the scientific experiment
The scientific experiment is Colin Craven's personal, quasi-magical program of self-healing, blending incantation, physical exercise, and belief in a universal life force he calls Magic. It becomes the central mechanism through which he transforms from a hysterical invalid into a healthy, active boy, and it culminates in his triumphant reunion with his father.
Origin and Rationale
The experiment was born from Colin's sudden, defiant act of standing on his feet to confront Ben Weatherstaff, an act he and Mary Lennox immediately recognized as a breakthrough. Colin, who had read widely despite his confinement, conceived of the experiment as a way to systematize the mysterious force that had enabled him to stand. He declared that his future scientific discoveries would be about Magic, which he defined as a great thing that pushes and draws and makes things out of nothing—leaves, trees, flowers, birds, and people. He reasoned that if Mary's whispered encouragement—"You can do it! You can do it!"—had helped him stand, then a deliberate, repeated practice of calling upon Magic could make him strong. The experiment was thus a practical application of a theory: that by thinking and speaking positively, one could cause good things to happen.
Method and Practice
The experiment had several components. First, Colin established a daily ritual: every morning and evening, and as often as possible during the day, he would repeat the mantra, "Magic is in me! Magic is making me well! I am going to be as strong as Dickon, as strong as Dickon!" He enlisted Mary, Dickon Sowerby, and Ben Weatherstaff to join him, insisting they all perform the incantation together. They would sit in a circle under the plum-tree canopy, which Colin likened to a temple, and he would chant, "The sun is shining—the sun is shining. That is the Magic. The flowers are growing—the roots are stirring. That is the Magic. Being alive is the Magic—being strong is the Magic. The Magic is in me—the Magic is in me." Second, the experiment included a regimen of physical exercise. Dickon, having learned muscle-building techniques from Bob Haworth, the champion wrestler of the moor, taught Colin a series of simple, carefully graded exercises. Colin performed these daily, gradually increasing his strength and stamina. Third, the experiment was inseparable from the secret garden itself: Colin spent every possible hour there, watching things grow, digging, weeding, and absorbing the fresh air and sunshine. He believed that the garden was the primary source of the Magic, and that his work there was part of the experiment.
Results and Significance
The experiment succeeded beyond any expectation. Colin grew stronger every day, walking farther and more steadily, and his body filled out with healthy flesh. He declared, "The Magic worked! That is my first scientific discovery." The experiment also served a strategic purpose: Colin insisted that it remain a secret until he was strong enough to reveal himself to his father, Archibald Craven, in a dramatic confrontation. He planned to simply walk into his father's study and say, "Here I am; I am like any other boy. I am quite well and I shall live to be a man. It has been done by a scientific experiment." The experiment thus became the organizing principle of Colin's recovery, giving him a framework for agency, hope, and purpose. It transformed him from a passive, terrified patient into an active agent of his own healing, and it ultimately enabled the joyful reunion with his father in the garden.
