As an extremely introverted person with a deep appreciation for spending time alone, I fell in love with The Secret Garden as a kid. My first experience with the story was through the 1993 movie, starring Kate Maberly and Maggie Smith. I had it on VHS and I watched it over and over again, each time desperately wishing that I could be sent to a mysterious manor and find a secret garden of my own to cultivate (I still actually wish that would happen). When I was old enough, I moved onto reading the book, and my appreciation for the story only deepened. I've read it several times over the years, and it remains my favorite piece of young adult classic literature. I decided to reread it for my Then Versus Now Challenge this year, as I have to read Little Lord Fauntleroy for my Classics Club list, and I wanted to compare the two. Happy to revisit an old friend, I picked it up at the start of the month.
The story follows Mary Lennox, a young girl who is sent to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven, after her parents die from a cholera outbreak in British Colonial India. Mary's parents were more interested in parties than they were in her upbringing, and largely left her to the care of servants. As a result, she is a spoiled, selfish, and rather unpleasant child when she travels to Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire, her uncle's large estate. Archibald Craven wants little to do with her when she arrives, as he is lost in a fog of grief over the death of his beloved wife. He provides her with a room and toys, and leaves her to the care of his staff while he travels.
At first, she clashes with nearly everyone at her new home. The cranky housekeeper, Mrs. Medlock, the cheerful maid, Martha, and the old gardener, Ben Weatherstaff, all feel the sting of her temper and contrariness. However, as she begins to explore the grounds of the house, she starts to change. The fresh air and natural beauty surrounding her inspire her to become more agreeable, active, and curious. So, when she stumbles onto a locked garden one morning while playing, her interest is immediately piqued.
When she asks Martha about it, she learns that the garden belonged to her aunt, and Archibald, unable to bear the memories of the happy times they had there, ordered it locked up after her death, about ten years ago. Mary is instantly desperate to see what it looks like and find out if anything is still alive there. After a little sleuthing, she manages to find the door and the key and get herself inside. She discovers a wild tangle of overgrown, bare branches and weeds. At first, she is unsure if anything is salvageable, but after searching around, she discovers some little green shoots struggling to poke up from the mess. She enlists the help of Martha's little brother, Dickon, and endeavors to secretly bring the spot back to life.
While working on the garden, Mary makes another startling discovery. After following some mysterious cries she hears in the middle of the night, she learns that she has a cousin. Colin Craven is a sickly child, and has been bedridden in Misselthwaite since he was a baby. He firmly believes he is going to die from a mysterious ailment, despite the fact that he has not been diagnosed with anything specific. His hypochondria controls his life, and he never leaves his bedroom. As he is technically the master of the house when his father is away traveling, he orders the servants around imperiously, and throws fits when he doesn't get his way. His presence has been hidden from Mary in an effort to avoid exciting him. Once she finds Colin, however, the two become fast friends. Slowly, Mary helps him to brave the outside world, using the lure of her secret garden to tempt him to take risks and live his life more fully.
The Secret Garden is a truly heartwarming read, and the thing I like the best about it is its sweetness. Watching Mary and Colin change from ornery, unhappy children into kind, playful ones is beautiful to experience, and the backdrop of the garden coming back to life alongside of them makes it even better. Burnett's messages about the importance of love and friendship and the healing powers of nature are timeless and touching to read. I think everyone feels better looking at flowers blooming or a beautiful sunset, and this story really expands on this idea. Mary, Dickon, and Colin all believe that the garden is literal magic, and that it causes them to become more healthy. Older readers know that the connection between nature and well-being isn't so direct, Burnett describes the garden so beautifully that you can't help but wonder if it might be.
I also like that this story features children who start off disagreeable. Many classics of children's fiction, like Heidi or A Little Princess, for example, feature protagonists that are perfect from birth. These kinds of characters often transform cranky adults for the better, but don't need to change at all themselves. Here, however, all of the main characters need to grow. No one is perfect. This lends an element of complexity to the story that I very much enjoy. It gives readers a little bit of hope for themselves too. If these kids can become better people through nature, love, and kindness, maybe the rest of us can too. It's a nice thought, at least.
The Secret Garden is such a sentimental and nostalgic read for me that I could never write an unbiased review of it. I wanted to live it so much as a kid that it's firmly planted in my heart. It's the reason that I have such a deep appreciation for children's classics. It was one of the first that I ever read and it remains my favorite. I was happy to get to experience it again and I'm interested to see how I feel about Burnett's other work when I read Little Lord Fauntleroy next.
Challenge Tally
Then vs. Now: 5/27
Total Books Read in 2020: 15
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