Secret Garden Themes

The novels The Secret Garden (TSG) by Frances Hodgson Burnett and To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM) by Harper Lee have significant themes on its own and they also share a common subtheme. The secret garden is the most important setting in this novel. It is this setting that creates the theme of this novel. Nature has its magic is the theme of the novel because it is clearly shown how many characters have dynamically changed after they have gone into this garden. After Mary found it, she had changed tremendously from a young surly girl to a kind-hearted girl thanks to the garden and Dickon too. The reason why I said nature has its magic is because of its beauty and enchantment. When Colin first went into the secret garden, he felt overwhelmingly

The time setting of this novel is during the 1930s where racial inequality was on the heat in the Southern states due to the effects of Civil War. The Klu Klux Klan was on the rise. They are mobs who are also veteran armies who lost the Civil War earlier. This clan lynched the Negroes frequently to show superiority on their land. This is similarly described in the novel. The author decided to add the element of injustice in the novel through the conviction of Tom Robinson. Tom was accused of raping Mayella. Since he was a Negro, he was sentenced to jail though he had a fair trial defended by Atticus. Tom’s sentence was decided by a bunch of white people of Maycomb County. This event shows how the author was trying to highlight the unfairness of the society at that time. Contrary to the perspective whites have on the Negroes at that time, the author describes Tom as a responsible and kind-hearted man who does not want to mess with the whites. Injustice was shown through other characters as well. Boo Radley did not do any harm to the society, but he was a topic to be discussed. However, he was a kind person who left sweets for the children and saved Jem from danger. Besides him, Atticus was a victim of unjust too. Once he had decided to represent Tom for his trial, the people of Maycomb openly criticise his actions. He was regarded by his nephew as a Nigger-lover too. The author cleverly displayed injustice through the characters mentioned.

Even when she knows that the world is unfair, she still chose to believe that there is goodness in people. This was proved when everyone in Maycomb stayed away from the Radleys and created rumours, she did not take it seriously. And when Boo Radley saved Jem from Bob Ewell at the end of the story, she knows that what she believes is good- Boo Radley is not as bad as what people seem to say.

Nonetheless, Jem had grown mature in this story. At the beginning of the story, Jem was quite a playful child when he played with Dill and had a silly deal of touching the Radley’s door. After that, Jem was described as moody by Scout a few times which shows that he has grown mature and responsible. Maturity was shown when Jem decided to invite Walter Cunningham to have a meal in their home. Jem grew up to be a responsible man too, he most probably inherited that trait from Atticus. Evidently, Jem tried to protect Scout during the struggle with Bob Ewell in the dark after her school pageant.

Whereas in TSG, Mary and Colin had grown up in terms of their behaviour. Mary was a tyrannical child who hated everyone in her environment no matter where she