44 pages • 1-hour read
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
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Themes
The Importance of Friendship
One of the novel’s key themes is the importance of friendship. It is the friendship between Bonnie and Sylvia that sees them through all the threats they encounter. It is friendship that drives Simon to protect the girls from the wolves and support them through all their trials until the novel’s resolution. Finally, it is friendship that encourages the orphan girls to offer comfort and support to Bonnie and Sylvia, which in turn secures their own happy ending.
Bonnie and Sylvia’s friendship is the most important relationship in the book. Although they’re also cousins, Bonnie’s warmth immediately wins Sylvia over. During the first night at Willoughby, it’s Bonnie’s comfort that assures Sylvia of safety and joy to come: “[Bonnie] hugged Sylvia again, and […] began telling her of all the plans she had […] Sylvia could not help being cheered by this happy prospect, and soon both children fell asleep, the dark head and the fair on one pillow” (42). The image of Bonnie’s “dark head” and Sylvia’s “fair one” together foreshadows all the times they will support each other in the novel. Sylvia advocates for Bonnie with Miss Slighcarp, and comforts Bonnie when Sir Willoughby and Lady Green leave the Chase. In turn, Bonnie fights for Sylvia at the school, cares for her when she’s ill, and supports Sylvia’s care of Aunt Jane. Their steadfast friendship is the driving force of all the positivity in the novel.
Simon’s friendship with Bonnie is a consistent source of safety and protection when Bonnie’s familial protection fails her. Simon’s care for Bonnie stems from the friendship she’s built with him. When the girls flee from the wolves in the forest, Simon appears to shepherd them to safety and then accompanies them home. Later, when he finds them at the school, he provides protection and refuge once again: He arranges their escape, then remains with them on the journey to London, where he continues to aid them. His unflagging loyalty ultimately helps to secure the girls’ restoration to Willoughby Chase and his new life studying art in London.
Bonnie and Sylvia also build friendships with the orphans at Mrs. Brisket’s school. Mrs. Brisket’s discipline is designed to sow discord between the girls so that they’ll inform on one another rather than band together. Therefore, the orphan girls are conditioned to be suspicious and closed-off. However, Bonnie and Sylvia’s loyalty and kindness to the other girls inspires their loyalty in turn, with the girls risking punishment to aid Bonnie and Sylvia’s escape. At the novel’s end, Sylvia repays the orphans’ kindness by advocating for them, which helps them gain a new life under Aunt Jane’s loving care. Through these various bonds of friendship, the novel celebrates how friendship can help people overcome various challenges.
The Dual Nature of Strangers
Strangers are featured throughout The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. Some, like Mr. Wilderness and Dr. Field, turn out to be welcoming, kind, and helpful. However, others, like Mr. Grimshaw and Miss Slighcarp, prove to be dangerous, sometimes putting up a kind front before revealing their true intentions. Through the juxtaposition of both kinds of people, the novel explores the dual nature of strangers.
The potential danger of strangers is introduced when Aunt Jane walks Sylvia to the train station. She warns Sylvia never to speak to a stranger, and her attitude is “suspicious” (20). When Mr. Grimshaw enters the train, “all Sylvia’s fears were aroused, for a strange man entered the compartment” (21), and she refuses to even speak to him. Mr. Grimshaw appears to be kind, offering Sylvia sweets, covering her with a warm blanket, and even saving her from a vicious wolf, which causes Sylvia to lower her guard. However, he also exhibits violence when he kills the wolf and when he shows off with his gun. At the house, he slowly cements that Aunt Jane’s suspicion and warnings were valid: Had Bonnie and Sylvia been more wary of strangers, parts of Miss Slighcarp’s plan might have been harder to implement.
On the other hand, there are several strangers who are definitively kind and trustworthy. Mr. Wilderness immediately shows Bonnie that he’s only interested in the well-being of the children. Throughout the journey, the children also encounter other people who help them and shelter them, such as farmers who give them shelter and food. Similarly, the girls at the school are initially strangers, and though some are cruel, like Diana, or disloyal, like Alice, the majority of the girls are kind and helpful to newcomers Bonnie and Sylvia. Dr. Field is also a stranger who soon becomes a helpful friend, not only treating Aunt Jane but also providing the children with a place to stay and assisting them in untangling the very adult problems they face over control of the estate.
Ultimately, then, there is always the potential for a stranger to be dangerous, and so a primary message of the book is to lead with caution. However, it is just as likely that a stranger will offer indispensable aid at the most pivotal moment. Therefore, the end goal is to trust with caution, as the children learn to be open to new connections while still protecting themselves along the way.
The Impact of Independence
As Bonnie and Sylvia face new challenges in the novel, they develop and mature. Although The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is not the story of Bonnie and Sylvia growing up entirely, the narrative does follow them as they take steps toward independence. The contrast between the two trips in the novel showcases the growing courage and maturity in the girls, reflecting the impact of independence.
The first journey is the train trip Sylvia takes to Willoughby Chase, and the second is the long walk from Mrs. Brisket’s school to London. Sylvia’s journey shows how immature, fearful, and generally unsure she is in challenging situations, as she clings to Mr. Grimshaw for protection without exercising due caution. The first journey also highlights the willingness of both Bonnie and Sylvia to think the best of people, as they are naïve and inexperienced. When they arrive at the station, Bonnie relies on the staff surrounding her, and immediately demands that they take Mr. Grimshaw into the family home. However, the journey to London shows the girls differently. Although they still rely on each other, kind strangers, and Simon, they both have skills and look after themselves when needed. When they encounter Mr. Grimshaw in London, they follow him without too much fear, and with care that contrasts with their earlier impulsivity.
Bonnie’s growing independence is shown primarily through her new skills. At the Chase, she bounces up and down impatiently waiting for Sylvia’s arrival. When she’s bothered by Miss Slighcarp’s violence, she similarly reacts impulsively and violently. The skating trip with Sylvia leads Bonnie to push them both too far in pursuit of her curiosity, placing them in danger. Bonnie also has essentially no skills beyond her referenced ability with her fowl gun. However, as the novel progresses, Bonnie learns from her confrontations and troubles, and builds her skills at cooking and self-control. These skills suggest she could succeed even if her parents had actually died, and if she couldn’t have regained Willoughby Chase.
Sylvia begins the novel frightened and shaking at every turn. She is afraid of Grimshaw, the sound of the wolves, the possible fury of Miss Slighcarp, and even the geese. However, as she bonds with Bonnie and is placed in scenarios that force her to confront those fears or act immorally, she rises to the challenge repeatedly. When Bonnie is put into the cupboard, Sylvia faces fear on her own for the first time. The result is the discovery of Miss Slighcarp’s malicious intent, as well as the fortuitous meeting with Pattern.
At the end of the novel, Sylvia doesn’t hesitate to ask to go to the dungeons because “there are two children who have been put down there by Miss Slighcarp, and they will be so cold and unhappy and frightened!” (167). She’s gained a voice, and her timidity has transformed to empathy. Bonnie, meanwhile, has learned how to exercise more self-control and is no longer fully dependent on servants. Both girls are thus far more independent, and far happier as a result.
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