Synopsis : The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Title : The Secret Garden

Author : Frances Hodgson Burnett

Pages : 344

Genre : Childern’s Novel

Synopsis :

This novel told the story of an Indian girl named as Mary Lennox who grew up without the love of her parents and she always felt lonely even though she lived in affluent family. His father was an employee who held an important position under the England Government while his mother was very busy entertaining herself by partying and having fun. Mary is a child who was never wanted by her parents so when she was born she was handed over to Ayah (a nanny). Mary was a spoiled and selfish girl. Many people don't want to be close to her because of her bad attitude. Until one day,she is suddenly became an orphan because the village where Mary lived was attacked by a deadly cholera outbreak. Mary's parents died. Some villagers died and some fled, including mary's nanny, no one remembered that there was still a little girl who lived at home. Fortunately, Mary was rescued by an officer who at that time was evacuating from the city community and accidentally heard Mary's crying from inside her house. Mary must to live in Yorkshire with her maternal uncle, Archibald Craven. Misselthwaite Manor is a sprawling old estate with over one hundred rooms, all of which have been shut up by Archibald Craven. A man whom everyone describes as "a miserable hunchback," Mr. Craven has been in a state of inconsolable grief ever since the death of his wife ten years before the novel begins. In the Mr.craven’s home, Mary met Martha Sowerby, a housekeeper, who talked a lot about her life as an indigenous servant and taught Mary a lot about caring for others, and other good things. Mary hears about a secret garden from Martha Sowerby. This garden belonged to Mrs.Craven. After her death, mr.craven locked the garden door and buried the key beneath the earth. His wife died after giving birth their son. Mr. Craven thought that the baby was the reason of it. And now he often go travels to get rid of her sadness and leave the Misselthwaite castle under the responsibility of a rigid housekeeper, Mrs. Medlock. Mary, who has no friends, walks through the garden and meets a gardener named Ben Weatherstaff. From him, Mary heard that there was a secret garden that had been closed for 10 years and the key was that. Every night,mary heard a little child who cry and roared from far away. It mades Maria  curious about the person and want to found answers. When Mary was busy playing out of the park, robin (ben's friend) accidentally saw a strange object coming from the excavated land, there was a ring of iron or brass that had rusty, those objects were old keys that appeared to have been buried in the old mirror. A mystery that moved Mary's heart to achieve progress and found answers. Then,mary got the key. She found the way to the secret garden. When she entered to the garden,she immediately felt that there was a big thing she had to do for all the flowers and trees. Miraculously, the park was able to bring change to Mary. She became happier, and change her bad attitude. Not long after that,mary met Dickon Sowerby, a boy who is the brother of Martha Sowerby, he has the ability to communicate with animals and love nature very much. In addition,dickon was also the only person who knew Mary's secrets and worked hard to help Mary build the secret garden and keep it so that no one would know it.

At one night, there was a child who is crying and Mary were determined to find out where the sound came from. She enter the place thatt a boy who was crying. Apparently, he was Colin Archibald, the only one child of Mr. Archibald who had been locked up and hidden for almost 10 years. Mary decided to became friends with colin. Mary told the existence of a secret garden that makes Colin determined to get out of from his room. With the help of Dickon, Colin tries to venture out of his room for the first time in his life.

As time goes by, Mr. Archibald begin to realize that he should not have been dissolved in the past, and think that the secret garden was able to make a big change to Colin. Now he was more able to appreciate a life. The miracle of the park was finally able to reunite Mr. Archibald and Colin. For the first time Colin could feel the warmth of her father that he had dreamed of. And Mary also has a whole new family that was very love her.