The Secret Garden Symbolism

The Secret Garden written by Frances Hodgson Burnett was a heartfelt and inspiring novel along with one of the most popular. The Secret Garden focuses around the life of a young girl they call Mary Lennox whom became an orphan and eventually was sent away to Yorkshire mansion where she resided with her uncle, Mr. Craven. Mary believed living with her uncle would be the worst situation she had ever come upon, but little did she know it would become a life changing experience. The novel itself was magical but after digging a little deeper and reading between the lines you’re intruded with a deeper meaning of the story that is capable of making your head spin. While reading The Secret Garden you will begin to notice that the novel itself truly …show more content…
Tons of symbolism took place within the story and things were not always what they seemed to be. Animals had a lot of symbolic value through the story; for starters the robin redbreast was more than just a bird. The robin redbreast resembled Mary. Much alike Mary the robin also began his life as an orphan, he was also very lonely. The robin and Mary both were seeking friendship, they even befriended one another. The robin also found peace and serenity in the secret garden, just like Mary did. It seemed as if the robin was the gatekeeper to the garden. Without the robin Mary would not have found her way into the garden. This minor character actually played a magnificent role to the novel. The snake Mary spotted at the beginning of the novel after she was neglected in the bungalow is another animal that contained symbolic value. The snake represented Mary; alone and scared without a true home to retreat to. The snake slipped away under the door because he was scared and unsure what else to do. Mary was stuck in the same position she was left all alone in such a big world without a place to call home, without a family to call hers. Apart from animals, roses were another symbol throughout The Secret Garden. Roses were a symbol of Mr. Craven’s late wife, Lilias Craven. Roses were Lilias favorite flower. Rose was also the color of the curtain that hid her portrait in Colin Craven’s room. Lilias was described as a …show more content…
The main character, Mary was faced with a challenging life; but as soon as she moved to the manor with her uncle Craven her life took a turn for the best. Mary was not the only one who ended up with a better life. Mary brought positive changes into the life of everyone. At the end of the story Mr. Craven tells Mary, “You brought us back to life, Mary. I thought that was something no one could do”. So although Mary was visualized as a bratty child she ended up not being so horrible and was able to bring true happiness back into herself and others. The Secret Garden was a touching novel but the meaning was deeper than what you read from page to page. You have to be able to dig a little deeper and read in between the lines to open up the true meaning behind the novel. After dissecting the book, its characters, and its settings you’re able to have a more accurate understanding of what the author was trying to express through the novel. When all said and done, “The spell was broken. My uncle learned to laugh, and I learned to cry. The secret garden is always open now. Open, and awake, and alive. If you look the right way you can see that the whole world is a garden,” as Mary