The Wind in the Willows

Much of the story concerns the conflict between the love of one’s home and the urge to leave it to seek adventure. Mole becomes impatient to learn boating so that he can explore the river and its neighborhoods, and he wanders into the Wild Wood, where trouble lurks. Toad can’t wait to drive a car as fast and as far as possible. Even Rat yearns, for a time, to leave his home and become a seafaring animal who explores distant lands. Eventually, all three decide it’s better to fully appreciate the things one already has than to seek distractions.

Tired of living underground, Mole bursts up out of the earth and explores the world above his home. Delighted and fascinated by this new realm, he becomes impatient while boating with Rat, grabs the oars, and, with no training, tries to steer the boat by himself. The craft capsizes, and Mole must apologize to his new friend for such boorish behavior.

Mole later realizes that his own home, which he neglects in favor of living with Rat, still retains its allure, and he comes to recognize it as a refuge where he can rest and recover from his riverside adventures. He sees the value of “this place which was all his own,” a place that “could always be counted upon for the same simple welcome” (58).

Still, Mole’s youthful exuberance drives him toward the Wild Wood, where he hopes to find Badger’s house and get to know him. At first, he’s chased by wicked weasels; then Rat finds him, and they wander, lost, until they stumble onto Badger’s place and receive shelter there. Mole gets to know and like Badger, but his frightening experience in the Wild Wood severely dampens his wanderlust. He finds that he has more than enough to entertain him right in his own neighborhood.

Toad’s infatuations come and go as he searches for new sensations. He tires of sculling on the river and shifts to caravan travel, but this, too, becomes hateful when Toad discovers automobiles. Cars thrill him with their sheer speed, and, though he’s an incompetent driver, he persists in buying and wrecking car after car. Unable to contain himself, Toad impulsively steals a car and gets sent to prison. He escapes and, in a huge coincidence, steals the same car again. These hijinks put Toad into even more trouble with the authorities.

Meanwhile, his long absence from his ancestral home, Toad Hall, invites squatters, who take it over. Toad’s friends help him retake the Hall; in the process, he realizes that he doesn’t need to show off to have good company.

Another character who strays from home seeking adventure is Otter’s young son, Portly, who wanders off to explore and disappears. When Rat and Mole travel upriver in search of the toddler, the demigod Pan’s unearthly, beautiful pipe music leads them to Portly, sleeping safely in Pan’s lap. Pan’s magic spell makes them forget the experience: He knows that once they’ve glimpsed the wondrous gods, they’ll never again be satisfied with their lives on the river, and this will destroy their happiness. Instead, he leaves them with only a cloudy sense of something wonderful, and they return to their regular and still-satisfying home lives.

Rat loves the river and expresses no interest in anything else until, one fall, the birds and mice begin to migrate away, and Rat, lonely, wonders what’s beyond the next horizon. Adding to his wanderlust, a visiting sea rat romanticizes travel and convinces Rat that it’s the only way to satisfy the itch for adventure. Rat nearly leaves his house to go to sea, but Mole stops him in time and shakes him back to his senses. Rat remembers, once again, that he already has a marvelous, endlessly pleasing river realm to keep him entertained. In addition, the birds and mice are sure to return in the spring and resume their friendships with him.

The main lesson these animals learn is that there’s no place like home—that the search for excitement often costs more than it’s worth. Instead, they explore and enjoy the wonders of their own neighborhood: While some might think it’s too simple and uninteresting, Mole, Toad, and Rat learn at last to appreciate their own world of wonder.