The Secret Garden · Chapter
IX: The Strangest House Anyone Ever Lived In explained
Mary Lennox enters the secret garden for the first time, marveling at its mysterious, overgrown beauty.
What happens
Mary Lennox enters the secret garden for the first time, marveling at its mysterious, overgrown beauty. She explores the garden, discovers tiny green shoots in the soil, and feels a sense of ownership and hope. Later, she asks Martha about the crying she heard in the corridor, but Martha deflects. Mary expresses a desire for a spade to dig and plant, and Martha suggests writing to Dickon to buy garden tools and seeds.
Themes in this chapter
Healing Power of Nature
Mary's discovery of the secret garden and her desire to nurture it symbolize the restorative and transformative power of nature.
Transformation and Growth
Mary's curiosity about the garden's bulbs and her wish for spring reflect her own inner growth and hope for change.
Secrecy and Discovery
Mary's secret entrance into the garden and her determination to keep it hidden highlight the theme of secrecy and personal discovery.
Characters to notice
- Mary Lennox
Discovers the secret garden, explores it with wonder, and begins to feel a sense of belonging and purpose.
- Martha Sowerby
Helps Mary by suggesting she write to Dickon for garden tools and seeds, and shares her mother's wisdom about children and gardening.
- Dickon Sowerby
Mentioned as an expert on flowers and gardening; Martha suggests he can buy tools and seeds for Mary.
- Ben Weatherstaff
Referenced by Mary as someone who could tell if the garden's wood is alive, and as a potential source of seeds.
- Archibald Craven
Mentioned as the owner of Misselthwaite Manor who would be angry if he discovered the secret garden's open door.
Key passages
“How still it is! ... I am the first person who has spoken in here for ten years.”
Mary whispers in awe at the silence, realizing she is the first to speak in the garden in a decade.
Highlights Mary's sense of discovery and the garden's long abandonment.
“I wonder if they are all quite dead. Is it all a quite dead garden? I wish it wasn't.”
Mary ponders whether the roses are dead and expresses a wish for the garden to be alive.
Reflects Mary's hope and desire for renewal.
“I thought if I had a little spade I could dig somewhere as he does, and I might make a little garden if he would give me some seeds.”
Mary tells Martha she wants a spade to dig and create her own garden, inspired by Ben Weatherstaff.
Shows Mary's growing initiative and connection to the land.