ipl-logo

Comparing Charlotte's Web, The Secret Garden, And Tuck Everlasting

1600 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Symbolism in the secret garden by frances hodgson burnett

When one thinks upon the classics of great literature, usually the transformation of a main character will come to mind. Characters that go on an adventure or experience a tragedy develops and matures somehow in the process. The authors use many symbols to present different motifs that allow the process of personal development and maturing in each of the following novels: Charlotte’s Web, The Secret Garden, A Bridge to Teribithia and Tuck Everlasting. In Charlotte’s Web we meet a young girl Fern, who saves a pig from her father’s ax and names him Wilbur. Fern treats Wilbur like he is her own little baby. Fern spends all of her time with Wilbur and she gives him a bottle, tucks him into bed, and walks him around in a stroller. Wilbur is …show more content…

“When Charlotte's web had said SOME PIG, Wilbur had tried hard to look like some pig. When Charlotte's web said TERRIFIC, Wilbur had tried to look terrific. And now that the web said RADIANT, he did everything possible to make himself glow” (White, 144). By the end of the summer Wilbur matures enough to longer think about himself when he hears that his best friend will die. He now talks to Charlotte and Templeton with an adult tone that persuades both of them. “Listen to me! … Charlotte … has only a short time to live. She cannot accompany us home, because of her condition. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that I take her egg sac with me. I can’t reach it, and I can’t climb. You are the only one that can get it” (White, 167). We finally see Wilbur as a responsible adult and no longer a child. In The Secret Garden, Mary Lennox develops in both maturity and behavior. When we first meet Mary she is a spoiled, unloved, lonely and selfish child. The soldiers who discover her after the Cholera breakout are shocked to find her, and refer to her as "the child no one ever saw" (Burnett, 8). As Mary’s heartbreak and circumstances change so does her …show more content…

“ Mary was in such a rage and felt so helpless before the girl’s simple stare, and somehow she suddenly felt so horribly lonely and far away from everything she understood and which understood her, that she threw herself face downward on the pillows and burst into passionate sobbing” (Burnett, 33). Once Mary discovers the secret garden, Dixon and her cousin Colin she starts to thrive both physically and emotionally. Mary’s healing begins and she becomes interested in the world around her. “The Secret Garden was what Mary called it when she was thinking of it. She had no intention of going to sleep, and, in fact, she was becoming wider awake every day which passed at Misselthwaite” (Burnett, 106). Furthermore she begins to see herself in Colin and recognizes her flaws. “Mary had indeed been rather like him herself and since she had been at Misselthwaite had gradually discovered that her own manners had not been of the kind which is usual or popular”. (Burnett, 280). This is an important character development in maturity for Mary.
Mary starts thinking more about Colin and she takes him to her secret garden. Here she helps him learn how to walk again and experiments with the magic. "Magic is always pushing and drawing and making things out of nothing” (Burnett, 287). By the end of the book Mary evolves into a happy playful girl and the once disagreeable child is

Show More
Related
631 Words | 3 Pages

What Mary lacks to see is that her parents love her with all their heart, but her viewpoint is her parents don’t understand her. The reason being is since Hana knows very little english Mary and her can not have quality talks with her and Taro spends most a his days at the shop so he is never home. In this case Hana and Taro are the people who will do anything for another person. Sadly, Mary feels like her parents could care less about her and starts thinking it would be better if she lived her life and they lived their life separate. She truly believed that if this change was made then everyone will be joyful in the long run.

Read More
656 Words | 3 Pages

Mary not only had grown as an intellectual, but so had her independent stance in the world. Soon after she had graduated from medical school, she married the man in whom she loved and opened her own private practice. Mary still aspired to have a larger role among the community. After offering her business to the government, she applied for a role in the U.S. Army, however, she was denied and instead offered the

Read More
595 Words | 3 Pages

Once again if you read the whole book, you learn that Mary actually achieves her goal and turns out to be a wonderful person who figures out what life is through traveling. Another example would be aquote such as “ Sometimes you walk into a room one person, and when you come out the other side, you’re someone else altogether.” I believe this uncovers or foreshadows that she will change throughout the

Read More
815 Words | 4 Pages

She went from living in her nice community home to surviving in the woods and sleeping in a wigwam. You can really lose sight of who you are when your surroundings change quickly and drastically. These “savages” as she referred to them as made her life a living hell. Mary considered the world beautiful in the past because she was an at home wife that didn’t have to live under any difficult conditions. This was her first time actually being held without food for several days.

Read More
2461 Words | 10 Pages

Mary and her mother were fortunately sold to quite a kind family who did not treat their slaves as much like garbage but instead were treated more of as they were, humans. Although she was a slave, she was treated very well in the William’s and Pruden’s household. Mary had a very positive experience as a child and believes it to be the happiest time in her life. Thus, leading her childhood being the happiest

Read More
1333 Words | 6 Pages

O’Brien employs personification to convey how Mary Anne’s change after being exposed to war affects Mark Fossie, who so desperately wants her to remain

Read More
1066 Words | 5 Pages

When Mary Anne first gets to Vietnam, she’s this sweet, innocent girl that comes comes into a war zone. She completely changes after being there just a couple of weeks. Now she's distant, not innocent, and is seen in a whole new character. Her values from before and after change herself to where she is a different person. “Too wide in the shoulders, maybe, but she had terrific legs, a bubbly personality, and a happy smile” (O’Brien 90).

Read More
1235 Words | 5 Pages

But the sexualization within the document is not only applied to Mary. When describing the two-year old traveling with John and Mary, she is described as a ‘woman child’. This was another conscious decision that depicts a young Indigenous girl as being ‘mature’ for her age, suggesting that unlike English girls, this child is closer to the age of majority. This also implies that she is closer to the age of sexual availability, ignoring that she is still a toddler. Lastly, when describing Mary, the choice was made to describe

Read More
1152 Words | 5 Pages

It was one of the happiest days of her life. She did not want to bug her head about anyone that could ruin her special day. It was a long night that was full of laughter and excitement for the Couple as they discussed late into the night. Mary felt the fulfillment that came with getting married to a Man who fulfilled all her childhood dreams. She saw a future that no one could take away from her.

Read More
1006 Words | 5 Pages

In times of action her face took on a sudden new composure, almost serene, the fuzzy blue eyes narrowing into a tight intelligent focus” (O’Brien 98). In order to cope with the horrors of war she has been exposed to, Mary Anne focuses on her job by helping wounded soldiers. As Mary Anne gets more comfortable in a war-torn environment, she starts to change her appearance. At first she uses “no cosmetics, no fingernail fillings” and “she

Read More
751 Words | 4 Pages

Mary would sit quietly for she was a bit shy. Their friendship grew over the coming years. These good friends would become an intricate part of one another’s lives. They made it their duty to keep

Read More
1068 Words | 5 Pages

Her mother died shortly after her birth leaving her father to care for her and her half-sister, Fanny Imlay. The dynamic of her family soon changed when her father remarried. Mary was treated poorly by her new stepmother, and her quality of life was less than satisfactory. Her step-siblings were allowed to receive an education while Mary stayed at home. She found comfort in reading, and created stories in her father’s library.

Read More
733 Words | 3 Pages

There was no secret door in her room in the book. Before Colin met Mary he never went outside. When he met Mary he decided he would go outside to the secret garden. At the time he could not walk but he started walking soon after. They think Colin was sick and had a fever they put him in an ice bath

Read More
701 Words | 3 Pages

Mary gets the key to the secret garden. Afterwards, everything is changing: the garden itself, the personality of Mary and Colin as well. They are going to observe that life is good if we are able to learn to get friends, to help others and to love life itself. They discover that there is magic everywhere

Read More
2062 Words | 9 Pages

She also notices ‘the oily swirls in the liquid’ Patrick drinks. ‘Oily swirls’ suggest such a minute detail that most would miss but that Mary notices. All of her habits reveal how observant she is to the point of obsession. At the same time, Dahl intends for Mary’s name to be interpreted allegorically as ‘Mary Magdalene’; the embodiment of innocence and Christian devotion. This is shown in how Mary waits ‘for her husband to come home from work’, which reveals her role as a submissive housewife while ‘went forward to kiss him’ indicates that she is a loving person.

Read More

More about Comparing Charlotte's Web, The Secret Garden, And Tuck Everlasting

Related Topics

Open Document