The novel's ten-year-old protagonist. Mary's mother didn't want her, and Mary's father was busy, so Mary spent the first ten years of her life in Colonial India in the care of an Ayah. She became an ugly and unpleasant child because she always got her way and was never shown genuine love or affection. When cholera sweeps through her family's home, killing nearly everyone, Mary doesn't care much for their plight and only thinks of herself. She's discovered by chance when officers search the house and after being shunted around among several families, she's sent to live with her uncle, Mr. Craven. During this time, Mary comes to believe that she hates all people and would rather sit by herself. The servants at Misselthwaite manor find Mary extremely unpleasant, though the fresh moor air does make Mary curious for the first time in her life. She begins to learn to be self-sufficient when her maid, Martha, teaches her to dress herself, and Mary starts to make friends when Martha sends her out into the garden every day that the weather is nice. Her first friend is the robin, though she soon comes to count the gardener Ben Weatherstaff and Martha as friends. While exploring the grounds, Mary becomes interested in gardening, especially after she learns that there's a secret garden that's locked up. The day after she finds the key and gets into the garden, she meets Mr. Craven for the first time and he agrees that she can have some earth to cultivate. She takes this as permission to work in the secret garden. Mary's circle grows gradually to include Dickon and his creatures, Colin, and Mrs. Sowerby. Her friendship with Colin brings about a number of positive changes, as her selfish nature means that she's able to shame Colin into being nice without fear. As she, Colin, and Dickon work in the secret garden, Mary participates fully in Colin's spiritual system of Magic and grows stronger, more alive, and according to Mrs. Medlock, starts to look pretty. The garden transforms Mary into a whole, kind person who's ready to move forward into adulthood.