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Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Wind in the Willows, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Friendship and Mentorship
Manners, Conduct, and Consequences
Nature, Leisure, and the Modern World
Home, Identity, and Adventure
Greed, Arrogance, and Social Class
Summary
Analysis
One bright summer morning, Mole asks Rat for a favor. Rat, though, isn’t listening; he’s been with his duck friends since early morning and is now composing a song about how the ducks turn tail-up to eat from the river. Mole isn’t a poetic animal, so he admits he’s not a fan of the song (apparently, the ducks don’t like it much either). But finally having Rat’s attention, Mole asks if they can call on Mr. Toad. Rat agrees immediately; Toad is always accepting visitors.
It’s a sign of Rat’s high social class that he can spend his time relaxing in nature and writing songs. It seems like this is all he does with his days, which suggests that Rat is wealthy—he doesn’t have to work and can instead live a life of leisure.
Themes
As Rat and Mole settle into the boat, with Mole rowing, Rat explains that Toad is good-natured, if not particularly intelligent. He’s conceited, but he has other great qualities. Presently, they come around a bend in the river and can see the grand estate, Toad Hall (Toad is very wealthy). Rat guides Mole to the boathouse, which looks deserted. Looking around, Rat says that Toad must have given up boating. Who knows what his newest hobby might be.
Mole has been with Rat long enough, and has paid enough attention to his mentor, to be trustworthy with the oars now. This highlights Mole’s willingness to listen and learn, as well as Rat’s ability to teach his pupil. Rat notes that Toad, on the other hand, is conceited—meaning that he lacks the same humbleness and willingness to learn from his friends.
Themes
Rat leads Mole across the lawn until they find Toad resting in the garden. Toad leaps up immediately, and without waiting to be introduced to Mole, says he was going to send for Rat and Mole today. They must have a meal. Rat suggests they sit a while first, sinking into a chair. Mole observes politely that the house is lovely, and Toad boasts that it’s the finest house on the river. He notices Rat nudge Mole and turns red—but then laughs, says this is just how he is, and notes that it’s inarguable that the house is fine.
Toad immediately proves Rat’s point when he can’t help but boasting about how great his estate is. And though it’s somewhat embarrassing for him to notice that Rat and Mole disapprove of his arrogance (hence why they nudge each other), this doesn’t actually change Toad’s behavior. Instead, he doubles down and insists that the house is great. Toad realizes that his behavior is annoying his friends, but he isn’t yet willing to change that behavior, nor are his friends yet willing to intervene.
Themes
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Then, Toad says he wanted to talk to Rat anyway; it’s extremely important. Sighing, Rat says this must be about Toad’s rowing, which needs work. But Toad looks disgusted and says boating is a waste of time. He’s done with it, and now he’s discovered what a real hobby is. At this, he leads Rat and Mole to the stable and draws out a “gipsy caravan” painted bright yellow. He cries that it represents “real life,” and that he’ll be able to see the whole world. Mole is intrigued, so he follows Toad into the caravan to admire the interior. There’s even a caged bird inside, in addition to games and provisions. Toad says it has everything they need—and they’ll set off this afternoon.
Toad saying that boating is a waste of time probably offends Rat, given that he previously said boating is the only thing worth doing. But again, Toad doesn’t seem to care that he might be offending his friend; what matters to him that he has new hobby, and that he has fun. This passage also characterizes Toad as entitled, as he announces that they’re all leaving on a trip this afternoon without even asking Rat and Mole if they’d like to come. He expects them to go along with what he wants, with no regard for what they might want.
Themes
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Rat refuses, so Toad begs him to come. Going away, Toad insists, will “make an animal” out of Rat. Rat insists that he’s not going, and Mole isn’t either. Mole, loyal to Rat, says he’s obviously staying, though it would’ve been fun. Seeing how disappointed Mole looks, Rat’s resolve wavers. Toad suggests they have lunch and talk it over, since he really just wants to make his friends happy. Over lunch, Toad—who can tell Mole is inexperienced and young—regales Mole with tales of the road. Soon, it seems like a given that they’re all going. Afraid to disappoint his friends, even Rat agrees.
Toad saying that a trip in the caravan will “make an animal” out of Rat seems to be a play on the phrase “making a man” out of someone. This trip, in other words, will elevate Rat from a childish state and turn him into what Toad deems to be a real adult. Again, is likely insulting for Rat to hear, since he enjoys his life on the river and is seemingly wise and mature enough to mentor Mole. But Toad proves extremely persuasive, so his rudeness and entitlement go unchecked.
Themes
Thrilled, Toad tells Rat and Mole to capture his old gray horse—who does not want to be caught—and Toad packs some final provisions. Soon, they’re off. The afternoon is idyllic: passersby stop to compliment the cart, and the sunlight is beautiful. In the evening, the travelers pull over, let the horse graze, and eat their supper. As the stars come out, Toad talks about all he’s going to do in the coming weeks. Finally, they all climb into their bunks. Toad sneers that this is the life for a gentleman; now Rat can talk about his river. Sadly, Rat says he thinks about his river all the time. Mole takes Rat’s paw and suggests they run away in the morning, but Rat says they must stay for Toad’s sake. He’s not safe on his own.
Everything seems fine at first, since it’s a lovely day and people compliment the caravan (which no doubt fuels Toad’s ego). But Toad remains convinced that his interests and his life are far more important than those of his friends—indeed, Rat seems genuinely upset to be away from his beloved river, but Toad doesn’t care at all. Mole, by contrast, shows that he cares about Rat when he comforts him and suggests they head home. Yet Rat knows that Toad needs supervision, or disaster might strike. This also illuminates a troubling part of Rat and Toad’s dynamic: Rat essentially feels like he has to babysit Toad, which means that they don’t connect as equals.
Themes
In the morning, Toad refuses to wake up. So, Rat and Mole attend to the horse, do the dishes from the night before, and walk to the village for breakfast foods that Toad didn’t pack. All the hard work is done by the time Toad gets up, so he remarks that life is easy on the road. The day is pleasant, but in the evening Rat and Mole make Toad do his fair share of the work. By the following morning, Toad is disillusioned by life on the road. But the travelers continue on—until disaster strikes.
Rat and Mole may be fairly well-off, but they still understand that dishes don’t wash themselves, and that food doesn’t appear out of thin air. They’re far more attuned to the way that life actually works than Toad is, as he seems to believe that these tasks will just magically get done. A more sinister possibility is that Toad knew Rat and Mole would take care of such things and chose to take advantage of his friends’ generosity.
Themes
While Mole walks with the horse (who feels very left out), Rat and Toad walk behind the cart. Rat pretends to listen to Toad as Toad chatters on. Then, in the distance behind them, they see a cloud of dust and hear a faint “Poop-poop!” sound. They all ignore this—until suddenly, the “poop-poop” (a car) drives up behind them, passes them, and then turns into a cloud of dust ahead. The horse is terrified and, in his panic, causes the caravan to overturn in the ditch. Rat shouts at the driver, threatening to drag them through the courts for driving so rudely. But Toad sits in the middle of the road, murmuring “poop-poop!” with a satisfied expression on his face.
The horse is coded as being from the servant class of animals—he wasn’t given a choice in whether to come on this trip, and he doesn’t get to join in any of the fun. Mole shows that he has compassion for lower-class animals by spending time with the horse and treating him as an equal. The car’s first appearance in the novel is extremely scary and violent—it completely disrupts this caravan outing, and Rat takes issue with the driver’s rudeness—again suggesting that good manners are necessary for society to run smoothly. Toad, though, seems entranced by the car—which foreshadows that cars will probably be Toad’s next expensive hobby.
Themes
Finally, Mole calms the horse down. The caravan is damaged, and Mole and Rat aren’t strong enough to get it out of the ditch themselves, so they ask Toad for help. But Toad doesn’t move—he continues to sit and say, “poop-poop!” When Rat shakes Toad, Toad says he’s seen “the poetry of motion” and laments that before this moment, he never dreamed of what’s possible.
Once again, Mole and Rat take on the difficult work of trying to get the caravan moving and working, while Toad sits idly by. Moreover, Toad’s musing that he’s seen “the poetry of motion” suggests that he doesn’t see any issue with what the car did—he’s more interested in the car’s novelty and beauty than the driver’s bad manners. It doesn’t matter to him that his friends were scared and his cart is broken (another indicator of his wealth, as Toad seems to view the cart as replaceable or disposable).
Themes
Mole turns to Rat, concerned, but Rat says there’s nothing to do. Toad, Rat explains, is “possessed,” and he’ll be like this for a few days and will be totally useless. So, Rat grabs the distraught bird in her cage and the horse, and he leads Mole down the road to get help. Mole is concerned for Toad’s safety, but Rat is too angry to care. Before too long, though, Toad runs up behind his friends. Rat tells Toad to lodge a complaint against the driver with the police once they get to town; then, Toad must arrange for someone to fix the cart. He and Mole will get rooms for them at an inn. Toad says he could never complain about that “beautiful, […] heavenly vision.” He’s done with carts. Now he’s discovered cars, and can’t wait to throw carts into the ditch as he zooms by.
This isn’t the first time that Rat has ended up in a situation like this with Toad—his patience is wearing thin after having to clean up after Toad so many times. This is Mole’s first outing with Toad, though, so he’s not so frustrated that he can’t think of Toad’s safety. Toad reveals how selfish and conceited he is when he tells his friends about his newfound love of cars. Again, he’s not upset that the car ruined their outing and jeopardized their safety—cars are “beautiful” and powerful in his mind, and Toad wants one so that he can be powerful. Toad apparently wants to scare and even harm others, again highlighting his selfish nature.
Themes
Rat gives Mole a despairing look and says that when they get to town, the two of them can get a train back to the river. At the town, they drop Toad in the station waiting area, leave the horse at the inn, and arrange for someone to deal with the cart. Then, they catch the train and deposit Toad at Toad Hall. Rat and Mole are home in time for a late supper. The following evening, Rat strolls up to Mole with news: Toad has just bought a big, expensive car.
Rat may be doing what he believes just needs to be done when he arranges for the cart to be fixed and gets everyone train tickets home. But by doing this, he also enables Toad’s behavior. Toad never experiences consequences for being so unhelpful and selfish—and, as a result, it never occurs to him that buying a car (and driving it recklessly, as he plans to) may be a bad idea .
Themes
