Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Wind in the Willows, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Friendship and Mentorship
Manners, Conduct, and Consequences
Nature, Leisure, and the Modern World
Home, Identity, and Adventure
Greed, Arrogance, and Social Class
Summary
Analysis
It’s mid-December, and Rat and Mole are running past a sheep pen after a day’s outing with Otter. They follow a nearby track that leads them to a village. Mole is concerned; animals, as a general rule, don’t appreciate villages. But Rat says that this time of year, humans are all inside, and it’s fun to peek in their windows. Rat leads Mole along the orange windows. Inside each one is a small theater performance: people laughing, putting children to bed, and smoking, totally unaware that they have an audience. Mole and Rat’s favorite is a window with a birdcage in it; the bird is sleeping, and cold drafts ruffle his feathers.
Looking in the humans’ windows like this offers Rat and Mole a unique opportunity to observe humans in much the same way that humans watch animals in zoos. But they seem to think this is even better, since they’re seeing people totally relaxed and in their own homes; the people aren’t performing for anyone. This suggests that for both humans and animals, home is important because it’s a place where beings feel protected and free to be themselves.
Themes
Literary Devices
On the far side of the village, Rat and Mole can smell their fields again and know they’re getting close to home. Rat walks a bit ahead and so doesn’t notice when Mole suddenly stops in his tracks. The narrator explains that humans don’t experiences the senses like animals do—for animals, “smell” is more than just nice smells. Smells can be warnings or summons. In this case, a smell stops Mole short, and soon, Mole realizes what he’s smelling: home. It feels like invisible hands are pulling him to his old home, which he hasn’t thought about since abandoning it that summer day. Mole’s home clearly misses him and wants him back. It’s not angry at all about being abandoned.
The narrator acknowledges that within the world of the novel, some things are the same for both people and animals (such as the importance of one’s home). But there are things that human readers are never going to fully grasp about an animal’s experience, and the way animals smell is one of those things. So, this passage encourages readers to develop empathy for Mole and consider what it must feel like to be able to sense his old home calling to him.
Themes
Literary Devices
Mole knows he has to obey this summons, so he calls for Rat to stop. But Rat is too far ahead to hear Mole—clearly, he’s too intent on getting home, and he can smell snow coming. So, he tells Mole they can’t stop. Mole feels a huge sob coming, but he ignores it and feels as though he’s betraying his old home. He follows Rat. Rat doesn’t notice anything amiss until they’re very close to the river. At this point, Mole sits down and sobs with grief. After a while, Mole chokes that “it” isn’t as nice as Rat’s house, or Toad Hall, or Badger’s home, but it was his and he loved it. He explains that he smelled his home and suddenly wanted it, but he felt he had to leave it when Rat called. He dissolves in sobs again.
For now, Mole’s loyalty to his new friend and mentor outweighs his loyalty to his old home. This is, in part, because it seems like Mole doesn’t want to return to his old home alone—if he’s going to go, he wants to go with Rat. The fact that Rat doesn’t notice Mole’s anguish is, the narrator notes, due to Rat being too intent on getting home before the snow. But being too focused on this task blinds him to the fact that Mole needs a friend to listen to and comfort him.
Themes
Rat pats Mole’s shoulder and says he’s been a “pig.” When Mole’s sobs turn to sniffs, Rat gets up and says it’s time to go—and heads back from whence they came. Confused, Mole follows, and Rat explains that they’re going to find Mole’s home. Mole should start sniffing for it. Mole says they need to get to the river bank for supper, but cheerily, Rat says they’re going to Mole’s old home no matter what. When they get to the spot in the road where Mole stopped, Rat feels a sort of electric shock go through Mole’s body.
Rat starts to make up for ignoring Mole by insisting that they immediately head back to Mole’s old home. This is how Rat shows Mole he cares about him—getting a meal, or warming up, aren’t nearly as important as showing his friend that he cares. In this passage, Rat also starts letting Mole take the lead; their relationship is starting to become one of equals, not just of a mentor and a mentee.
Themes
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Rat follows Mole as Mole sniffs and wanders like a sleepwalker. Suddenly, Mole dives into a tunnel. Soon, he and Rat emerge on the doorstep of Mole End. The garden area contains ferns and plaster statues of “heroes of modern Italy.” There are benches and a goldfish pond. Mole unlocks the door, beaming—and then collapses in tears when he sees everything covered in dust and looking “shabby.” Rat ignores Mole and looks around, complimenting Mole on the architecture and furnishings. He then instructs Mole to get rid of some of the dust while he lights a fire.
Seeing Mole’s home gives readers some insight into the kind of animal Mole was before he joined Rat. He clearly valued his outdoor space and wanted to show off his worldliness and class with his Italian statues. This is perhaps why Mole is so upset by the interior that’s become “shabby” in his absence—this undermines Mole’s pride in his home’s appearance and ability to entertain guests (like Rat). But Rat again shows that he’s a considerate, supportive friend by helping to make the place homey and pleasant.
Themes
Before long, there’s a fire in the hearth, and Mole is feeling better. But he sobs again when he remembers that there’s no food here. Rat scoffs, and after hunting around the kitchen, finds a can of sardines, some biscuits, and German sausage. When Mole continues to moan, Rat digs through the cellar and comes back with bottles of beer. As he sets the table, he asks Mole to tell him about the house. Mole is shy at first, but he soon speaks freely about where he acquired all his belongings and how he got the money to buy them. Rat tries to conceal his hunger until he is able to coax Mole to the table.
Mole is in a tough spot because he wants to be polite and be able to entertain Rat. But that’s just not possible right now, since he hasn’t been home in months. Rat, though, is a gracious guest and demonstrates for Mole how to make the best of this situation. He unearths whatever food and drink he can find and, to make Mole feel better, lets Mole talk about the house he designed. In this way, Rat uses his own good manners and resourcefulness to show his friend how to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation.
Themes
Literary Devices
Just as Rat sits down, though, he and Mole hear scuffling on the gravel outside. Mole says it must be the fieldmice; they carol this time of year and always come to Mole End last. Mole always gives them hot drinks, and when he can afford it, supper. Rat and Mole head for the door and open it just as the mice start singing a Christmas carol. When they’re done with their song, Rat praises the mice and invites them in. Mole hisses that there’s no food for the guests, but Rat promptly calls over one of the older fieldmice, gives him some coins, and sends him to the shops for food.
With the fieldmice’s arrival, Mole gets to slip back into his old life for a night, and that makes him feel happy and welcome here in the underground community. But he still needs Rat’s help to manage his emotions and help the night proceed smoothly; Rat arranging for a mouse to buy food will ensure a much more pleasant evening.
Themes
As Mole asks the fieldmice about their families, Rat makes mulled ale. When it’s done and everyone has had some to drink, Mole tells Rat that the fieldmice usually perform plays as well. He tries to get one of the young mice to perform a bit from last year’s play, but the mouse is too frightened. Fortunately for him, the mouse Rat sent out returns with a huge basket of food. Mole takes his place at the head of the table, pleased with how this trip home turned out.
Rat continues to step into a more supportive role this evening. This is purposeful: Rat seems to want Mole to feel like he’s in charge and can relax in his own home, sentiments that Mole didn’t experience when he first found his house covered in dust. It’s only through Rat’s quick thinking and support that Mole can feel truly comfortable.
Themes
Literary Devices
When the fieldmice finally leave, Mole and Rat sit by the fire and drink some more before finally heading to bed. Before Mole closes his eyes, he looks around the room at his belongings and his home. Mole realizes that Rat wanted him to be happy like this. He also realizes that his home is plain and simple, but it’s meaningful. Mole isn’t ready to abandon life on the river aboveground, but it’s nice to know his home is always ready to welcome him back.
Importantly, Mole now sees exactly what Rat was doing: rather than rushing Mole or trying to influence him one way or the other, Rat wanted Mole to enjoy his old house so that he could make an informed decision about where he wants to live. Mole fully grasps the significance of Rat’s support, and perhaps in the future, Mole will be able to pay the favor forward to another friend. This experience also shows Mole just how much he’s changed. He’ll always be an underground animal at heart—but now that he’s experienced the beauty, happiness, and camaraderie of his riverside lifestyle with Rat, he knows that the river is where he truly belongs.
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Literary Devices
