missel thrush
The missel thrush is a bird species that appears in The Secret Garden primarily through reference and metaphor rather than direct appearance. It is introduced when Martha Sowerby, with great pride, shows Mary Lennox a picture that her brother Dickon Sowerby had drawn and left for Mary in the secret garden. The picture, which Mary had found fastened to a standard rose-bush with a long thorn, was a roughly printed image of a nest with a bird sitting on it, accompanied by the message "I will cum bak." Martha immediately recognized the drawing, exclaiming, "That there's a picture of a missel thrush on her nest, as large as life an' twice as natural." This identification established the missel thrush as the symbolic bird of the secret garden, representing safety, secrecy, and the promise of return.
Symbolic Meaning and the Promise of Secrecy
The missel thrush on its nest became the central metaphor through which Dickon communicated his absolute trustworthiness to Mary. When Mary, anxious and tearful, had confessed to Dickon that she had "stolen a garden" and begged him to keep it secret, Dickon responded by comparing her to a missel thrush. He said, "If tha' was a missel thrush an' showed me where thy nest was, does tha' think I'd tell any one? Not me. Tha' art as safe as a missel thrush." This comparison transformed the garden into a nest—a hidden, protected space where something precious was being nurtured. Mary understood the message immediately, and the image of the missel thrush on its nest became the emblem of their shared secret. The bird's nest, like the garden, was a place of vulnerability and trust, and Dickon's promise not to betray the missel thrush's nest was his promise not to betray the garden.
Connection to the Garden's Renewal
The missel thrush also connects to the broader theme of nesting and renewal that pervades the secret garden. When Dickon first entered the garden with Mary, he immediately noticed its potential as a nesting sanctuary, saying, "Eh! the nests as'll be here come springtime. It'd be th' safest nestin' place in England. No one never comin' near an' tangles o' trees an' roses to build in." The missel thrush, as a bird that builds its nest in such tangled, protected places, embodies the garden's promise of safe growth. Later, when Colin Craven first visited the garden and asked about an old, seemingly dead tree, Dickon reassured him that the climbing roses would soon hide every bit of the dead wood, making it "th' prettiest of all." The missel thrush's nest-building instinct mirrors the children's own work of restoring the garden to life—both are acts of creation and care in a hidden, protected space.
The Missel Thrush and Maternal Care
The missel thrush also carries connotations of maternal care and protection, themes that resonate with the absent mothers in the story. Martha's description of the picture as "a missel thrush on her nest" emphasizes the mother bird's role in guarding and nurturing her young. This maternal imagery connects to Susan Sowerby, the mother of twelve children who becomes a motherly figure to both Mary and Colin. When Susan Sowerby finally enters the secret garden, she embodies the same protective, nurturing quality that the missel thrush represents. The bird's nest, like the garden itself, becomes a symbol of the safe, loving environment that the children have created together—a place where they can grow and thrive, protected from the outside world.
