About The Secret Garden novel
The Secret Garden was originally written by Frances Hodgson Burnett and was initially published as a serial in 1910; it was first published as a complete novel in 1911. The Secret Garden is now one of Burnett’s most popular novels, and is considered to be an all time classic of children’s literature.
Plot summary:
The novel tells the story of the lonely 10-year-old Mary Lennox who is sent to live with her uncle Archibald Craven in Misselthwaite Manor, Yorkshire after being orphaned by a cholera epidemic in India. Still grieving over the loss of his beloved wife, who died ten years earlier during childbirth, and distraught over the condition of his bedridden son Colin, Archibald casts a dark shadow over the manor until Mary discovers a secret garden that had once belonged to the late Mrs Craven. By nursing this garden back to life, Mary somehow restores life to her grieving uncle and his sick son.
The Story
Mary Lennox, was born to rich British parents living in colonial India. Her parents were always busy with extravagant parties and left Mary with her ayah (Indian nurse maid) for most of the time. Orphaned by an outbreak of cholera, Mary is sent back to England to be cared for by her uncle, Archibald Craven, a reclusive widower. Craven’s wife died ten years earlier during childbirth, and he is still deep in mourning. To escape his sad memories, he constantly travels abroad, leaving the entire manor, including Mary, to be cared for by his housekeeper, Mrs. Medlock. The only person who has any time for the little girl is chambermaid Martha Sowerby, who tells Mary about a locked up garden, surrounded by a high wall, that was the late Mrs. Craven’s favourite place. Noone has entered the garden since Mrs Craven died because Archibald locked its entrance and buried the key.
With the help of a friendly garden robin, Mary unearths the key to the secret garden and discovers the door hidden beneath overgrown ivy. Once inside, she discovers that although the roses seem lifeless, some of the other flowers have survived, so she decides to tend the garden herself. Mary wants to keep her new found garden a secret, but she knows she needs help so she tells Martha’s brother Dickon. He seems to have a connection with all wild animals and plants and he shows her that the roses, though neglected, are not dead. Thanks to her new-found interests and activities, Mary begins to blossom, becoming more healthy looking and more pleasant to be around.
Some nights, Mary hears someone weeping in another part of the house, and when she goes exploring she discovers her uncle’s son, Colin, a lonely, bedridden boy as petulant and disagreeable as Mary used to be. Archibald Craven is a hunchback, and both he and Colin are convinced that the boy will develop the same condition. The servants have been keeping Mary and Colin a secret from one another because Colin doesn’t like strangers staring at him and is prone to terrible tantrums. However, Colin accepts Mary and insists on her visiting him often, but as spring approaches he becomes jealous that Mary is spending more time out in the garden with Dickon. Mary eventually convinces Colin to let Dickon bring him outside in a wheelchair so he can see his mother’s garden. Delighted, Colin visits it with Mary and Dickon whenever the weather allows, and he becomes more lively as the garden too returns to life. He makes plans to walk and run by the next time his father returns home and with the physical exercise and his new positive attitude he makes great progress.
Mr. Craven arrives home while the children are outdoors and he finds himself drawn toward the secret garden. As he approaches nearer, he is astonished to hear their voices inside the walls; Colin bursts out of the garden door toward him, actually winning a footrace against Mary. The story’s heartwarming ending has Colin able to walk, Archibald smiling again, and Mary with a family and friends who love her.
