Secret Garden Originally Published in

¶ … Secret Garden Originally published in 1911, the Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, tells the story of Mary Lennox, a young girl who is always ill, mean-spirited and not that pretty, a girl that no one likes or loves, not even her own family. At the beginning of the story, Mary is living in the country of India and is often separated from her parents who have placed her in the care of some Indian servants who also do not like her.

But when a cholera epidemic breaks out, Mary finds herself all alone with no friends and no family. Mary then finds herself living with her uncle Archibald Craven at Misselthwaite Manor in England. It is here that Mary first learns about the secret garden from a servant named Martha Sowerby which makes Mary curious about the garden. When she finally finds the garden on the moors, she becomes a much better person and meets Ben Weatherstaff and a robin redbreast that lives in the garden.

As the story continues, Mary discovers that the secret garden is a very special place with magical abilities and by the end of the story, Mary and her new family are transformed into kind and considerate people. The main characters in the Secret Garden have very different personalities which by the end of the story have changed quite a lot, mostly from being mean and spoiled to kind and friendly toward one another.

Ten-year-old Mary Lennox changes the most, going from a spoiled and pampered little girl and into a kind and loving person. Her father, a handsome captain in the army, and her mother, described by Burnett as very beautiful and spoiled like her daughter Mary, die from cholera at the beginning of the story which forces Mary to live with her uncle in Yorkshire. Of course, Mary is the main character in the story. Ten-year-old Colin Craven, much like Mary, is also a main character and is not physically attractive.

As the son and heir of Archibald Craven, Colin is described as being an invalid, spoiled and always confined to his bed because his father believes that Colin will grow up to be like him, a hunchback and physically deformed. Also like Mary, Colin transforms during the story from a very sad person into a healthy and vibrant boy as a result of the magical powers of the secret garden.

Twelve-year-old Dickson Sowerby is described by Burnett as a lonely boy who lives on Missle Moor and who resembles the mythological god Pan, born with the ability to tame wild animals and with a whole collection of pets like crows and squirrels. Dickson is also the main cause behind the miraculous transformations of Colin and Mary at the end of the story. Dickson is also the son of Martha Sowerby, one of Mary's few friends and a servant at Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire.

She is a kind and considerate person who helps Mary out when she arrives at the manor. Ben Weatherstaff is a gardener for the manor house and introduces Mary to the robin redbreast; he is also a kind person although he acts rather gruff. The master of the manor is Archibald Craven, a physically deformed man, is extremely depressed and hates the manor and everyone living in it. He also hates his son Colin because he resembles his late mother. Like Mary and Colin, Mr.

Craven transforms at the end of the story and comes to love his son who is given perfect health through the magic of the secret garden. There is also Susan Sowerby, the mother of Martha and Dickson, who worships the religious ideals of the Virgin Mary. For Mary and Colin, Martha is the greatest example of motherhood and helps both of them to live as peaceable as possible in the manor house. There is also Dr.

Craven, the brother of Archibald and uncle to Colin, who watches over Colin during his illness and who hopes to inherit the manor if and when Colin dies. Lastly, there is Saidie, Mary's ayah or nursemaid/nanny who abandons Mary to the cholera, hoping that she dies along with her parents. Of course, there are other characters like Mrs. Medlock and Phoebe, but these are only secondary figures that do not play real important roles in Mary's life.

Two of the most important events in the Secret Garden are Mary leaving India and her discovery of robin redbreast and the secret garden. In the first event, when the cholera epidemic breaks out and every member of her family, along with all of the servants, dies, Mary finds herself completely alone and wanders away from her home. Some days later, Mary is found by some British soldiers who take her to England.

If this had not happened, then Mary would never have met the Craven children, nor would she have been transformed by the magic of the secret garden. Compared to India which at the time that the Secret Garden was written was a colony of Great Britain, Yorkshire in England was a very wealthy place, filled with manor houses like Misselthwaite and green, rolling countryside, the perfect place for a young child like Mary to live and play.

Most of these manor houses or landed estates also had plenty of servants like butlers, maids, gardeners and household cooks, who tended to all of the needs of the family. Mary's first meeting with robin redbreast which provides her with the key to the secret garden is also an important event. Both the bird and Mary share many traits like being orphans, having no friends and being very lonely. In some ways, the bird is Mary's savior, for it helps her to transform into a.