Behind the Story

Hopefully, if you aren't already familiar with The Secret Garden, you've given some serious thought to picking up a copy of the book and reading it for yourself. I highly recommend you do so, as nothing quite compares to the level of detail and imagery captured in the novel. That said, I'm happy to offer some background on this much loved story--its origins and historical context, as well as a summary of the plot itself. Those auditioning for the play will find it helpful and past readers may enjoy this trip down memory lane. But for those of you who'd prefer to be surprised when you come to the performances, you've been warned. Enter at your own risk!

Now that the spoiler alerts are out of the way, let me start by introducing you to our author, Frances Hodgson Burnett. You may already recognize her name if you've read her other children's books, A Little Princess or Little Lord Fauntleroy. Though The Secret Garden is now considered by many to be one of the best children's books of the twentieth century, at the time of her death it was more of a footnote than a success story. In retrospect, many believe it was the fact that The Secret Garden was first published as a serialized story in an adult magazine and only later began to be marketed as a children's novel. In my opinion, this may be why Burnett's story manages to provide layers that appeal to both children and adults. On the surface, it's a charming story about a girl who discovers a mysterious garden and brings it back to life with the help of magic, hard work, and some new friends. And yet, at its core, The Secret Garden is a tale for adults--a study in grief, belief, and redemption.


Plot Summary
Set in 1906, the story opens in India during the British Raj. Ten-year-old Mary Lennox awakens to an empty house and discovers that her parents (along with all of the family's friends and servants) have died of the cholera during the night. She is sent away to Yorkshire, England, to live with her wealthy uncle, Archibald Craven--a man in ill-health whom she has never met. As Mary's parents had long been preoccupied with their own lives, she was raised primarily by servants who tended to give into her demands to keep her quiet. But, upon arriving at Misselthwaite Manor, Mary quickly learns that she'll have to fend for herself--none of the servants care to put up with her "sour" nature and her uncle is so distracted by grief that he scarcely notices her presence.

Upon the urging of her impossibly upbeat maidservant, Martha, Mary eventually decides to explore the vast grounds of the manor as a way to occupy herself. Mary learns the story of how Mrs. Craven died after an accident in one of the estate's walled gardens, causing Mr. Craven to lock the garden door and bury the key in the earth. Mary becomes single-minded in her efforts to find a way into this forgotten garden, and this intensity of focus, along with fresh air and exercise, starts to change her demeanor for the better. She makes friends for the first time in her life--with a similarly stubborn groundskeeper and the spritely Dickon, Martha's younger brother who can speak to the animals and teaches her how to grow flowers of her own. 

Meanwhile, Mary begins to hear strange cries coming through the walls in the mansion. Despite being warned by Mrs. Medlock, the head servant, that she is forbidden to wander the halls or seek out the source of these sounds, Mary's curiosity gets the best of her and she eventually finds herself face to face with Colin, a bed-ridden cousin whom she'd never known to exist. Mary learns that Colin was born only moments before his mother died, causing Archibald so much sorrow that he could not bear to spend time with Colin for fear of having to relive that loss. Aside from a couple of heated stand-offs between Mary and Colin (who were both accustomed to getting their way), the cousins quickly bonded and Mary faithfully came to Colin's bedside to tell him stories of Dickon and the animals.

After some diligent searching, Mary finds the key in the ground and opens the door to the forbidden garden but is disheartened to find it dead. With the encouragement and assistance of Dickon, the two children gradually bring the garden back to life, eventually letting Colin in on their well-kept secret. Mary finally convinces Colin to join them in the garden in his wheelchair, and after repeated trips and a lot of practice, Colin grows healthy in the fresh air, much like his cousin did, and he learns to walk on his own. Colin requests that Dickon and Mary, as well as groundskeeper Ben (who discovers the children together in the garden), keep his miraculous recovery a secret until his father returns. Archibald, who has taken to leaving the manor for long periods in the hope of escaping the haunting memories of his wife, finally returns to the mansion following a dream where Lilias appears to him and urges he'll find her "in the garden." Upon walking through the open door of her garden, Archibald stumbles onto the children playing there. Colin rushes into his arms, and the reunited family walks up to the house together, much to the delight and awe of the staff who see Colin walking for the first time.


Still hungry for more?
If you'd like to go deeper down the rabbit hole of The Secret Garden, the internet is full of great resources. You can find a Spark Notes edition that goes into depth about the novel and its author, including literary themes and character analysis. You might also consider checking out The Annotated Secret Garden, which has a lot of interesting detail about the story and includes great illustrations plucked from the many iterations of the novel.

Finally, you can always go the route of checking out The Secret Garden through film. There are several options to choose from here, but I'd recommend the 1993 version--it's the most recent, it's well-acted, and it's pretty faithful to the original story. As with many book-to-movie adaptations, there are a few changes--most notably that Mary's parents die in an earthquake rather than from the cholera--but the essential ingredients are all there. Here's a trailer for the 1993 version. See you again soon!