Mary is introduced as an ugly, ill-tempered, and demanding girl due to being neglected by her parents who blamed her sickliness. After being orphaned, she moves to her uncle's estate in England where she starts to mature, making friends with others and taking an interest in gardening. She works hard to restore the neglected secret garden, demonstrating knowledge of gardening. Mary also helps her sickly cousin Colin recover from his fears and illness by talking to him confidently, in parallel with her own development into a wise young girl.

1. CHARACTER SKETCH –MARY LENNOX
Mary is the main character of story “The Secret Garden”. The Secret Garden is a children's novel by British
writer Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published in 1911.
INTRODUCTION:
The novel begins by introducing the reader to Mary — although it would perhaps be more accurate to say
it begins by introducing us to her faults. She is described as ugly, ill-tempered, and viciously demanding
girl. At the same time, however, the reader is given to understand that the source of Mary's hatefulness is
not precisely in her: the blame lies with her parents—particularly her mother. Disappointed by her
daughter's ugliness and sickliness, Mary's mother cruelly refuses to see her, instead leaving her in the care
of a retinue of Indian servants who care nothing at all for the child.
A MATURE GIRL
After her parents death, she has to live at her uncle’s big house in England. From here, we observe a
significant change in Mary’s character. She begins to open her heart to new friendships with the many
characters—human and animal alike. Slowly we see Mary mature as she comes to terms with the
selfishness and isolation that has characterized her early life. She talks to Martha politely. She also wants
to see her brother Dickon, but she thinks that he wouldn’t like her as she is rude.
SMART GARDENER
Her discoveryofthe secretgardenmarksthe point when Marytruly startsbecoming joyfuland enthusiastic
about living. Whereas in India she spent all her time indoors, Mary has now become a lover and caretaker
of nature, eager to bring vibrancy back into the neglected garden . She gives money to Martha to get some
flower seeds and tools for gardening. She is a hard worker and works all day in the secret garden to make
it wonderful again. She knows the use of spade and other tools in gardening. It shows that Mary knows to
use a spare time in productive tasks..
A GOOD COUNSELER
Mary is a good counselor. She helps Colin Craven to get out of his fears and illness. She talks to him
confidently and wisely. She does everything to feel Colin happy and healthy. With the help of Mary, Colin
is able to walk and he turns into a handsome boy. In this way, the revival of the Craven household runs
parallel to Mary's own development into a wise and compassionate young girl.
In my opinion, Mary’s character has a powerful massage that children can do magic and make things
better together. Parents should trust children. It reflects the life of any child who goes through any
emotional tragedy in life and how they can adapt to new life positively.