The Wind in the Willows: A Lesson in Regret & Repentance

‘No!’ [Toad] said, a little sullenly, but stoutly; ‘I’m not sorry. And it wasn’t folly at all! It was simply glorious!’
‘What?’ cried the Badger, greatly scandalised. ‘You backsliding animal, didn’t you tell me just now, in there———‘
‘Oh, yes, yes, in there,’ said Toad impatiently. ‘I’d have said anything in there . . . But I’ve been searching my mind since, and going over things in it, and I find that I’m not a bit sorry or repentant really, so it’s no earthly good saying I am; now, is it?’ (The Wind in the Willows, Chapter 6)

The Wind in the Willows and The Infamous Mr. Toad

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame tells the lovely story of Mole and Water Rat and their adventures by the river. This cozy tale is filled with colorful characters, not the least colorful of which is the infamous Mr. Toad.

Mr. Toad leads a life of impulsivity and self-satisfaction. Though he maintains redeeming qualities, such as his open nature and friendliness, Toad’s flaws cause a constant source of mischief and mishaps. He offends other animals with his excessive boasting. He wakes late in the day and leaves any real work to his friends. Whenever his fancy strikes, he jumps from one new fad to the next. However, Toad’s fatal flaw is his inability to recognize his own mistakes.

Mr. Toad’s Great [Mis]Adventures

When Toad’s newest interest, an obsession with motor cars, leads him into a series of dangerous accidents–destroying property and injuring himself–his friends attempt to intervene. They do their best to show him the error of his ways, but Toad refuses to recognize his folly.

Instead, he escapes their intervention, steals a motor car, and lands himself in prison. Poor Toad finds himself sleeping on strewn straw and hard stone, lamenting his condition and missing his friends. His only ray of hope comes when the daughter of a guard takes pity on him and offers to help him escape.

Thus begins Mr. Toad’s grandest adventure. He escapes the prison and ends up on the run with police officers in hot pursuit. He hops a train, travels through woods, steals a horse, and crashes yet another motor car. All through his weary journey home, Mr. Toad’s emotions swing wildly between despairing regret and elated pride.

Whenever Toad faces trouble on the road–mostly in the form of police officers looming close at hand–he falls into despair and declares that he will change his ways. Yet, as soon as the danger is past, Toad immediately falls back into his same habits. He boasts of his cleverness and delights in his exploits, quick to forget the consequences of his rashness. In his mind, the dangers of only a moment ago rewrite themselves from the proof of his wrongdoing to evidence of his heroism.

The Rebuke of a Friend

We see clearly Toad’s inability to recognize his failings when he makes it back to the safety of Rat’s house. As soon as he is cleaned up and dressed, Toad joins his friend Rat and eagerly tells of his adventure. Toad talks of his cleverness in excited tones as though the whole experience had been a delightful lark. Wise Rat, however, sees through Toad’s rose-colored storytelling to the truth of the matter.

Rat admonishes Mr. Toad out of care and concern. He tries to make his friend see reason. Toad’s response, however, gives very little indication that he actually believes himself to have done anything amiss.

. . . . while the Rat was talking so seriously, he kept saying to himself mutinously, ‘But it was fun, though! Awful fun!’ . . . yet when the Rat had quite finished, he heaved a deep sigh and said, very nicely and humbly, ‘Quite right, Ratty! How sound you always are! Yes, I’ve been a conceited old ass, I can quite see that; but now I’m going to be a good Toad, and not do it any more. As for motor-cars, I’ve not been at all so keen about them since my last ducking in that river of yours. The fact is, while I was hanging on to the edge of your hole and getting my breath, I had a sudden idea—a really brilliant idea—connected with motor-boats—” (The Wind in the Willows, Chapter 11)

Toad replies humbly to his friend. Even so, Toad’s apology sounds more like words meant to placate Rat and less like a true confession. His immediate turn to the possibility of motor boats shows that Toad has not truly realized what the problem was in the first place: his tendency to be impulsive and act without thinking.

The Wind in the Willows‘s Lesson on Regret & Repentance

Toad’s character demonstrates the results of regret without any real recognition of wrong. Over and over, Toad’s conceit and rashness lead him into trouble, but we never see a moment of true repentance. Each time Toad feels sorrow over his actions, his feelings only reflect his current circumstances. He is saddened by the effects of his wrongdoing without truly acknowledging that what he did was wrong.

Since Toad’s regrets are circumstantial, they don’t penetrate to his heart. His regret never leads him to look at his failures or to take responsibility for his shortcomings. Even at the end of the story, the change in Toad’s behavior seems to be prompted by his friends rather than a real shift in his perspective.

Often in life, the consequences of our decisions force us to see that all is not well in the world. We feel the sting of failure, the shame of being caught in wrongdoing, or the embarrassment of knowing we were mistaken. However, in those moments we have a choice. Do we simply feel the moment’s regret and hide away from it? Or, do we look our wrongdoing in the face and acknowledge it? Do we recognize our sins for what they are so we can truly repent and turn a different way? For we can’t repent of a sin that we refuse to admit.

 1 John 1 vs 8-9 states that, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (NIV)

If we shy away from seeing our sins and simply shove our regrets to the side, we stay stuck in the same patterns and habits. However, when we acknowledge how we fall short, we come to a place of humility. We’re able to find forgiveness in Christ, and He gives us the strength to turn a different way. He teaches us to walk a different path.

Like Mr. Toad’s friends who try to pull him from trouble, we have a Friend in Christ who guides us to the best path. However, unlike Toad’s friends, who can never truly change his heart, Christ is capable of making us new when we recognize our need for Him.

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For more about the characters in The Wind in the Willows, check out Jenna Herrington’s beautiful post, Attending to the River, discussing the Water Rat and the love of place. Her post is what led me to finally read The Wind in the Willows myself this summer.