"The Wind in the Willows," by Kenneth Grahame is, of course, a classic. But it's a classic I hadn't read before (though I'd encountered bits of the chapter with Pan in various other publications).
It's a story about Mole, and his friends who live on or near the riverbank, particularly Rat and Toad and Badger.
I loved Mole. And I loved Rat, too, and I enjoyed and appreciated the venerable and valiant Badger.
I pretty much hated Toad, though, and I disliked almost every scene he was in.
I have a terrible feeling that the moral of the story is that We Are All Toad, and that we don't deserve the beautiful and joyous life on the riverbank, except that we have Friends who help us win back our Heritage, and so we are all Recipients of Grace, but... I still don't like Toad.
I expect I'll read "The Wind in the Willows" again. Because it is beautiful.
Except for the parts with Toad. Maybe I should be good enough to read those again.
But I don't think that I am.
Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell
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6 comments:
Yes, a lovely book! I also discovered it as an adult and have read it three times. It gets better with each reading. I'm sure you've seen the wonderful Milne quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/25456-one-does-not-argue-about-the-wind-in-the-willows
I have so many scenes from this great book imprinted on my mind! It's a fun treat to read your thoughts here today!
I have actually never read this book before! I will need to get it from my library and give it a read! I will watch out for Toad tho!
It's been a long time since I've read Wind in the Willow. As I recall, I did enjoy it.
Visiting from Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books. I just read Wind in the Willows for the first time last year, and I felt the exact same way about Toad! I felt the overall theme was friendship. Everyone did a lot to help out everyone else (except Toad, and at the end even he was trying to rein himself in a little for the sake of the others).
Thank you all for visiting!
Barbara H., yes, I think the fact that he reins himself in a little, for his friends, is probably his one redeeming quality. It's so frustrating when none of his reforms ever STICKS, though! :)
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