the moor
The moor is the vast, wild landscape that surrounds Misselthwaite Manor, a central setting in The Secret Garden that shapes the physical and emotional transformation of the characters. Initially perceived by Mary Lennox as a bleak and desolate expanse, the moor gradually reveals its beauty and life-giving power, becoming a symbol of renewal, freedom, and the natural magic that heals both body and spirit.
Definition and First Impressions
The moor is described as "miles and miles and miles of wild land that nothing grows on but heather and gorse and broom, and nothing lives on but wild ponies and sheep." When Mary first crosses it on a dark, rainy night, she finds it terrifying, thinking it sounds like the sea and feeling as if she is passing over a "wide expanse of black ocean." She declares, "I don't like it," and pinches her thin lips together. The next morning, looking out her window, she sees "a great climbing stretch of land which seemed to have no trees on it, and to look rather like an endless, dull, purplish sea." When Martha asks if she likes it, Mary answers, "No. I hate it." Martha, who loves the moor, explains that Mary dislikes it only because she is not used to it, and predicts she will come to love it.
The Moor's Beauty and Life
Martha describes the moor in spring and summer as "fair lovely," covered with gorse, broom, and heather in flower, smelling of honey, with fresh air, high skies, and the humming of bees and singing of skylarks. She says, "Eh! I wouldn't live away from th' moor for anythin'." After a rainstorm, Mary sees the moor transformed: "The far-reaching world of the moor itself looked softly blue instead of gloomy purple-black or awful dreary gray." The sky is a "brilliant, deep blue" that Mary had never dreamed of, with small clouds of "snow-white fleece." Martha tells her that Yorkshire is "th' sunniest place on earth when it is sunny" and promises that when she sees the gold-colored gorse blossoms, the broom, and the heather flowering "all purple bells," with butterflies, bees, and skylarks, she will want to be out on it all day like Dickon.
The Moor's Effect on the Characters
The moor's fresh, strong, pure air has a profound effect on Mary. It gives her an appetite, stirs her blood as she fights with the wind, and awakens her mind. She begins to care about things and feel less "contrary." The moor also becomes a source of wonder and connection. Dickon, who lives on the moor, is described as being able to charm animals and understand the wild things because he has lived among them so long. He says, "I've lived on th' moor with 'em so long. I've watched 'em break shell an' come out an' fledge an' learn to fly an' begin to sing, till I think I'm one of 'em." The moor is also the place where Dickon finds a new-born lamb, and where he and Mary plan to take Colin to help him heal. For Colin, the moor initially represents a place he cannot go, but through Mary and Dickon's descriptions, it becomes a symbol of life and health. When he finally goes into the secret garden, the moor's influence is felt through the fresh air and the sense of being part of a living world.
Narrative Significance
The moor functions as a powerful counterpoint to the closed, gloomy spaces of Misselthwaite Manor. It represents freedom, wildness, and the natural cycle of life and death. The characters' relationships with the moor mirror their own transformations: Mary moves from fear and hatred to appreciation and love; Colin moves from being shut in and afraid to embracing the outdoors and the possibility of life. The moor is not merely a backdrop but an active force in the story, a source of the "Magic" that heals and renews.
