The Secret Garden Study Guide

Mary Lennox is thought to be the most disagreeable child ever seen, pitifully thin with waxy-looking skin, limp hair and a miserable disposition. Her family is from England, living now in India. Mary's mother puts her into the care of an Ayah, an Indian nursemaid, just after she is born, and rarely sees her. Mary grows up in the care of native servants who give her way in everything so she won't start to cry and disturb her mother. By the time Mary is six years old, she is a selfish tyrant who chases away the English governesses who are hired to teach her. (read more)