The Secret Garden

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1910

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-12

Chapters 13-15

Chapters 16-18

Chapters 19-21

Chapters 22-24

Chapters 25-27

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Symbols & Motifs

Broad Yorkshire Dialec

The Yorkshire dialect is a form of English spoken in the north of England. It is characterized by a down-to-earth tone that reflects the practicality of life on the moors. Martha explains to Mary that it is quicker to say, “Canna’ tha’ dress thysen!” (16) than “Don’t you know how to dress yourself?” The language is used by Dickon, Martha, and Ben, who are all associated with the earth and nature and relate to Mary as if she were a person for the first time in her life.

When Mary first hears Martha speak broad Yorkshire, the dialect sounds like a foreign language, but she develops a fascination for it and soon begins picking up words and phrases. To Mary, the language represents her entry into a new and magical world with people like Martha and Dickon. By using their colorful speech, she can make herself a part of their world and feel like she belongs with them.

Dialects provide a way for people to distinguish themselves from outsiders. By playing with the Yorkshire dialect, Mary and Colin explore language and identity and create a world of their own with a “secret” language. By creating that secret world, they are taking the first steps toward answering the question, “What makes me myself?”

Doors

Gates, thresholds, and doors are all symbolic entrances into new worlds. These entrances can be into a new life, or they might represent communication between one world and another or between life and death. Mary passes through them to symbolically mark each stage of her inner journey to understand herself.

Mary’s first encounter with a gate is when she passes through the gates of the Manor grounds. Doing so, she enters into a new world where she begins to change. The next door she comes to is the door of the manor itself. It is massive, heavy, and bound in iron, suggesting that she will not be able to return once she passes through. The third door is the most important and the most difficult to find. First, she needs a guide to show her the key, giving her permission to find the door, and even after that, she still must search until she has won the friendship and trust of the robin before it will show her the way into the garden. Once inside the special magical world, Mary truly begins to grow.

Doors have been used as symbols of transformation for centuries. By passing gates and thresholds, Mary goes deeper and deeper toward her secret inner self that has been hiding underground, waiting for an opportunity to grow and bloom.

The Enclosed Garden

The enclosed garden is the central symbol of The Secret Garden. It represents three things: First, it represents Mary’s consciousness of herself. Second, it represents the soul of Colin’s mother. Finally, the enclosed garden represents the sacred and healing power of nature and Mother Earth.

Before she discovers the garden, Mary thinks of herself only in terms of whether other people are giving her what she wants or not. Shortly after she learns about the garden, she realizes she is lonely. Discovering that she is lonely is a good thing because it is the recognition that she is a person with her own thoughts and feelings, distinct from all other people. That is when Mary passes through the hidden door and finds herself in a place where new life has just begun to spring up. As the flowers grow, so does Mary’s awareness of herself.

Colin’s mother Lilias is also present in the garden. She first created it, and when she disappeared in death, the garden disappeared as well, closed and locked away by Archibald. Lilias awaits Colin there and helps him to heal and grow strong. Once the garden is restored, she reaches out to Archibald and calls him home.

Enclosed gardens are considered particularly sacred. The first enclosed garden most people think of is the Garden of Eden, the sacred garden created by God, but gardens are also used in literature to represent Mother Earth and the power of nature to heal and renew life. The garden heals Mary and Colin, but Mary plays a special role. She is the one who opens the door and brings the garden back to life.