CHARACTERS AND THE ART OF STORY “PANCAKE STACKS”

 

Well designed characters make building an intriguing plot much easier. Stories need degrees of impulsivity and manipulation just as much as they need stability and honesty. Our favourite tales are, after all, veritable ‘pancake stacks’ of problems and solutions. Some problems are more serious than others, yet all of them increase ‘story tension’ until solved. In Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows his four main characters are well designed for this purpose. 

 

Impressively, not only do Mole, Toad, Rat and Badger, represent ‘the four stages of man,’ but they’re also balanced as two ‘problem makers’ and two ‘problem solvers.’ Let’s meet them! Firstly, enter our ‘double trouble’ duo, Mole and Toad! Mole in his innocent and well intended errors is clearly a very ‘lovable idiot’, one who will require rescuing from his naive blunders. Toad (with his impulsivity, selfish ways, manipulative condescension and vast wealth) brings the author a much needed way to create the kind of jaw-dropping chaos readers love.

 

Yet whose grand headache will this troublemaker duo be? Who will solve the problems, clean up the messes, restore order and peace? Secondly, enter our calm stoics! Enter the solution creators, Rat and Badger! These characters lead stable lives as respectable local figures. The community turns to them for wisdom and assistance in times of trouble - especially Mr. Badger. Thus Grahame sets the scene for a battle of wills between the four friends. Can the fatherly Rat and the grandfatherly Badger bring peace and order to the teenagerish Toad and the childish Mole? Or is that the sound of a pancake stack building, leaning, toppling? Excellent, that’s what we need!

 

Thus, when characters are created this way they ‘come alive’ in the writer’s imagination; funny problems arrive thick and fast. The plot begins! Moreover, we all know people such as these four in real life. Not everyone in our society reaches the psychological maturity of Rat and Badger. As such, Grahame’s tale relates enduring truths of society - as all great tales must. Moreover, in this tale of friendship and bravery, this character dynamic is the ‘promise of the premise’ - all set to challenge the thesis (i.e. ‘friendship is easy’) into an anti-thesis (i.e. ‘friendship is hard’) and then finally into synergy (i.e. ‘friendship is easy at times and hard at times, but ultimately worth the effort’).  

 

Let’s look at the four characters in turn. We will see Mole in this part and Rat, Badger and Toad in the next part.

MOLE (childish nature)

 

IMPULSIVE: 

 

Quote 1: [Context: A frustrated and bored Mole is cleaning his underground home.]

 

“…he suddenly flung down his brush on the floor, said “Bother!” and “O blow!” and also “Hang spring-cleaning!” and bolted out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat.” (Chapter one)

 

Quote 2: [Context: Rat is rowing his boat.]

 

“… “Ratty! Please, I want to row, now! … [Mole] seized the sculls … [Rat] fell backwards… for the second time… triumphant Mole took his place… with entire confidence… He missed the surface altogether… the next moment—Sploosh!” (Chapter one)

 

Quote 3: [Context: Mole defies Rat’s good advice not to go to the Wild Wood.]

 

“It was a cold still afternoon… when he [Mole] slipped out of the warm parlour… [walking alone] towards the Wild Wood… low and threatening, like a black reef in some still southern sea.” (Chapter three)

 

JOYFUL INNOCENCE: [Context: Mole leaves his home suddenly and feels fantastic.]

 

“Jumping off all his four legs at once, in the joy of living and the delight of spring without its cleaning…”  (Chapter one)

 

TEASINGLY RUDE: [Context: Mole defies the Rabbit’s ‘toll road’ demand with gusto.]

 

“Onion-sauce! Onion-sauce!” he remarked jeeringly… (Chapter one)

 

HELPFUL, SWEET NATURED: [Context: after a satisfying picnic, Mole tidies up.]

 

“… Packing the basket was not quite such pleasant work as unpacking the basket. It never is. But the Mole was bent on enjoying everything…”

 

 

HONEST, CAPABLE OF REGRET, GOOD INTENTIONS:

[Context: after Rat has saved Mole from the snowy Wild Woods.]

 

“Ratty, my generous friend! I am very sorry indeed for my foolish and ungrateful conduct. My heart quite fails me… I have been a complete ass… ”

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Continue to read about Rat, Toad and Badger in