The Wind in the Willows: Difference between revisions
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* '''Mr. Badger''': Something of a British [[Hermit Guru]], he lives alone in the middle of the Wild Woods. One would expect him to be huge and terrifying, which he is. But he subverts it by actually being rather nice, sheltering guests and being fond of children. Despite his status as a [[Gentle Giant]], he can -- if necessary -- [[Let's Get Dangerous|be deadly]] in defense of his friends.
The story is often [[Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory|seen as an allegory]] of different things, though it seems that it's both Christianity and [[World War One]]; [[Your Mileage May Vary]]. The former is supported by the fact that Chapter 7, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" ([[Older Than They Think|yes, that was where the name of]] [[wikipedia:The Piper at the Gates of Dawn|Pink Floyd's debut album]] came from) features a scene where they encounter the great god Pan, who is ''explicitly'' identified as the animals' Christ. It is often cut from modern editions, as it somewhat [[Mood Whiplash|jars with the lighthearted other chapters]]
Parts of it have been adapted, badly, into the [[Disney Animated Canon]]. Ever wonder what the inspiration was for [[wikipedia:Mr. Toadchr(27)s Wild Ride|the most terrifying ride at DisneyLand/World]]? This. There was another animated version by [[Rankin/Bass Productions|Bass & Rankin]], that is sometimes [[All Animation Is Disney|mistaken for a Disney movie]]. There have also been many, many [[The Film of the Book|movies]], [[The Musical|musicals]] and stage plays based on the book. The Cosgrove Hall version is quite well regarded. They even did The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, but as a separate episode in the spinoff series rather than a chapter in the original film. There are [[Contested Sequel|contested sequels]] by other authors. By the way, the whole text of the book is available for ''free'' [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Wind_in_the_Willows here].
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* [[Adaptation Expansion]]: Pretty much every adaptation, even the most faithful ones, add a scene at the end where Toad shows signs of slipping back into his old ways by buying an aeroplane.
* [[Anthropomorphic Shift]]: The animals seem to alter their status several times over the novel.
* [[Arcadian Interlude]]: "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]]: Toad is convicted for stealing a motor-car, dangerous driving and cheeking the police. Ironically, the Clerk is more lenient with the first two crimes. Although never revealed, Toad's cheek is clearly indicated as "imaginative" and "gross impertinence". Given his flamboyant, conceited attitude, it's not hard to believe.
* [[Ascended Extra]]: Otter is promoted from "most major of the minor characters" to a full fledged major character in the sequels.
* [[Break the Haughty]]: Toad's humiliating arrest and imprisonment, during which he attempts to starve himself to death, but decides to live after all thanks to a kind jailer's daughter and a bit of bubble-and-squeak. [[Humiliation Conga|Not to mention being chased by the police after escaping, and all the indignity he receives for his washerwoman disguise.]]
* [[Carnivore Confusion]]: The narrative says it's against animal etiquette to actually discuss it, but the subject is touched upon by Rat, when he describes the inhabitants in the Wild Wood:
{{quote|"Weasels — and stoats — and foxes — and so on. They're all right in a way — I'm very good friends with them —pass the time of day when we meet, and all that — but they break out sometimes, there's no denying it, and then —well, you can't really trust them, and that's the fact."
* [[Character Development]]: Over the novel, Mole comes out of his shell, and Toad settles down to become serious and respectable by the end. Badger also becomes a little bit less reclusive, shown in the epilogue. Grahame pointed out in a later interview that [[Aesop Amnesia|Toad would eventually turn back to his old ways.]] Mole is the only character whose development would stick.
* [[Cloudcuckoolander]]: Mr. Toad, at times. "A motorcar! Poop-poop! Poop-poop!" (
* [[Cool Boat]]: It's just a punt, but Ratty's boat is described as beautifully painted and gaily decorated, and there's always a picnic basket on board. Unfortunately, it gets sunk near the end of the novel thanks to the stoats.
* [[Crystal Dragon Jesus]]: Pan, who ''is'' in fact the Savior, but for animals instead of humans. Interestingly enough, the chapter "Dulce Domum" has young field mice singing a Christmas carol that invokes and pays homage to Mary, Joseph and the Christ child. <ref>Animal religious practices of this world must be quite fascinating.</ref>
* [[A Dog Named "Dog"]]: All the principal characters are either this or [[Species Surname]]
* [[Drives Like Crazy]]: Mr. Toad's second defining characteristic; he wrecks five cars a week, on average, and has to be locked into his room to try and dissuade him.
* [[Food Porn]]: The stew Toad dines on, which contains no less than seven animals, is lovingly described. Toad's expression of rapture in the accompanying illustration doesn't help.
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''Know all that there is to be knowed,''<br />
''But they none of them know one half as much''<br />
''As intelligent Mr. Toad!''
* [[Science Is Bad]]: Not science, exactly, but the rush of new fads for the rich, such as automobiles and aeroplanes.
* [[Snap Back]]: Averted, in that Ratty mentions that if Toad keeps buying all these new cars, he's eventually going to use up his whole fortune.
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