Personification is when something nonhuman is given the characteristics of a person. For example, the most obvious example of personification in the novel can be found in the garden itself. The garden is often described as having a life of its own, as if it’s a character in the story. For instance, after Colin enters the garden for the first time, he feels someone has laid a gentle hand on his face.

People often represent nature as a person or refer to “Mother Nature” because we see nature as having the qualities of a mother who gives life, food, and healing. In The Secret Garden, the garden provides nature and healing like a mother.

The robin is a different example of personification. Both Ben and Dickon speak to the robin and understand him, and he interacts with them much as a person would. In chapter 25, the author tells us that the robin knew at first glance that Dickon was a kind of bird himself without wings or feathers, and there is a passage of several pages describing what the robin and his mate think about the activities of the children in the garden.