Mr. Toad

Mr. Toad or simply Toad is the anti-hero of the 1908 book The Wind in the Willows, it's sequels and adaptations.

Role in the story
Mr. Toad is the wealthy owner and resident of Toad Hall, which he inherited from his late father. He is known for obsessing over one thing before later taking interest in something else.

One time, he took an interest in gypsy caravans and purchased one. He took his friend Ratty and his new friend Mole on a trip on it. However whilst travelling up a road, the caravan was knocked over by a passing motorcar. Whilst Ratty shouts after the driver of the car and Mole calms down the horse that was pulling the caravan, Toad is amazed by the car and develops an interest in motorcars.

Afterwards, word spends of Toad crashing seven cars, being in hospital three times and getting loads of fines. Toad is later confronted over his obsession by Mole, Ratty and Mr. Badger (who was friends with Toad's father). When Toad refuses to get over the obsession, his friends put him under house arrest until he changes his mind. One day whilst, Mole and Mr. Badger are out, Ratty is left in charge of Toad, who tricks him into leaving him alone, before fleeing Toad Hall.

Toad then goes to a pub called The Red Lion and has lunch there. Suddenly he notices a group of people arriving at the pub in a motorcar. Whilst the group are in the pub, Toad goes outside and drives off in the car, before being arrested an sentenced to 20 years in prison. Whilst in prison, Toad befriends the daughter of the prison's galor, who disguises him as a washer woman to help him escape prison. Toad later takes a train to go back home, but is pursued by the police. After telling his story to the train's driver, the driver, rather than hand him over to the police, helps him escape the police by having him jump off the train as they go into a tunnel.

Toad later comes across a woman operating a horse-drawn barge and convinces her to let him ride on the barge by saying that he is a washer woman who has a daughter living near Toad Hall. When the barge woman realises who he is, she throws Toad off the barge. However, Toad gets his revenge by stealing the woman's horse and selling it to a gypsy in return for money. Toad later hitches a ride from a passing car. He then discovers that it is the same car that he had stolen. At first the passengers of the car do not recognise Toad, but when they do, they try to seize him, only for Toad to drive the car into a pond before fleeing.

While trying to escape the police, Toad ends up in a river which takes him to Ratty's home where he disovers that whilst he was in prison, Wild Wooders (weasels and stoats) have taken over Toad Hall. After Mr. Badger finds a secret tunnel into Toad Hall, Toad and his friends force the Wild Wooders out of Toad Hall.

Afterwards, Toad holds a banquet to mark his return and makes up for his previous behaviour by seeking out and compensating those he has wronged before living happily ever after with Mole, Ratty and Mr. Badger.