Health

Health is the central transformative state in The Secret Garden, representing the physical and psychological recovery of Colin Craven and Mary Lennox through the regenerative power of nature, friendship, and self-belief. Colin's journey from a bedridden, hysterical invalid who believes he is dying to a boy who stands, walks, and declares 'I shall live forever—and ever—and ever!' is the novel's most dramatic arc, while Mary's parallel transformation from a sour, sickly child into a robust, rosy-cheeked girl underscores the theme that health is not merely the absence of disease but an active, cultivated state of being.

The Invalid State: Origins and Manifestations

Colin Craven's ill health is rooted in a combination of physical neglect, psychological trauma, and environmental deprivation. Born on the day his mother Lilias Craven died after a fall in the garden, Colin was immediately regarded by his father Archibald Craven as a potential hunchback like himself. The father's grief and aversion led him to avoid the child, leaving Colin to be raised by servants who, fearing his tantrums and his father's orders, gave him his own way in everything. Confined to his room for most of his life, Colin was told by whispers and glances that he would die young. He developed a morbid obsession with a lump on his spine that he believed signaled the growth of a hunchback, and he suffered from hysterical fits—screaming, crying, and beating his pillow—that left him exhausted and feverish. His body was 'ivory-white,' his limbs thin and weak, and he could not stand or walk. Mary Lennox, upon her arrival from India, was similarly unhealthy: yellow-faced, thin, with limp hair and a sour expression, the result of a lifetime of neglect, a hot climate, and a diet that left her perpetually tired and languid. Both children were, in their own ways, 'contrary'—disagreeable, self-absorbed, and cut off from the natural world.

The Turn: Fresh Air, Movement, and the Garden

The first signs of health appear in Mary after she begins to spend time outdoors on the Yorkshire moor. The fresh wind whips color into her cheeks, she develops an appetite, and she grows stronger. The skipping rope sent by Susan Sowerby becomes a tool for exercise: Mary skips until her cheeks are red and she can count up to a hundred. Her work in the secret garden—digging, weeding, planting—further strengthens her. She tells Colin, 'I'm growing fatter, and I'm growing stronger. I used always to be tired. When I dig I'm not tired at all.' For Colin, the turning point comes when Mary discovers him crying in his room and, after a fierce quarrel, forces him to confront his hysterical fear of a lump on his spine. She examines his back and declares there is no lump, only 'hysterics.' This confrontation, combined with the promise of the secret garden, begins to shift his mindset. When he first enters the garden, a pink glow of color creeps over his ivory face, neck, and hands, and he cries out, 'I shall get well! I shall get well! Mary! Dickon! I shall get well! And I shall live forever and ever and ever!'

The Climax: Standing, Walking, and the Scientific Experiment

The most dramatic demonstration of Colin's recovered health occurs when Ben Weatherstaff, peering over the garden wall, calls him a 'poor cripple.' In a burst of fury and pride, Colin tears the coverings off his legs, stands upright for the first time, and shouts, 'Look at me! Just look at me—you! Just look at me!' He walks to a tree, then later walks around the entire garden. This physical achievement is accompanied by what Colin calls his 'scientific experiment' in Magic: a daily ritual of chanting affirmations such as 'Magic is in me! Magic is making me well! I am going to be as strong as Dickon!' He also begins a regimen of muscle exercises taught by Dickon, based on the techniques of a champion wrestler. His appetite grows enormous, and he gains flesh and color so rapidly that the nurse and Dr. Craven are mystified. Colin himself recognizes the change: 'Just this minute, all at once I remembered it myself—when I looked at my hand digging with the trowel—and I had to stand up on my feet to see if it was real. And it is real! I'm well—I'm well!'

The Culmination: Reunion and Full Recovery

The final proof of Colin's health comes when his father, Archibald Craven, returns to Misselthwaite Manor after a long absence. Colin, who has been running in the garden, bursts through the ivy-covered door and nearly collides with his father. He is described as 'a tall boy and a handsome one,' glowing with life, with splendid color leaping to his face. He declares, 'I'm Colin. You can't believe it. I scarcely can myself. I'm Colin... It was the garden that did it—and Mary and Dickon and the creatures—and the Magic... I'm well, I can beat Mary in a race. I'm going to be an athlete.' He walks back to the house beside his father, 'as strongly and steadily as any boy in Yorkshire.' Mary, too, has been transformed: her hair has grown thick, her cheeks are bright, and she has lost her ugly little sour look. The novel concludes with the image of the two children, once sickly and isolated, now healthy, active, and full of life, embodying the principle that health is a state achieved through connection to nature, purposeful activity, and the belief in one's own capacity to live.