Narcissus Reaching Out: Colin's Sensory Reorientation in The Secret Garden
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71222/p1sddj94Keywords:
The Secret Garden, Colin, sensory orientation, childhood developmentAbstract
In The Secret Garden, Colin is initially confined to his sickroom, where his understanding of himself is shaped chiefly by illness, fantasies of death, and the indulgence of others. He repeatedly contemplates the image of himself as a dying child and, caught between fear, self-pity, and self-regard, gradually loses the capacity to sense the world beyond the room. Mary's intervention first fractures this enclosed mirror image. Sounds, scents, the moor, and the secret garden then bring the outside world before him, prompting him to breathe, listen, ask questions, and perceive his body anew. Once he enters the garden, Magic becomes a shared ritual and belief enacted by the children, enabling Colin to recover his vital strength through practice. His transformation encompasses physical recovery and a reconstruction of sensory orientation. Through this process, he moves from self-enclosure toward the world and from an imagined death toward a felt sense of life.References
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