Instructions: Answer these questions. Check the rubric before you begin writing to see how your responses will be graded.
1. Friendship can bring out a person's best qualities. How does Mary's friendship with the robin bring out her better qualities?
2. Martha is also Mary's friend, and she expects Mary to be self-reliant. What does she teach or encourage Mary to do?
3. How does Mary feel as she becomes more independent? Why?
4. What is the theme of The Secret Garden, and how does Mary's transformation contribute to the development of the theme?