The Secret garden
The novel “The Secret Garden” is one of the best classics of the literature of children. The book was published in 1911 by Frances Hodgson Burnett. However, it was first a serial story in The American Magazine of 1910. The author is an American but born in Britain and a playwright as she wrote over fifty novels and multiple plays. She is remembered for children’s novels she wrote. They are Little Lord Fauntleroy, The Secret Garden, and Little Princess. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Summary
The principal character in the story is Mary Lennox; a sickly, and grouchy 10-year-old girl. From the outset of the novel, it is clear that her parents are unloving due to that they have neglected her. She becomes spoiled because of the influence of the servants, who at least show interest in her. After an epidemic (cholera) hits the nation (India), Mary becomes an orphan, lives temporarily with a clergyman, and finally, she is sent in Yorkshire, England, to live with her widowed uncle, Archibald Craven.
In the estate of Craven, Mary initially develops a bond with the chambermaid, Martha. The worker reveals the story of a secret garden to Mary and its reasons for being locked for over a decade. Mary quests to locate the secret garden, and ultimately she does through the aid of the gardener, Ben Weatherstaff. Mary ill-nature softens as she secretly tends to the garden. After a while, she enlists help from Dickon then from Colin- the source of the bizarre sounds she hears. In the end, Craven returns from a long journey and is marveled by the transformation in his son’s crippleness and the garden.
Recommendations
This book is a must-read for the children and parents. It is because it shows how attention, love, and engaging in recreational activities transforms sickly children and rejuvenates the entire society.
Work cited
Burnett, F. H. (1999). The Secret Garden. New York, NY: Barnes & Norble Classics.