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Summary
Chapter X. The Further Adventures of Toad
The Toad awakens in the forest feeling cold and hungry, but he is hopeful because he is free. He begins following a road, feeling frustrated because he doesn’t know where he is, and there’s no one around to ask for directions. Soon, the road meets a canal, where a barge woman steers a boat. A horse pulls the barge from a tow path along the water. The Toad is still in his washerwoman disguise, and he invents a sad story to convince the barge woman to help him. He claims that he is trying to find his married daughter who lives near Toad Hall. The barge woman says she is headed that way, and she offers him a ride.
The Toad’s hops aboard and begins bragging about having a huge and successful washing business. He also describes how much he enjoys doing laundry. The barge woman explains that she is running the barge while her husband is away, so she has no time for washing, but she happens to have her dirty laundry, soap, and tub on her barge. She suggests that the Toad do her washing as they head toward Toad Hall. Toad tries to talk his way out of it, but he cannot come up with a good excuse, so he starts scrubbing her clothes. It turns out to be harder than he expected, and the clothes are not getting clean. He turns around to find the barge woman laughing at him, and his temper gets the best of him. He reveals his true identity, demands her respect, and insults her. In response, the barge woman flings him overboard. In a fit of anger, the Toad runs after her horse, steals it, and leaves the barge woman stranded.
After riding for a while, the Toad comes across a gypsy who offers to buy his horse. After some haggling, the Toad agrees to sell the horse for the low price of six and a half shillings, plus breakfast. After the Toad eats, the gypsy gives him directions, and the Toad sings a song about his own bravery and cleverness. He hears a motorcar and faints when he realizes it is the one he stole. The passengers think he is a washerwoman who has fainted, so they stop and lay him on the backseat. When the Toad wakes up, he asks to drive the car and the people agree. The Toad drives recklessly while bragging about stealing the car and breaking out of jail. Before the cars’ owners can take him to the police, the Toad drives the car into a pond and runs away. Police officers chase him and he runs into the river, which sweeps him downstream. The Toad starts climbing into a hole in the bank, which turns out to be the Water Rat’s home.
Analysis
In this chapter, the Toad shows that he can be cruel, spiteful, and ignorant. He may think highly of himself, but he doesn’t think much of anyone or anything else. He even gets angry at the road under his feet because it cannot give him directions. When the barge woman laughs at him for being terrible at washing, he immediately forgets the kindness she’s offered him. An apologetic smile or a confession that he lied might have won her over, and the Toad could have continued on his comfortable way home. Instead, he lashes out at the barge woman in cruel and personal terms. When she reacts, instead of recognizing his error, the Toad focuses on revenge. Like his obsession with motor cars or his need to brag, the Toad cannot get past his vengeful feelings without acting on them. Later in the chapter, he fantasizes about driving the motor car up to Toad Hall just to spite the Badger, who tried to protect the Toad from his own worst instincts. The Toad seems incapable of learning from his mistakes, a quality that dooms him to failure and makes him an unsympathetic character.
Unlike the novel’s other characters, who share a deep appreciation of nature and human kindness, the Toad despises these simple pleasures. This characteristic is at the heart of his obsession with motor cars and the ease with which he lies, cheats, and steals. Throughout the chapter, nature provides the Toad with comfortable sunshine, places to hide, and free food. These conditions are ideal for an escaped prisoner with no money, but instead of appreciating them, the Toad curses them. He hates these simple gifts because nature gives them freely to everyone, while the Toad values things that only he can possess. He also looks down on the barge woman, the gypsy, and the motor car passengers. Each of these characters demonstrate kindness and generosity, freely offering him help. Instead of being appreciative or grateful, he tries to take advantage of them. The Toad favors material possessions and status over life’s free gifts. This self-centered greed fuels his obsession with motor cars, money, and being admired by others. But these parts of life cannot offer comfort, compassion, or companionship, which could do more to help the Toad in this chapter than money or a motor car.
As a member of the landed gentry, the Toad does not need a steady job to keep his comfortable lifestyle. Despite believing that work is beneath him, the Toad brags about his exceptional business talents. This is a sign that he recognizes the value of successful work. Even in disguise, it’s not enough for the Toad to be a simple washerwoman. He invents a large-scale laundry business that employs twenty young women, whom he complains about using crude and sexist language, which shows that he even needs to feel superior to imaginary employees. He goes on to brag about his own washing skills, even though he believes that anyone can do such menial labor. When he learns that washing is hard work and that he is not naturally skilled at it, he quickly becomes frustrated. Later, when the Toad bargains with the gypsy, he fancies himself a successful negotiator. In reality, the Toad uses his fingers to count to four and considers any amount to be a profit since he paid nothing for the horse.
