Article #113-2 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

I. THERE IS NO ONE LEFT
II. MISTRESS MARY QUITE CONTRARY
III. ACROSS THE MOOR
IV. MARTHA
V. THE CRY IN THE CORRIDOR
VI. “THERE WAS SOMEONE CRYING—THERE WAS!”
VII. THE KEY TO THE GARDEN
VIII. THE ROBIN WHO SHOWED THE WAY
IX. THE STRANGEST HOUSE ANYONE EVER LIVED IN
X. DICKON
XI. THE NEST OF THE MISSEL THRUSH
XII. “MIGHT I HAVE A BIT OF EARTH?”
XIII. “I AM COLIN”
XIV. A YOUNG RAJAH
XV. NEST BUILDING
XVI. “I WON’T!” SAID MARY
XVII. A TANTRUM
XVIII. “THA’ MUNNOT WASTE NO TIME”
XIX. “IT HAS COME!”
XX. “I SHALL LIVE FOREVER—AND EVER—AND EVER!”
XXI. BEN WEATHERSTAFF
XXII. WHEN THE SUN WENT DOWN
XXIII. MAGIC
XXIV. “LET THEM LAUGH”
XXV. THE CURTAIN
XXVI. “IT’S MOTHER!”
XXVII. IN THE GARDEN

CHAPTER I.
THERE IS NO ONE LEFT

When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle
everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.
It was true, too. She had a little thin face and a little thin body,
thin light hair and a sour expression. Her hair was yellow, and her
face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been
ill in one way or another. Her father had held a position under the
English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her
mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and
amuse herself with gay people. She had not wanted a little girl at all,
and when Mary was born she handed her over to the care of an Ayah, who
was made to understand that if she wished to please the Mem Sahib she
must keep the child out of sight as much as possible. So when she was a
sickly, fretful, ugly little baby she was kept out of the way, and when
she became a sickly, fretful, toddling thing she was kept out of the
way also. She never remembered seeing familiarly anything but the dark
faces of her Ayah and the other native servants, and as they always
obeyed her and gave her her own way in everything, because the Mem
Sahib would be angry if she was disturbed by her crying, by the time
she was six years old she was as tyrannical and selfish a little pig as
ever lived. The young English governess who came to teach her to read
and write disliked her so much that she gave up her place in three
months, and when other governesses came to try to fill it they always
went away in a shorter time than the first one. So if Mary had not
chosen to really want to know how to read books she would never have
learned her letters at all.

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Secret Garden (Chapter I: "There Is No One Left")**

Context of the Source

The Secret Garden (1911) is a classic children’s novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, an American-British writer known for works like Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess. The novel blends elements of Gothic fiction, redemption, and the healing power of nature, reflecting Burnett’s interest in Christian Science, New Thought spirituality, and the idea of transformation through positive thinking and connection with the natural world.

The story follows Mary Lennox, a neglected and spoiled orphan sent from colonial India to her uncle’s mysterious manor in Yorkshire, England. There, she discovers a hidden, neglected garden and, through its restoration, undergoes a profound emotional and psychological transformation. The novel explores themes of rebirth, the contrast between neglect and nurture, and the restorative power of nature and human connection.

Analysis of the Excerpt (Chapter I: "There Is No One Left")

1. Introduction to Mary Lennox: A Portrait of Neglect

The opening chapter introduces Mary Lennox, a nine-year-old girl (though she is described as looking much younger due to her frail health) who is orphaned by a cholera epidemic in India and sent to live with her reclusive uncle, Archibald Craven, at Misselthwaite Manor in England.

The text immediately establishes Mary as:

Physically unwell and unattractive: "the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen" with a "sour expression," "thin face and body," and "yellow" skin (likely from illness and lack of sunlight).
Emotionally stunted: She has been ignored, spoiled, and isolated her entire life, leading to a tyrannical, selfish nature.
Culturally displaced: Born to British colonial parents in India, she has been raised by native servants (an Ayah) and has no real attachment to her parents or English society.

2. Themes in the Excerpt

Several major themes of the novel are introduced here:

A. Neglect and Abandonment

Mary’s parents do not want her. Her mother, a socialite, hands her over to servants to avoid disturbance.
Her father, a busy colonial official, is absent and ill, mirroring Mary’s own frailty.
The Ayah and servants obey her only to avoid trouble, reinforcing her spoiled, demanding behavior.
The cholera outbreak (implied later) kills her parents and servants, leaving her truly alone—a literal and symbolic emptiness that sets up her need for rebirth in England.

B. Colonialism and Otherness

Mary is a product of British colonialism—born in India but not truly Indian or English.
She is raised by Indian servants, yet separated from them (kept "out of sight"), reinforcing her isolation.
Her yellowed skin (from illness) and foreign upbringing mark her as an outsider in England, foreshadowing her struggle to belong at Misselthwaite Manor.

C. The Corrupting Influence of Spoiled Privilege

Because she was never disciplined, Mary has become a "tyrannical and selfish little pig."
The governesses quit because she is unmanageable, showing how neglect breeds bad behavior.
Her only self-motivated action is learning to read—suggesting a hidden intelligence and curiosity beneath her spoiled exterior.

D. The Possibility of Transformation

Despite her unpleasant nature, the text hints at potential for change:
- She wanted to learn to read (showing independent will).
- She is physically weak but not irredeemable—her move to England (a colder, harsher climate) will force her to adapt and grow stronger.
- The garden (not yet introduced) will become a symbol of her rebirth.

3. Literary Devices & Stylistic Choices

Burnett uses several key literary techniques to establish Mary’s character and the novel’s tone:

A. Repetition for Emphasis

"Kept out of the way" (repeated twice) – Reinforces her isolation and neglect.
"Sickly, fretful, ugly" – The triple adjective structure hammers home her unpleasant state.
"Most disagreeable-looking child ever seen" – Hyperbole to emphasize her unlikability.

B. Irony & Contrast

Mary’s mother is a "great beauty" who hates her daughter—contrasting outer beauty with inner coldness.
Mary is physically weak but emotionally domineering—a paradox that makes her both pitiable and unlikable.
The servants obey her not out of love, but fear—highlighting her false power.

C. Symbolism & Foreshadowing

India vs. England:
- India = heat, illness, neglect, death (cholera).
- England = cold, discipline, growth, life (the garden).
Mary’s yellowed skin – Symbolizes sickness, but also the potential for sunlight (health, growth).
The Ayah and servants – Represent temporary, impersonal care, foreshadowing the more meaningful relationships she will form in England (Martha, Dickon, Colin).

D. Tone & Narrative Voice

The omniscient third-person narrator is blunt and unsentimental, almost judgmental in describing Mary.
The matter-of-fact tone ("It was true, too") makes Mary’s flaws undeniable, setting up her redemption arc.
The lack of emotional warmth in the opening mirrors Mary’s own emotional deprivation.

4. Significance of the Chapter Title: "There Is No One Left"

Literal Meaning: Mary’s parents and servants die in the cholera outbreak, leaving her orphaned.
Symbolic Meaning:
- She has no emotional connections—no one loves or guides her.
- She is empty inside, much like the locked, neglected garden she will later discover.
- The phrase also foreshadows Colin’s isolation (another "abandoned" child in the manor).

5. Connection to the Rest of the Novel

This chapter sets up Mary’s transformation by:

Establishing her flaws (selfishness, weakness, isolation) so her growth is more satisfying.
Contrasting India (death, neglect) with England (life, nurture)—the garden will be her salvation.
Introducing the idea of hidden potential—just as the garden is overgrown but not dead, Mary is spoiled but not beyond redemption.

Later developments:

Martha (Chapter IV) will be the first person to challenge and care for her.
Dickon (Chapter X) will teach her about nature and kindness.
Colin (Chapter XIII) will be her mirror—a boy even more neglected than she was.
The garden will become a metaphor for her own rebirth—as she tends to it, she heals herself.

Conclusion: Why This Opening Matters

The first chapter of The Secret Garden is not just an introduction to a character—it is a study in neglect, colonial displacement, and the potential for redemption. Burnett deliberately makes Mary unlikable to emphasize how environment shapes behavior and how nurture (or the lack of it) defines a person.

Yet, the hints of Mary’s intelligence (learning to read) and resilience (surviving cholera) suggest that change is possible. The garden, still unseen, waits like her future self—hidden, overgrown, but capable of blooming.

This chapter sets the stage for a story about healing—not just of a garden, but of broken children, a grieving uncle, and a house full of secrets. The contrast between Mary’s beginning and her eventual transformation makes The Secret Garden a powerful tale of renewal, both literal and metaphorical.

Would you like a deeper dive into any specific aspect, such as colonialism in the novel or the garden as a symbol?

Questions

Question 1

The narrator’s description of Mary Lennox as "the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen" serves a function beyond mere characterisation. Which of the following best captures the narrative purpose of this hyperbole in the context of the novel’s broader thematic concerns?

A. To establish Mary as a Gothic antiheroine whose physical repulsiveness mirrors the moral decay of Misselthwaite Manor, aligning her with traditional Gothic tropes of inherited corruption.
B. To create an immediate emotional distance between the reader and Mary, ensuring that her eventual redemption is earned rather than assumed, thereby heightening the novel’s moral didacticism.
C. To critique the superficial values of Mary’s mother, whose obsession with beauty and social status has produced a child who is the antithesis of her own aesthetic ideals.
D. To foreshadow the physical transformation Mary will undergo in England, where the "yellowed" complexion of colonial illness will be replaced by the ruddy health of rural labour.
E. To externalise the psychological and environmental neglect Mary has endured, framing her ugliness as a visible symptom of a deeper, systemic abandonment that the novel will seek to rectify.

Question 2

The passage’s repetition of the phrase "kept out of the way" performs multiple layers of meaning. Which interpretation most accurately reflects its structural role in the novel’s argument about child development?

A. It underscores the paradox of Mary’s upbringing: her physical and emotional isolation is not a deprivation but a form of indulgence, as her every whim is catered to by servants who prioritise avoidance over engagement.
B. It serves as a leitmotif for the colonial experience, where British children in India are shielded from "native" influences, reinforcing the racial and cultural segregation that defines Mary’s early life.
C. It mirrors the later description of Colin Craven’s seclusion in Misselthwaite Manor, creating a thematic parallel between two children whose neglect is both a cause and a symptom of their families’ dysfunction.
D. It highlights the irony of Mary’s situation, in which her exclusion from her parents’ lives is framed as a privilege rather than a hardship, given their own moral failings.
E. It functions as a narrative chekhov’s gun, signaling that Mary’s habit of being overlooked will later enable her to discover the secret garden without detection.

Question 3

The Ayah and servants’ obedience to Mary’s demands is described as motivated by fear of the Mem Sahib’s anger. What does this dynamic most profoundly reveal about the power structures in Mary’s colonial household?

A. That authority in the household is not hierarchical but circular: the servants’ power over Mary is derived from the Mem Sahib’s authority, which in turn is contingent on the servants’ compliance, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of neglect.
B. That the Mem Sahib’s parenting philosophy is rooted in a utilitarian calculus, where Mary’s happiness is sacrificed for the greater good of maintaining domestic harmony and social appearances.
C. That colonial servitude replicates the emotional detachment of Mary’s parents, with the Ayah and servants acting as surrogates who are equally incapable of providing genuine care.
D. That Mary’s tyranny is a learned behaviour, modeled after the Mem Sahib’s own autocratic rule over the household, suggesting that abuse begets abuse across generational and cultural lines.
E. That the servants’ compliance is a form of passive resistance, as they subtly undermine the Mem Sahib’s authority by spoiling Mary in ways that will ultimately reflect poorly on her mother’s parenting.

Question 4

The passage’s depiction of Mary’s self-directed learning ("if Mary had not chosen to really want to know how to read books she would never have learned her letters at all") carries significant thematic weight. Which of the following interpretations best aligns with the novel’s philosophical concerns?

A. It illustrates the limitations of formal education in fostering genuine intellectual curiosity, suggesting that institutional learning is inherently stifling compared to autodidactic pursuit.
B. It reinforces the novel’s critique of British imperialism, as Mary’s literacy—acquired despite her environment—symbolises the resilience of the individual against systemic neglect.
C. It foreshadows Mary’s later role as a catalyst for Colin’s rehabilitation, demonstrating that personal agency is the first step toward breaking cycles of dependency and despair.
D. It serves as a counterpoint to the Mem Sahib’s hedonism, positioning Mary’s intellectual striving as an inherited trait that will eventually redeem her mother’s legacy.
E. It embodies the novel’s central tension between nature and nurture, revealing that even in an environment of total neglect, innate human drives toward growth and self-improvement persist.

Question 5

The chapter title, "There Is No One Left," operates on multiple levels of meaning. Which of the following interpretations most fully captures its symbolic resonance within the novel’s exploration of abandonment and renewal?

A. It encapsulates the dual absence of people and purpose in Mary’s life, framing her orphanhood not just as a loss of family but as an existential void that the secret garden will later fill.
B. It critiques the moral bankruptcy of British colonial society, where children like Mary are left emotionally and culturally adrift, abandoned by both their parents and their empire.
C. It foreshadows the revelation of Colin Craven’s existence, another "left" child whose isolation mirrors Mary’s but whose redemption will be intertwined with hers.
D. It invokes the Gothic tradition of the "last survivor," positioning Mary as a figure who must confront the ghosts of her past before she can embrace a future.
E. It reflects the novel’s preoccupation with cyclical time, where the "no one" of Mary’s past will be replaced by the "everyone" of her future community in the garden, completing a redemptive arc.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: E

Why E is most correct: The hyperbole of Mary’s ugliness is not merely descriptive but diagnostic—it externalises the psychological and environmental neglect she has suffered. Burnett’s novel is deeply concerned with how neglect manifests physically and emotionally, and Mary’s appearance is a visible symptom of the systemic abandonment (by parents, servants, and colonial society) that the garden’s restoration will symbolically rectify. This aligns with the novel’s redemptive arc, where healing is both personal and environmental.