3.2 The Growth of Mary 20

3.2.1 Physical Growth 20

3.2.2 Psychological Changes 21

Conclusion 23

Works Cited 24

The Growing Path of Mary in The Secret Garden

Introduction

The Secret Garden is one of the most famous and successful works of Burnett, who was an American writer for children literature. The characterization is the basis for the success of the masterpiece. Besides, the growing path of the leading character Mary is also the artistic charm of it. The thesis tries to from the view of initiation novel analyze the steps of her growing path. Meanwhile, in the process of her growth, we will feel about her female self-consciousness and see her way of redeeming others and herself at the same time. And we can combine the character of children literature and that of literature of growth together, analyzing the huge meaning of the novel to the health of children, thus expressing the humanistic care and educational instruction of the children literature.

This works was created in the time when the Romanism had developed into its climax. Writers in that era express their attitude towards the nature and ecology, calling on people to come back to the most usual topics in literature, such as life and love. Therefore, when Burnett fixed up her own garden in the Long Island of New York, she had the idea of The Secret Garden.