The Wind in the Willows
One observation commonly made is that the book’s construction is fundamentally flawed, being split between two stories: one about Rat and Mole, the other about Toad, with extraneous chapters (“The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” and “Wayfarers All”) tacked on. A close reading of the first chapter, however, shows that all the seeds of the book’s later developments are planted there. Every significant character is either introduced or referred to. We glimpse Toad in his “brand-new wager-boat” (p. 14) and learn that he is predisposed to whims and excesses, the full development of which begins in the next chapter as Rat and Mole accompany him in his gipsy caravan. At the same time, the themes of home, adventure, and friendship are set in play through Mole’s exploration of the river bank with Rat. The theme of nature’s beauty and goodness, evident in chapter 1, finds its apotheosis in Pan’s appearance to Rat and Mole in “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.” Similarly, the lure of adventure, measured against the ties of home, suggested in chapter 1 by Mole’s departure for the river bank, is more fully explored in “Dulce Domum” and its antithesis, “Wayfarers All,” in which Rat is tempted to travel south. Far from being extraneous or incompatible with the other chapters, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” and “Wayfarers All” manifest a deepening of subject and tone that are present elsewhere.