Mary Lennox Character

678 Words3 Pages
There would be many words to describe Mary Lennox. In the beginning of The Secret Garden, one may describe her as horrid and ugly, and in the end, she may be described as cheerful, caring, and determined. However, Mary has a character trait that stays the same through the course of this book. One adjective that would best describe Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden is curious. Mary’s curiosity is first shown when she arrives in England. Even though she is a selfish, ill­tempered child, Mary finds herself listening to the adults talking about Misselthwaite Manor, her destination. She is attracted to everything new, and is interested in the things she had never seen in India, where she spent most of her life. On her carriage ride to the manor, “She sat and looked out the window, curious to see something of the road over which she was being driven to the queer place Mrs. Medlock had spoken of.” Mary is a rude, bored little girl, but this unconscious curiosity shows that she is capable of being interested in something. Mary’s interest in her new environment shows that no matter how vile she acted, she had a curious side. Mary’s curious nature causes her to discover the secret garden of the late Mrs. Craven. Martha Sowerby, Mary’s cheerful maidservant, had told her about a secret garden. The garden had been locked by Master Craven (Mary’s uncle) after the death of Mistress Craven. Mary is intrigued by the story of the secret garden and the buried key, so she observes everything around her as she plays in the other gardens. Mary wants to see the secret garden, as she says, “How I wish I could see how it is like!” She tries to get more information about the garden by talking to Ben Weatherstaff, a grumpy but kind old gardener. One day in the garden, a robin redbreast (who had become friends with Mary) leads her to a key. Mary “connects the dots” and infers
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