The Tension Between Tradition and Progress in The Wind in the Willows
Friendship, the unknown and change: the philosophy of The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows is a children’s classic, loved by adults and children alike, even by Theodore Roosevelt.
Ultimately The Wind in the Willows is a story of friendship between Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad. Four anthropomorphised animals who inhabit the world. Theirs is a tight friendship and they are willing to do anything to protect their friends, usually Toad, no matter their flaws.
Beyond friendship there are ideas of change and the unknown. We see the contrast between the River and the Wild Woods, the known and the unknown, safety versus danger. The idea of the known world surrounded by danger is a classic idea, from Eden in the Bible to The Shire in the Lord of the Rings. Change is a key theme of the Wind in the Willows, with Toad constantly looking for the next best thing, whereas his friends are content with their lives and suspicious of change and the dangers it can bring.
Friendship
In The Wind in the Willows the deification of nature is juxtaposed with the constant technological progress that Toad seeks out. It is up to his friends to remind him what he is worth and that his…
