The Wind in the Willows

Ignorant of life above-ground, Mole ventures to the surface and is surprised and thrilled by all he sees. His friend Rat shows him how to enjoy life by the water, and he learns to appreciate the open-air world of nature.

The first character the book introduces, Mole is one of the four main protagonists, along with Rat, Badger, and Toad. His emergence from his underground realm, his innocence about the world, and his friendly personality symbolize the newness, lack of experience, and natural charm of young children. Mole is thus someone with whom they can identify. This helps garner their attention and anchor their interest in the story. For older readers, Mole serves as a reminder of youth.

Many of the things he learns—not to be impulsive, to respect the natural world and its residents, and to work hard and practice useful skills—are the kind of lessons a parent might teach a child. In this sense, his character arc serves partly as a gentle description of how to be a good and useful citizen who’s careful and respectful of the world.

Of the four main protagonists, Rat is the most friendly and self-sufficient. He’s a water rat (also called a water vole), a dark-brown-furred rodent that lives in burrows near inland water—and his love of the river is the central topic early in the story. He enjoys boating more than anything, and his favorite pastime is “simply messing about in boats” (9).

Rat befriends Mole and teaches him how to swim and row. In addition, he educates Mole about living a good life, which involves a certain amount of industrious work followed by lounging about and enjoying oneself. Rat’s practical approach inspires Mole and contrasts sharply with Toad’s lifestyle, which focuses on thrills and avoids anything dull, like domestic work or careful planning. Rat thus serves as a moral counterweight to the disorderly Toad.

The largest of all Toad’s good friends, Badger lives in a burrow like Mole, though his is enormous, with underground passages extending hundreds of yards. Badger lives in Wild Wood, where few outside animals dare to visit—because the weasels, stoats, ferrets, and foxes can be dangerous—but his large size and toughness effectively make him mayor of the place, and the other residents don’t dare cross him: “He seemed, by all accounts, to be such an important personage and, though rarely visible, to make his unseen influence felt by everybody about the place” (27).

Although one of the four main protagonists, along with Mole, Rat, and Toad, Badger can be grumpy and bossy, but he’s also decent and honorable. He doesn’t like to visit others but is friendly and generous when they show up at his residence. Badger tolerates the local denizens but doesn’t put up with trouble from them, especially when they threaten his friends Rat and Mole. He leads the charge against the weasels squatting at Toad Hall and routs them out of Toad’s home.

Badger considers Mr. Toad too out-of-control to manage, even for him: His stern warnings don’t work on the obsessed amphibian. Nonetheless, Badger is a gruff father figure for the other main characters. He’s the wise adult who leads sensibly, oversees the Wild Wood, protects his friends when they visit there, and helps keep everyone in line and on track during the battle to retake Toad Hall.

Otter is long and sleek, like the weasels and stoats, but is much larger, like Badger. He lives for life on the river, and he and fellow river enthusiast Rat spend hours discussing every aspect of their aquatic world. Although a minor character, Otter brings neighborhood news to the main protagonists and connects them to their own adventures; for example, when Otter’s toddler son disappears, Rat and Mole’s successful effort to find the child brings them into contact with Pan.

The main antagonists of the story are weasels and stoats. Small creatures, with long bodies and short legs, they’re aggressive carnivores. In the story, they live and make mischief in the Wild Wood but take over Toad Hall while its owner is in prison. During their time as squatters, the weasels show their ruffian character by making a mess of the house and laying waste to its food supplies.

The effort to dislodge them occupies the final two chapters of the book. Their leader is the Chief Weasel; though a very minor character, he provides symbolic importance: During the raid, Toad knocks him clear across a table and thus reasserts control of his house. Badger, much bigger than the squatters, proves intimidating as he, Toad, Rat, and Mole make quick work of the weasels and stoats. The weasels’ riotous retreat also scatters the stoats who patrol the Hall’s grounds. The weasels serve as a lesson for anyone who might ignore domestic responsibilities: If, while out adventuring, one neglects one’s home, someone else might take it over.