Character Analysis
Lurvy works on the Zuckerman farm, so you know that he's going to be in on all the action surrounding the miraculous spider web. On the one hand, this means Lurvy is pulling some long hours to keep Wilbur looking good and clean: "Having such an important pig was going to mean plenty of extra work, he could see that" (13.21). Lurvy sure is a hard worker.
But on the other hand, Lurvy also gets plenty of attention from all of Wilbur's admirers. In fact, he gets more public attention than some of the other characters, like Charlotte. This means Lurvy gets gussied up for the audience: "Lurvy shaved and got a haircut; and his principal farm duty was to feed the pig while people looked on" (11.40). Sounds like Lurvy has become more than a farmer; now he's a performer, too.