Arcadia & The Wind in the Willows
How Kenneth Grahame used animal-fiction to counter the piper at the gates of dawn.
In The Wind in The Willows, author Kenneth Grahame puts on a master-class of story-telling. Using animal-fiction together with carefully inserted thematic moments, Grahame skillfully turns the self-gratifying and lusty pagan story-telling devices of his day up on their heads, to show us how law and self-control are part of what makes us human. All this in a children’s story? You betcha. Then again, the best children’s story’s aren’t just for kids.
It’s a poorly kept secret many works of fiction in the Victorian and Edwardian eras made use of pagan concepts as literary device. And no influences were quite as robust in that time as the many, many appearances, allusions, and mentions of the Greek god Pan, the god of rustic Arcadia (think Peter Pan). Pan makes an often-overlooked cameo in The Wind in The Willows as well, with Grahame appropriating those Arcadian themes to shape a caricature of the English countryside. More on that later.
The chapter that most explicitly shows what Grahame is trying to say is chapter seven, which is called The Piper at The Gates of Dawn in reference to Pan and his flute. Grahame thought this moment so integral to the story that an image of the Pan cameo was printed upon the original cover design. It is telling then, that most abridged versions of this tale drop this chapter altogether for its failure to advance the plot. Onion sauce! This portion of the tale is meant to service the theme of the book, throwing plot aside for a calculated moment. It is an attitude of high-functioning illiteracy for grown-ups to disregard theme for plot, but I digress. Just don’t read abridged books.
Back on point. Its the lustful melody that flows from Pan’s flute that drives the instincts of our animal friends in The Wind in the Willows. More so, the book seems to go as far as to say that Pan’s music was the actual wind that was in the willows; the very breath that animated the lustful acts of wild beasts.
I believe Grahame’s narrative is rooted in the English traditions of outward propriety, quiet-suffering and self-control, which are juxtaposed with Pan’s raw instinct, insatiable lusting and generally uncivilized and carnal behaviour. Indeed, some have called Pan the god of the English countryside, at least in practice if not in official acknowledgement. And so, I suspect that Grahame observed some degree of decadence and corruption from the wealth of those Thames River estates.
Most of the time, Ratty, Mole and Badger are quite human in their civility. Despite living humbly underground, they’ve managed to domesticate much of their wild sides. But their wealthy friend J. Thaddeus Toad, Esq., who abides in luxurious Toad Hall and drives a lavish new motor car, is plagued by frequent manias and all manners of impropriety.
Mark Twain once said, “Man is the only animal that blushes, and the only animal that needs to.” And the gradients of civility and self-control amongst the animal characters in this story, with their eclectic array of virtues and vices, stand in stark contrast to those supporting human characters who are much more static in their presentation. More than anything else in The Wind in the Willows, its the moments of the animal’s obedience to their basic instincts that distinguishes them from the humans, and a call to civility that makes them relatable to our humanity.
As Ratty, Mole and Badger demonstrate greater fidelity to those highly-praised and traditional English virtues, it becomes their mission to pull their helpless friend Mr. Toad out of his frequent and lustful manias and to put his feet on more solid ground. The redemptive qualities of this story are strongly rooted in a rejection of impulse and lust and a movement toward order and self-control.
Interestingly, this reflects the Bible’s Edenic vision to take dominion and bring order out of chaos. Simultaneously, we see this phenomenon echoed in the evolution of pastoral poetry about rustic Arcadia which, through the ages, has faced a similar doom as poor Mr. Toad, who is confronted with repentance or ruin. To anyone paying attention, a return to a The Garden or any state of lawless harmony with nature proves itself more untenable by the day, and so we find ourselves more and more looking forward to the future garden-city and the need for divine governance.
The Wind in The Willows teaches us that laws are a good thing and self-control is what distinguishes us from the animals. Do I expect a child to glean all of this from a leisurely read? Certainly not! But children can greatly enjoy the read, especially the many comedic elements of the tale, while being left with something to chew on, and hopefully talk with their parents about. Children are capable of much more that we often give them credit for. And again, the best children’s story’s aren’t just for kids.
Grahame’s hearty classic one of my all-time favourites — one which I have been able to revisit time and time again. And for what it’s worth, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that Mr. Toad should be considered one of the all-time great characters of English literature.
The world has held great Heroes,
As history-books have showed;
But never a name to go down to fame
Compared with that of Toad!— Mr. Toad
Speaking of Arcadian themes, have you read Frog of Arcadia, yet?
