PBA POSTER

In The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, persistence is helpful during change, because although it can seem scary, it can have an important and positive impact on your life.

In The Secret Garden, the setting influences the theme, which is persistence is helpful during change, because although it can seem scary at first it can have an important and positive impact on your life. Mary just wanted things to go back to normal, and “When Mrs Crawford told her that night that she was going to sail away to England in a few days and going to her uncle, Mr Archibald Craven, who lived at Misselthwaite Manor, she looked so stony and stubbornly uninterested that they did not know what to think about her.” (Page 11-12) When Mary first heard of the change, she did not feel happy about it or think of the possibilities. She did not think that the change would affect her positively, but she was still forced to go to the manor. Looking back on how Mary was before she had to move, and before the change started to affect her, “she was a yellow-faced, sickly, bored, and wretched child. Circumstances, however, were very kind to her, though she was not all aware of it. They began to push her about for her own good.” (321-322) When Mary had first come to the manor, she was unhappy and disagreeable with everything because she did not want the change. After a while, however, this began to change as she adjusted to life in Misselthwaite. She was persistent, and the change made her healthy again both mentally and physically.

In The Secret Garden, the characters also influence the theme. When Mary had first come to the manor, she woke up to Martha, a young housemaid, cleaning the grate in her room, who asked her, “‘I mean can’t you put on your own clothes?’ ‘No,’ answered Mary, quite indignantly. ‘I never did in my life. My Ayah dressed me, of course.’ ‘Well,’ said Martha, evidently not in the least aware that she was impudent, ‘it’s time tha’ should learn. Tha’ cannot begin younger. It’ll do thee good to wait on thysen a bit.’” (29) When Mary was in India, she never dressed herself. Now that she had moved, she had to change her ways because there were no maids that would dress her. Martha encouraged this, saying she should learn. When Mary was thinking about how she liked Martha, and her mother, and the robin, and Dickon, “That seemed a good many people to like – when you were not used to liking.” (73-74) The people at Misselthwaite influenced Mary and she started to change, making her like the place and the people more.

Robin

The robin is an important symbol is the story because it influences the change within Mary, showing her the way to the garden. The robin resembles freindship.

Misselthwaite

The manor is an important symbol because it resembles change. Living in a new house with different rules and places to explore causes Mary to act and feel differently. The property also includes a moor, which includes the garden mary deems 'The Secret Garden'.