The Secret Garden Close Reading Essay

Themes of death, illness, recovery, and new life are shown in the text through description of travel, condition of the garden and the changing seasons. The Secret Garden beckons the notion that negative thoughts can be cured or overcome in the right mental state. “To let a sad thought or a bad one get into your mind is as dangerous as letting a scarlet fever germ get into your body. If you let it stay there after it has got in you may never get over it as long as you live.

.. surprising things can happen to any one who, when a disagreeable or discouraged thought comes into his mind, just has the sense to remember in time and push it out by putting in an agreeable determinedly courageous one. Two things cannot be in one place.”

If there is the desire to overcome an illness, physical and mental, one can. The unity of family and home represents good health and travel is shown as neglect of self, family, personal issues, and health.

Get quality help now

writer-Charlotte

Verified writer

Proficient in: Free Essays

4.7 (348)

“ Amazing as always, gave her a week to finish a big assignment and came through way ahead of time. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

These themes of death, illness, recovery, and new life are communicated and heavily displayed through Mary, Colin, and Master Craven and the unity of the three characters throughout the whole novel. Mary attributes her illness from living in India, which was an illness-ridden place. Illness, death, and neglect are introduced early when Mary’s parents and her servants are killed by a cholera outbreak. When she moves to Yorkshire, England her health improves, and she gets stronger as the novel progresses.

The novel suggests that other places other than Yorkshire contribute to illness or decline of health. The author, Frances Burnett, suggests that England is a place of good health, while foreign places are places to result in bad health.

The beginning and throughout the novel the characters mention the coming of spring and how it will help illness. Colin creates imaginative potential to be of poor health and become a hunchback. As spring unfolds later in the novel and as the garden blooms, the characters physical and mental well-being improves, and Colin finds the strength to overcome his illness and stand up from his wheelchair. Mary sees past Colin’s perspective and negative thoughts, encouraging him that he can physically and mentally overcome his “illness”. She tells Colin, “there is nothing wrong the matter with your horrid back – nothing but hysterics!”. Colin’s illness was the result of Master Craven’s and other’s negative beliefs and criticism, which caused Colin to be hysteric and claim he is a hunchback like his father. He poor physical result is only a result of him being neglected of his well-being and being confined in his room almost his whole childhood. Master Craven is constantly illness-stricken from his travels. The natural beauty and landscape of Austria does not have an effect on Master Craven until he spots a flower patch. As he was admiring at the cluster of forget-me-not flowers, he could not help but feel “almost alive”. This part of the book signified that he must go back to the garden to feel alive again. At Misselthwaite manor, as the garden is becoming more alive, Master Craven is becoming more alive and healthier with it. After Austria, Master Craven travels to Italy where he dreams of his late wife. She is beckoning him to come find her in the garden and return home. The morning after, he wakes up and receives a letter from Susan Sowerby bidding him to return back to the garden. He reflects on the journey home about his neglect as a parent to his son Colin and to both his and his son’s health. To his surprise, he finds Colin healthy and full of life, playing in the garden. As Colin shows Master Craven around the reawakened garden, it represents new life and health instead of neglect and guilt of his wife’s passing and son’s poor health. Master Craven, Colin, and Mary are now united as a family – full of life and new beginnings.

Through the narrative of Mary, Colin, and Master Craven, themes of death, illness, recovery (or overcoming mental or physical illness), and new life take place in their character development. With the right positive beliefs and unity of family, one can overcome “illness”. Although the garden was once a reminder of death, guilt, and neglect, it has turned into a place of unity, rebirth, health, and new beginnings. Instead of neglecting personal guilt and responsibility by being in foreign places, the novel reminds readers that one can create their own good health and sense of home in a place that once seemed ill.