The Secret Garden

by

Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Robin Character Analysis

A young male robin that was born in a tree in the secret garden, but as a fledgling was unable to make it back to the nest. At that time, he befriended Ben Weatherstaff, and when Mary meets the robin, he seems almost tame. He sings for Ben Weatherstaff, Mary, and Dickon, and once, stands on the end of Ben Weatherstaff's gardening tool. A few days later, the robin shows Mary where the key and the door to the secret garden are, and he accompanies the children inside. Ben Weatherstaff and the children watch the robin transform from a young, boisterous, and flamboyant creature looking for a mate to a mature, protective, and harried father. He and his mate build a nest in the corner of the garden, and they allow the children to get relatively close. When the robin narrates a chapter, he notes that Dickon speaks robin language and remarks on how long it takes for human children to grow up as he watches Colin walk laps around the garden.

The Robin Quotes in The Secret Garden

The The Secret Garden quotes below are all either spoken by The Robin or refer to The Robin . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Healing, Growth, and Nature Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

"A bird with a red breast was sitting on one of them and he sang."

To her surprise the surly old weather-beaten face actually changed its expression. A slow smile spread over it and the gardener looked quite different. It made her think that it was curious how much nicer a person looked when he smiled. She had not thought of it before.

Related Characters: Mary Lennox (speaker), Ben Weatherstaff , The Robin
Page Number: 44
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

She walked away, slowly thinking. She had begun to like the garden just as she had begun to like the robin and Dickon and Martha's mother. She was beginning to like Martha, too. This seemed a good many people to like—when you were not used to liking.

Related Characters: Mary Lennox (speaker), Dickon, Ben Weatherstaff , Susan Sowerby / Mother, Martha, The Robin
Page Number: 78
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Secret Garden LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Secret Garden PDF

The Robin Quotes in The Secret Garden

The The Secret Garden quotes below are all either spoken by The Robin or refer to The Robin . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Healing, Growth, and Nature Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

"A bird with a red breast was sitting on one of them and he sang."

To her surprise the surly old weather-beaten face actually changed its expression. A slow smile spread over it and the gardener looked quite different. It made her think that it was curious how much nicer a person looked when he smiled. She had not thought of it before.

Related Characters: Mary Lennox (speaker), Ben Weatherstaff , The Robin
Page Number: 44
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

She walked away, slowly thinking. She had begun to like the garden just as she had begun to like the robin and Dickon and Martha's mother. She was beginning to like Martha, too. This seemed a good many people to like—when you were not used to liking.

Related Characters: Mary Lennox (speaker), Dickon, Ben Weatherstaff , Susan Sowerby / Mother, Martha, The Robin
Page Number: 78
Explanation and Analysis: