The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

The wolves are symbolic of the looming threat over Willoughby Chase. The images of the wolves howling and their physical presence are notable in the first few chapters of the novel. However, as the novel continues, the wolves slowly disappear from the description. Miss Slighcarp’s arrival and the arrival of the wolves at the station coincide. Similarly, a wolf attacks the train car Sylvia and Mr. Grimshaw share. Both instances tie the dangers of the wolves to the dangers of Miss Slighcarp and Mr. Grimshaw. The girls are threatened by a pack of wolves when they try to follow Miss Slighcarp and Mrs. Brisket, further connecting the symbolic threat of the wolves to the real threat of the humans. 

However, as the children travel to London, they aren’t threatened by wolves, and when the girls return to the Chase, the wolves have left the area, symbolizing the resolution of the threat posed by Miss Slighcarp, Mrs. Brisket, and Mr. Grimshaw.

The geese are directly connected to Simon, symbolizing The Importance of Friendship as they demonstrate how friendship is protective, warm, and secure. The geese are introduced when Simon brings the girls to his cave: “Sylvia was amazed to see a number of large white geese waddle after the boy into the cave […] One or two of them thrust out their necks and hissed, but the boy waved them back into the passage and flung them a handful of corn to keep them quiet” (55).