The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett is a remarkable book that captures the process of grieving, even in children, in an optimistic and uplifting light. I have not seen a movie adaptation of this book that captures the depth of the very well. Many capture the beauty and mystery of the garden but not the depth of the character’s growth.
I am reviewing this book after having read the novel a second time. I had not noticed the first time that the central theme of this book was healing from grief. Perhaps, because when I read this as a child for the first time, the way these children grieved just seemed natural and a given part of the story. As an adult, this book is extraordinary in its frankness as it deals with harsh realities in a beautiful way.
The story follows a girl named Mary during some of the most traumatic times of her life. Instead of jumping ahead to when she arrives at her uncle’s house, the story starts with her strange upbringing in India and the horrible circumstances of her parent’s death. We learn that she is a very neglected child who is also sour and spoiled. She is shipped to her uncle’s house, where she continues to be neglected, even though her uncle is a kind man. In her wanderings, she takes ownership of a secret and neglected garden. She discovers a cousin who is very much like herself. She makes friendships with many people in the household and even helps both herself and her cousin heal from the trauma they had been through.
My last sentence, though, could be debated, though. Who is responsible for the children’s healing? The book is not preachy, but if you read carefully, it is explicitly explained that there was divine intervention in the children’s lives. I love how this book lets events just happen, though, without over-explaining them. Mary is a very complex character who grows and develops over the course of the book. In her growth and because of the strength of her personality, she becomes a catalyst in the growth of many other characters.
I bring out the theme of grief in this book because many of the characters are still in the middle of profound grief during the course of the story. Mary claims to not grieve her parents much because they were not part of her life, yet she feels sorry for herself because of how alone and unloved she had been. The events of Mary’s aunt’s death over a decade before is a shadow on all who live at her uncle’s house. Their grief has been unhealthily suspended by being locked away, as represented by her aunt’s garden, rather than being faced and dealt with. The grief over the various losses affects the children’s lives profoundly.
It is a myth that I commonly hear today that children get over grief easier than adults. Many adults use this idea to dismiss the deep feelings that children experience and often cannot articulate. I think this book captures well the acting out, and contrary was some children deal with these complex emotions. The solution to their grief is actually in the pretend play that they carry out in the garden. In fixing the garden, they are working out the pain in their own hearts. The result of their actions also brings healing to their physical bodies, as well as to their uncle and all in the household.
I highly recommend this book to readers of all levels. It may be a bit long for a younger reader to work through, and the events of Mary’s parents can be distressing for some. Still, I think even if this is a read-aloud, this book can be a very healing story for even the young reader. So much of the world has experienced trauma during the pandemic, and even children can use the emotional healing that this story conveys. It is a fantastic book for this time.
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