Digging Out the “Secrets” in The Secret Garden Abstract Frances Hodgson Burnett’s greatest work, The Secret Garden, was opened by introducing the main character Mary Lennox. Mary was a sour-faced and quite contrary girl, who became an orphan because of a terrible cholera epidemic and she was sent to her uncle after that. It is at her uncle’s, she finds out the secret garden as well as her strange cousin, Colin, who is also presumptuous and liverish. It is in the secret garden, she revives with the garden and regains happiness. The Secret Garden, is titled as major contribution to children’s literature not only because the story is up rather strange, but for it reveals the unique value of “secrets” to children, which is only a tip of the iceberg on children’s psyche. Another meaning of “secret” is a recipe or a tip for something, therefore, the reveal of children’s secrets will also be discussed, which is the Law of Attraction. What is the Law of Attraction? What kind of “secrets” do children process? What do secrets mean to them? All the answers to these questions will be revealed in the thesis.60540

Key words: secret; growth; magic; The Secret Garden; the Law of Attraction

挖掘《秘密花园》中的“秘密”

摘 要在弗朗西丝·霍奇森·伯内特最伟大的作品《秘密花园》中，主人公玛丽·雷诺克斯是一个坏脾气又倔强的小姑娘，她在一场糟糕的霍乱中变成了孤儿，接着就被送到了她的姑父家。在那里，她发现了一座秘密花园，同样，找到了她的奇怪表哥——柯林，一个同样专横，坏脾气的小男孩。在秘密花园里，她和花园一起经历复活并且重获幸福。《秘密花园》被大家认为是儿童文学中的重要作品，不仅仅是因为其故事的跌宕起伏，更在于它揭开了秘密对于儿童的独特意义，这也是儿童心灵中的冰山一角。由此可见，秘密对于儿童成长的重要性之大。秘密的另一种解释是做某件事情的技巧或方法，因此，儿童精神的秘密——吸引力法则也将在此被探讨。什么是吸引力法则？孩子们拥有什么秘密？秘密对他们而言意着什么? 所有这些问题的答案将在论文中被揭晓。

毕业论文关键词：秘密；成长；魔力；《秘密花园》；吸引力法则

Contents

Introduction 1

1. The Secrets in the Growth of Children in the Secret Garden 4

1.1 Two Types of Secrets--- Hidden Secrets ＆ Light Secrets 5

1.2 Three Stages of Secrets 6

1.3 Secrets Promote the Development of Children 9

2. The “Magic” of the Law of Attraction in the Secret Garden 11

2.1 Like Attracts Like---Colin ＆ Mary 11

2.2 Bad Feeling Cannot Exist with Good Thoughts 12

2.3 The Secret Transfer--- Nature 13

3. The Power of the Initiation Guides  15

3.1 Dickon’s magic 15

3.2 The Power of Martha, Ben Weatherstaff, and Robin 15

3.3 The Power of Motherhood---Susan Sowerby and Ms. Craven 16

Conclusion 18

Bibliography 19

Introduction

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic work, The Secret Garden, is considered as her best-known work as well as a major contribution to children’s literature. Adrian Gunther extolled it “one of the great icons of children’s literature”, and the U.S. National Education Association named it one of “Teachers’ Top 100 Books for Children’’. It also makes her become one of the most significant writers immediately after being published in America during the 20th century.