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Summary
Chapter II. The Open Road
The Water Rat is bothering the ducks on the river and singing when the Mole asks if they can visit with the Toad. The Water Rat readily agrees. The Mole rows them to Toad Hall, a large, wealthy estate. They come upon the Toad reading a map, and he is delighted to see them, claiming that he was just about to send for them, even though he has never met the Mole. The Toad boasts about Toad Hall and says that he's finished with boating. The Toad takes the Mole and the Water Rat to his stables, where he shows off a new horse-drawn caravan that he plans to use for a road trip. He is certain that the Water Rat and the Mole want to join him, but the Water Rat prefers the river. The Mole, however, is interested in the adventure. The Toad invites them to lunch to think it over.
During lunch, the Toad describes how much fun they’ll have in the caravan, so they decide to join him. They have some difficulty catching the horse, but the first day is magnificent, although the Water Rat misses his river. The Mole offers to go home with the Water Rat, but they agree to stay to keep the Toad out of trouble. The next morning, the Toad sleeps in while the Water Rat and the Mole do chores and get ready for the day. When the Toad gets up, he talks about how easy life is now that they’ve left their chores behind. The Mole and the Water Rat make the Toad help, despite his resistance.
On the third day, they encounter the high road, where a motor car whizzes by, startling the horse, who wrecks the caravan. The Water Rat is angry, and the Mole attempts to set the horse and caravan right, but it’s beyond repair. The Toad mutters about the glory of travel by motor car. The Water Rat has seen Toad in this obsessive state before and knows it will be impossible to snap him out of it. All three walk to the nearest town and take a train home. They leave the Toad at Toad Hall. The next day, the Water Rat tells the Mole that the Toad has bought a motor car.
Chapter III. The Wild Wood
The Mole wants to meet the Badger, and the Water Rat assures him that they will, but on the Badger’s schedule. The Water Rat doesn’t want to pay a visit to the Badger because the Badger is shy and the Wild Wood is so far. Summer passes and winter arrives with no sign of the Badger, so the Mole grows restless and sets out by himself. The Wild Wood seems like a new adventure, and it is a little spooky. Then, the Mole starts seeing faces peering out of holes. When he hears whistling and footsteps, he panics and seeks shelter.
Meanwhile, the Water Rat wakes from a dreamy, poetic state to find the Mole missing. He sets off, armed with guns and sticks, to find his friend. The Mole is relieved to see the Water Rat, who consoles and chastises him in the same breath. The Mole is too tired to walk home, so the Water Rat keeps watch while the Mole sleeps. When he wakes, ready to leave, it has begun to snow. They try to make their way through the unfamiliar wood, but quickly get lost and tired in the cold. As they look for a shelter, the Mole falls and cuts his shin. The Water Rat digs about to find what cut the Mole and finds a door scraper. After a little more digging, they uncover a front door marked, “Mr. Badger.” They ring the doorbell.
Analysis
The Wind in the Willows is set in early twentieth-century England, a time when class distinctions were prominent. At the same time, the economy was shifting from agriculture to industry. This change made the rigid social hierarchy increasingly irrelevant. In this context, the Toad’s character is a parody of an English gentleman. He acts like a minor nobleman with land holdings, a stately manor, and big ideas. In comparison, the Mole and the Water Rat are working-class animals who take a pragmatic approach to life. Their friendship with the Toad requires them to execute and witness his grand plans because they have the practical knowledge to make them happen. For example, the Mole and Water Rat wrangle the horse into the caravan hitches, allowing the Toad’s adventure to get started. The Mole and Water Rat also set the camp and ensure they have food to eat, practical matters that the Toad forgets to consider. After the Toad quickly grows bored, the Mole and the Water Rat survive the ordeal unscathed and come to wholeheartedly enjoy the adventure as a delightful anecdote about an eccentric neighbor.
Chapter II depicts some very different characters with unique behaviors and motivations. Despite their differences, they work hard to maintain a civilized society. The Water Rat has a playful, teasing nature as seen when he tickles the ducks. He is also a homebody who delights in his travels up and down the water, but dislikes venturing too far from home. He is both worldly and practical, so he knows how to solve the problems he and his friends get caught up in. The Mole is nervous, inquisitive, and ready for excitement. Although he is naïve in new situations, he is eager to learn more about the world. The two get along because they work hard to be considerate and make compromises. The Toad has a different personality entirely. He is enamored of his own ideas and possessions, and he relies on others to do all the hard work without much consideration. Even though the Toad shows little regard for others, the Water Rat and the Mole tolerate him and even find him amusing.
In Chapter III, The Wind in the Willows shifts from summer to winter, a major change in setting for a novel that is rooted in the wonders of the natural world. In the first two chapters, readers have witnessed the Mole as he is charmed away from responsibility by the allure of spring. His excursions with the Water Rat on the river fill much of their summer, and their caravan ramble through the countryside takes them uncomfortably far from home. These adventures are all made possible by the glorious richness of summer’s wind, water, and growth. Absent these riches, the Mole and the Water Rat are left with only their memories, which are a blessing during the long, dark days of winter. Thinking about the fun times they had keeps them and their company entertained through the long, dark hours of winter. Despite the coziness inside, Mole adventures out into the Wild Wood and finds beauty in winter’s sleep. He appreciates seeing nature at its root, even if it is hard and unwelcoming, because it is strong and simple.
The world Kenneth Grahame depicts is delightful and full of wonder, but it has a menacing side. The Wild Wood inspires unspeakable terror among the local animals. The Water Rat has proven himself experienced and capable, but even he hints at this nameless danger as he delivers warnings to the Mole. A challenge for any novelist is to describe the indescribable. Grahame achieves this when he describes the Wild Wood through the Mole’s experience of it. The winter scenery and the Mole’s solitude foreshadow the uncertain, unfamiliar, and seemingly dangerous path the Mole finds through the Wild Wood. The suspense builds as he starts to see unidentifiable faces, hears piercing whistles, and senses footprints pursuing him. Each experience builds in the Mole’s imagination and manages to convey what the Water Rat has been unable to describe: the terror of the Wild Wood.
