Report “The Secret Garden”  Selected Works

I. - About the autor: Frances Hodgson Burnett 1.-That Lass o 'Lowrie's (1877)

Frances Eliza Hodgson was born on 2. - Lindsay's Luck (1878)

November 24, 1849 in Manchester 3.-Haworth (1879)
(England). She was the eldest
daughter of a family supported by the 4. - Louisiana (1880)
father's humble silversmith salary. 5.-A Fierce Barbarian (1881)
The death of the latter in the year
1854 caused a great economic crisis 6.-Through an Administration (1883)
in the Hodgson family, which tried to 7.-Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886)
alleviate with a store where art
products were sold. The business did not go well and the whole 8.-Sara's crew or what happened to Ms. Minchin (1888)
family emigrated to the United States in 1865 to reside with a
9.-The Adventures of Fairfax Philippa (1888)
maternal uncle who in the end did not take too much care of his
family. 10.-The beautiful sister of San José (1889)
Residing in a cabin in New Market, Knoxville, Tennessee, 11.-The Drury Lane Children's Club (1992)
Frances began publishing her first texts, poems and stories
16.-The formation of a marquise (1901)
appeared in women's magazines. Their remuneration served
as a means to help support the house. II. About the literary work:
In 1868 he saw published some of his short stories, such as Social historical background in which
"Hearts And Diamonds" and "Miss Carruther’s Engagement", the work was written: British
in the book “Godey’s Lady’s Book” (1868). Years later, Colonialism in India, New Thought
another story, "Surly Tim’s Trouble," appeared in the and Christian Science. The book the
magazine "Scribner."
constant secret garden of 7 chapters
In 1900 the writer married Stephen Townsend, but the and was published in 1911.
couple's happiness could not last long because of Stephen's
death two years after the link.
Frances Hodgson, who practiced spiritualism at the last stage
of her life and followed theosophical beliefs, died of a heart
attack on October 29, 1924 in New York. He was 74 years old.
She is buried in Rosslyn Cemetery.
III.- General summary of the reading: ”she says at one point in the story. To which he adds: “I felt
alone. I did not like it. I was angry, but I never cried. I didn't know
Continuing with the previous summary, the work tells us that how to cry. ”
Mr. Craven's son, Colin, has been bedridden since he was little,
with care to the extreme that they rather fall into overprotection,
which prevents him from growing and developing natural,
atrophying their physical and mental abilities. He was born
prematurely, so everyone believes that you have to pay more
attention than normal in order to prevent diseases and
accidents, but consequently not only your body has not
developed enough self-defense, necessary for your body to
adapt to outside world, but his mind has stagnated in isolation
and fear, tantrum and selfishness, precisely because of the lack
of communication, both physically and emotionally.
For Colin, the attitude is to attract attention, thus demonstrating
his fear of everything around him, caused by the same
exaggerated care of Mrs. Medlock. The responsibilities it
demands at home, for both children, become rather limiting.
The child never leaves his house and therefore does not know
the world, or friendship, or adventure, or pranks or games in the
company of others, in short, he is an isolated being, devoid of
life experiences.
Both need love, empathy, affection and attention, not helpful as
Both Mary and Colin feel lonely and abandoned, but they they are used to because of their social scale, but on the
demonstrate it differently. They are two young people in the emotional and relational level. Mary was called by other
process of growth who cannot find a way to feel good about children with whom she is on her way to England, and Colin has
themselves and others, depending on the way they are treated an attitude that becomes arrogant, arrogant and selfish towards
by the elderly. others, as Mary herself notes. In both cases, the only thing that
For the girl it is about appearing an indifference towards people, children do with this attitude is to cover their pain and suffering,
which she achieves thanks to a strength of character that has caused by the lack of family attachment that they do not have
solidified alone due to the experience of having to find a way to from their parents, and especially from each other's mother.
mature by force, all in order to hide the pain that he feels inside,
caused by a lack of affection and affection in his life. “My
parents only thought of themselves. They never thought of me,
When Mary finds the secret garden, a special place her aunt
took care of when she lived there, the girl sees in him a
possibility, a place to be and feel comfortable, a second chance
at life, learning. She talks about the possibility that, in the
background, after the withered mask of plants and flowers, they
still have an opportunity to grow and bloom; but, in a sense,
Mary refers to this also herself. She has had to learn very soon
to be independent, but as a child, she also needs the support
of someone who tells her that she loves her and will take care
of her, needs protection, security and love. The experiences
she has been through have made her feel like a withered flower,
a prematurely dull life, so to describe it. To revive the garden is
to revive herself.
And the analogy continues throughout the story; the garden
begins to bloom again spring come, same time when Mary is
allowed to open to other people, playing, talking and living
together. Gestures that seem insignificant, as when Martha,
one of the employees in the house, gives her a jump rope,
become significant signs of support, friendship, affection and
even solidarity. This allows the girl to grow and be different, as
well as find, or allow herself to accept, that what she lacked in
life can be found in that place she once cataloged as dead.