The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

We all know Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows, but do you know the reality behind the story?

A love letter to nature, The Wind in the Willows is written with such intricacy and fondness that the reader becomes unequivocally immersed in the lives of the animals. It was Grahame who once said 'I like most of my friends among the animals, more than I like most of my friends among mankind'. Throughout his life, nature was Grahame's way of escaping from a consistently unhappy life, starting with the death of his mother, his fathers' alcoholism, his unstable marital relationship and ending with the suicide of his only son, Alastair.

A Harsh Truth:

It was however, his troubled son who inspired the creation of many of the characters in the book. The story of Mr Toad was originally created to teach a lesson to Alastair (a.k.a. Mouse) whilst he was at school. Grahame's letters to his son, instead of featuring overt fatherly advice and words of wisdom, were written as an allegory; an attempt to tame his sons' dark and mischievous side. Whilst at school Alastair would attack other boys and lie down in the road to stop cars from passing. He therefore, became Toad, and Mole, Ratty and Badger became his protectors; three pillars of reason and morality. Toad's character is a constant reminder that bad things will happen if you do not act sensibly or maintain a sense of decorum. Unfortunately, Grahame's attempts at getting through to his son were unsuccessful and Alastairs' dark streak prevailed. After being kicked out of his first school and suffering a nervous breakdown at his second, a few days before his 20th Birthday he committed suicide. Some suggest that as a way of denying his sons' dilapidated mental state, Grahame retreated more and more into his writing, using it as an escape from a painful truth; he therefore didn't give his son all of the attention he needed. Although this is a hard truth behind such a beloved, seemingly innocent tale, it does help explain just how important the characters were to Grahame, and adds deeper crevasses of meaning to the story. Let it also be a reminder to parents, not to evade the mental and personal well-being of their children.

A book for adults, loved by children:

What I find interesting but not surprising, is that most critics suggest that the Wind in the Willows is not a children's book at all, nor was it ever intended to be so. It is in fact, a book for adults which is also entertaining to children. If we think about it, this does make sense, as throughout the book, we see Toad get drunk on whisky, steal a car, do time in prison, escape from prison in drag and more... Does this really sound like something written for children? The idea may have started with a child, but it ended up as an allegory of a group of upper class gentlemen, with time to spend languishing by the river and messing around on boats (whilst keeping an eye on their troublesome friend Toad).

What relevance does the Piper at the Gates of Dawn have to the Wind in the Willows?

On a very different note, I wanted to write about my favourite chapter in the book. In one, slightly eerie chapter, Ratty and Mole have a hedonistic experience whilst floating down the river at night, in search of Portly, a lost otter child. They hear mysterious music lingering in the trees and glimpse a creature greatly resembling the Greek god of the wild, Pan, the baby otter sleeping soundly at his feet. The god Pan was half man half goat (a faun) and would play decadent, sweet and almost hypnotising music on his pan-pipes. We can assume that Ratty and Mole were lured into a deep slumber on hearing the music and when they awoke, there was no sign of the mysterious Pan, just the baby otter, sleeping. In fact, when they had awoken, they remembered their experience as nothing but a hazy dream.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is a fantastic chapter, and very sophisticated for what is nowadays considered a children's story; so much so that it is not always included in editions of The Wind in the Willows.

Illustration by Michael Hague

The Wind in the Willows is one of my favourite stories, whether it be for children or adults. The contrasting characters add a three-dimensional dynamism to the story. It is laced in deeper meaning and is a book which has been written out of pure love; for a place, a way of life and for a son. Let this post be an acknowledgement of the very current issue of mental health and the importance of acknowledging it, but also the beauty of nature and the effect a great piece of literature can have on us.

Fun Fact:

Pink Floyd named one of their albums The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.