniff out the black 'fungi potatoes' in the ground (i dont know how they are called) that would bring more food to the body of the family then it is a differen story. Otherwise it seems an inversion of the Bishop recognizing in Juan his son because of being clothed and sent by the Mother of God.
Great insights Adam! You got me thinking in new ways! Yes you are so right. The pattern of the “mother saving from above“ can go wrong in exactly the way you say. The suffocating mother smothers in her “attempt to save.”. The helicopter mother hovers above the child and does not expose him to danger.
Rachel covers Jacob in order to trick Isaac.
This is the dark side of this pattern. But the pattern remains.
Opposed to this is The Blessed Mother who clothes her children in humility and does not attempt to plead for exemptions.
Charlotte is an ambiguous character for the reasons you say. Why does she save Wilbur? Why does she trick the farmer? She seems like a capricious goddess of the Iliad.
As a side note, you are inspiring me to write another article I have had in mind that explores the symbolic relationship between Wilbur and Templeton the Rat. They are opposites that serve as the Left and Right hands of Charlotte.
Thank you for providing the spark! This also made me see how the story of the Rachel hiding Jacob finds its proper form in the story of Mary and Christ. It is amazing how among many other things what is also happening in the Incarnation is that Mary is accepting God Himself under Her roof to disguise Him as a man by clothing Him in flesh - so that He can walk on earth without fuzz clothed like anyone else and can trick the devil to make us kill Him so that He can display His mercy on us and offer us the waking up break of heart that is necessary to be able to love. Which is crazy...
And with the insights you gave in connection to the Guadalupe story, I cannot help but see that Christ as well went to hide Himself in our skin before The Father and let Himself be killed so that because of Him being disguised like us (to the extreme of being clothed in consequences of our sins) the Father may recognize us fallen mortals as his sons and daughters. He disguised Himself as us to persuade the Father to give the blessing that belongs only to Him also to us - to share it with us. Which is mind boggling! Glory and eternal thanks to Christ for coming to stand for us!
Wow. Somehow this is more empowering than all the modern feminist babble. Who knew??
Loved it. St. Joseph post next??
I’m glad you liked it dear. Yes I hope so soon.
Great article, thank you! Our Lady of Gauadalupe really is a beautiful wonder!
Though I cannot help but point out whether the covering in Charlottes web isnt about the abused aspect of motherly covering - which is the devouring. Covering with nice flashy words so that the child can be 'spared' from danger by being named an exception. 'Humble' even sounds like virtue signalling. And just as you say the pig ends up being fed until death because it is believed to be special. It that a saving or a life going to waste without participating in higher meaning through sacridice? And afterl all spiders quite obviously clothe with the deadly kind of death so that they can suck them out.
I know that to the pure all is pure but
this sounds too much like modern perverted parents making unque snowflakes from everything about their chidren. I mean it is after all a pig which is being elevated here into attention as something great.
So even though the symbolic pattern of feminine clothing is inevitably there and I can very much appreciate how exeptional exagerrated poetic clothing of words is what revivifies language as the wine, i cant help but see it as the sick garment of exception. Empty praising of the exceptional and obedience rejecting culture is the exact opposite of how the Mother of God clothes the Word. She actually does clothe Him in humility. She disguises God as a man. And fist of all she gives her Son to the world even though He will be slaughtered by it, not keep Him from death. She leaves Him to the system of the Law not pleading for any exceptions even though She has literally EVERY reason to claim that, as He is not only innocent but the only One who perfectly fills the Law. But She gives Him up to the system so He can both break and renew and thus complete the system by becoming its absurd exception and showing its limits but also crowning it.
In Charlotte's web, there is no reason whatsoever for keeping the pig alive. Almost all pigs are raised to be eaten and integrated into a higher body. Here the exception is empty and unjustified, it breaks the system in the destructive way. If the pig really was an exception for ex that it could sniff out the black 'fungi potatoes' in the ground (i dont know how they are called) that would bring more food to the body of the family then it is a differen story. Otherwise it seems an inversion of the Bishop recognizing in Juan his son because of being clothed and sent by the Mother of God.
Great insights Adam! You got me thinking in new ways! Yes you are so right. The pattern of the “mother saving from above“ can go wrong in exactly the way you say. The suffocating mother smothers in her “attempt to save.”. The helicopter mother hovers above the child and does not expose him to danger.
Rachel covers Jacob in order to trick Isaac.
This is the dark side of this pattern. But the pattern remains.
Opposed to this is The Blessed Mother who clothes her children in humility and does not attempt to plead for exemptions.
Charlotte is an ambiguous character for the reasons you say. Why does she save Wilbur? Why does she trick the farmer? She seems like a capricious goddess of the Iliad.
As a side note, you are inspiring me to write another article I have had in mind that explores the symbolic relationship between Wilbur and Templeton the Rat. They are opposites that serve as the Left and Right hands of Charlotte.
Thank you for providing the spark! This also made me see how the story of the Rachel hiding Jacob finds its proper form in the story of Mary and Christ. It is amazing how among many other things what is also happening in the Incarnation is that Mary is accepting God Himself under Her roof to disguise Him as a man by clothing Him in flesh - so that He can walk on earth without fuzz clothed like anyone else and can trick the devil to make us kill Him so that He can display His mercy on us and offer us the waking up break of heart that is necessary to be able to love. Which is crazy...
And with the insights you gave in connection to the Guadalupe story, I cannot help but see that Christ as well went to hide Himself in our skin before The Father and let Himself be killed so that because of Him being disguised like us (to the extreme of being clothed in consequences of our sins) the Father may recognize us fallen mortals as his sons and daughters. He disguised Himself as us to persuade the Father to give the blessing that belongs only to Him also to us - to share it with us. Which is mind boggling! Glory and eternal thanks to Christ for coming to stand for us!
Profound connection between how the Theotokos veils her children and herself being that veil. Thank you for this Miguel!
Thank you John. Yes that’s right the Mother of God herself is the veil of Christ that hides His divinity.