My Response to The Wind in the Willows

Written for Children's Literature: not my best paper, it certainly lacks focus, as my teacher pointed out in the notes she wrote in the margins. i received a B+

This book seemed to lack focus and left me feeling extremely bored. My first complaint is a small one, and it is about the title: I do not seem to remember the author discussing willows in length (though he did mention quite a few trees), nor the wind in relation to said species of tree. Mr. Kenneth Graham clearly had a very extensive vocabulary, but most of the time it felt like he was merely writing for the sake of reading his own thoughts, rather like Toad is fond of singing about himself (Grahame 297), instead of describing the environment and events in a coherent manner. Moreover, he casually throws one particular swear word into the mix, when a man of his vocabulary certainly could have thought of a more apt word to use, and I find myself rather surprised that my mother bought me this Children’s book for my sixth birthday or allowed me to read it.

The format of the book is strange: it is episodic, as each chapter seems to focus on another character and adventure that is usually not very exciting at all, and does not always build on the events of previous chapters. There is not a single unified plot, the book does not have much rising action of any sort, and there are many climaxes (if one could even call them that) instead of one. The stories do not mesh together well, and large chunks of time are skipped over as if they did not exist at all. All of these misused literary devices have the tendency to leave the reader more than slightly confused.

The book requires the suspension of disbelief when it asks one to regard the animals as if they are people, but then extends disbelief even further by making it clear that there are humans in this world as well and describing some animals in a way that makes it clear that they are merely animals, with no self awareness, means of communicating, or complex emotions of their own. The protagonists seem to avoid the humans (95) and look down on them for keeping pets (171), yet they keep and use pets themselves (35-36, 169), which is quite a double standard.
I read that this book was a morality tale, but the characters not only ignore moral behavior, they approve of some of the immoral behavior (Toad in particular is guilty of this, and seems to lack a conscience). While Toad’s friends disapprove of his tendency to quickly change his mind about which is the best pastime to engage in (16-18), they disapprove even more of his tendency to crash motor cars (77). Yet later, when Toad steals a car and is sent to prison (141-143), his friends do not find his behavior as distasteful as the humans’ presumption that they should be the ones to punish him: they anticipate and approve of Toad’s escape (256-258). Not only does Toad escape, but he lies repeatedly (179-181, 224-225, 234), steals a horse (231-232), sells it (236), and is extremely conceited and rude on numerous occasions. Even at the end of the book he is still walking about free and has not paid for his crimes. This does not teach children morality, rather it teaches them to disrespect authority and do whatever they feel like, disregarding their own safety and the laws of the land.

Overall, the book lacks focus and contradicts itself. Mole is like a child and abandons his house for nearly a year (99-100). Otter’s child is apparently watched over by a demigod (157). The Water Rat decides to abandon the river after hearing the Sea Rat’s tale (217). Badger lives in the Wild Wood that is overrun by some confusing and nameless evil (54-57) but turns out to not be quite so wild after all (304). None of the characters feel alive and fully fleshed out, but rather two-dimensional, and the story doesn’t seem to have a point. The Wind in the Willows left me disappointed, expecting more, but upset that I had taken the time to read it at all because it so obviously did not deliver.

Works Cited
Grahame, Kenneth. The Wind in the Willows. 1908. New York: Aladdin Classics, 1999.