Susan Sowerby in The Secret Garden

Who is Susan Sowerby?

Susan Sowerby is the mother of Dickon and Martha Sowerby, a hardworking Yorkshire cottage woman whose plain wisdom and affection quietly shape events at Misselthwaite. Though not often at the big house, she is a reassuring presence: she listens to her children’s stories, approves the secret garden’s restorative work, and supplies practical help—food, encouragement, and praise. When she visits the garden she receives the children’s trust and comforts Colin with maternal words and an embrace. She also writes a short, persuasive letter urging Mr. Craven to return home, a small but crucial act that helps bring the family back together. She values fresh air, simple remedies, and trust in the healing power of the moor and the garden; through practical aid and gentle moral support she helps the sick children gain appetite, courage, and hope.

In the book: When we first hear of Mrs. Sowerby, she’s Martha and Dickon’s mother—a poor but wise Yorkshire housewife whose good sense and kindness ripple through her children. Even before Mary meets her, Mrs. Sowerby is the steady, encouraging voice in the background, sending small comforts and gentle advice that nudge the lonely girl toward fresh air, food, and friendship.

Personality

Practical

She provides milk, baked goods, and helps arrange food for the children so their secret outdoor meals do not alarm the household (Chapter 24).

Warm

She embraces Colin, speaks to him in comforting, maternal language, and admires his improved appearance when she finds him in the garden (Chapter 26).

Perceptive

She recognizes the children’s revival as real and praises the restorative effects of play and the garden without needing elaborate proof (Chapter 24).

Encouraging

She listens delightedly to Dickon’s account of the secret garden and reassures the children that their play will make them healthier (Chapter 24).

Influential in small ways

She sends Mr. Craven a brief letter urging him to return home, which helps trigger his decision to come back to Misselthwaite (Chapter 27).

Character arc

Susan Sowerby remains a steady, largely unchanging moral and practical center from her first mentions through her garden visit and the letter to Mr. Craven. Early on she is heard about more than seen—Martha and Dickon describe the cottage life and her sensible voice—and her sensible outlook underpins the Sowerby household’s actions. As the secret garden’s influence grows she moves from approving listener to active supporter: she supplies food and practical ideas so the children can hide their improvement from suspicious adults, and she helps foster the conditions—appetite, exercise, confidence—by which Mary and Colin strengthen. Her direct appearance in the garden confirms her acceptance and maternal warmth; she comforts Colin and praises the children’s health. Finally, she takes a discreet but decisive step by writing to Mr. Craven, urging his return; this small action helps precipitate the father’s return and the family’s reunion. Throughout, she does not undergo a dramatic inner change but she moves from background wisdom to an instrumental presence whose care and common sense help complete the children’s recovery and the novel’s reconciliation.

Relationships

• Dickon Sowerby Her son; she listens to his stories, admires his care for animals, and shares pride in his role with the children.
• Martha Sowerby Her daughter; Martha reports household news and the Sowerby ways, reflecting Susan’s practical, moral influence at home.
• Mary Lennox The girl who finds the garden; Susan approves Mary’s role in bringing fresh air and life to Colin and offers maternal encouragement.
• Colin Craven The sick boy she comforts directly in the garden, embracing him and strengthening his hope that his father will return.
• Archibald Craven A distant but crucial connection; her short letter urging his return helps prompt his journey back to Misselthwaite.
• Ben Weatherstaff A fellow gardener/observer of the garden-life; both are part of the local network who notice and approve Colin’s improvement.

Quotes by Susan Sowerby

“Eh! dear lad!”

Chapter 26Susan's instinctive, affectionate exclamation when she sees Colin, showing immediate maternal warmth and emotional connection.

Why Susan Sowerby matters

Susan Sowerby embodies the novel’s faith in simple, grounded humanity: practical care, maternal warmth, and trust in nature’s restorative power. She anchors the Sowerby family’s rural wisdom and supplies the small but vital acts—food, encouragement, a timely letter—that enable physical and emotional healing. Her presence shows how community, ordinary kindness, and unpretentious competence can counteract loneliness and grief; she helps bridge the manor and the moor, making reconciliation and recovery possible without drama but with steady moral force.

Chapters with Susan Sowerby

• Chapter 6
• Chapter 12
• Chapter 14
• Chapter 15
• Chapter 19
• Chapter 20
• Chapter 24
• Chapter 26
• Chapter 27

More The Secret Garden characters

• Mary LennoxProtagonist
• Dickon SowerbyMajor character
• Mrs. MedlockMajor character
• Martha SowerbyMajor character
• The RobinMinor character
• Ben WeatherstaffMajor character
• Colin CravenMajor character
• Archibald CravenMajor character