# Colin Craven — The Secret Garden character guide > Colin Craven in The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Master Colin, Mester Colin, Poor Colin, the young Rajah, the Rajah, Rajah **First appearance:** 0004-v-the-cry-in-the-corridor ## Snapshot A tyrannical, bedridden boy who has been told all his life that he is dying, and who rules his sickroom like a small, furious rajah. ## Who they are Colin Craven is the hidden heir of Misselthwaite, kept in a curtained room by servants who obey his tantrums and his terror of his own back. He has never wanted to see anyone or anything, and he clings to the prophecy that he will die, because it is the only attention he has ever been given. His longing to be like his mother, and to be liked by his absent father, is the crack through which the garden and Mary will reach him. ## Relationships ### [Mary Lennox](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/characters/mary_lennox) _friendship_ Colin and Mary form a transformative friendship, healing each other through shared secrets and the magic of the garden. ### [Dickon Sowerby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/characters/dickon_sowerby) _friendship_ Dickon becomes Colin's trusted friend and mentor, helping him gain physical strength and joy in nature. ### [Ben Weatherstaff](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/characters/ben_weatherstaff) _friendship_ Ben Weatherstaff, the old gardener, develops a protective fondness for Colin and helps him discover his strength. ### [Archibald Craven](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/characters/archibald_craven) _family_ Archibald is Colin's grief-stricken father who avoids him until the garden's magic reunites them. ### [Martha Sowerby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/characters/martha_sowerby) _friendship_ Martha cheerfully serves Colin and helps bridge his isolation with stories of her family and the moor. ### [Mrs. Medlock](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/characters/mrs_medlock) _professional_ Mrs. Medlock manages Colin's household with strictness, fearing his tantrums but ultimately caring for his welfare. ### [Mary Lennox](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/characters/mary_lennox) _friendship_ Colin and Mary form a transformative friendship, healing each other through shared secrets and the magic of the garden. ### [Mary Lennox](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/characters/mary_lennox) _friendship_ Colin and Mary form a transformative friendship, healing each other through shared secrets and the magic of the garden. ### [Dickon Sowerby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/characters/dickon_sowerby) _friendship_ Dickon becomes Colin's trusted friend and mentor, helping him gain physical strength and joy in nature. ### [Dickon Sowerby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/characters/dickon_sowerby) _friendship_ Dickon becomes Colin's trusted friend and mentor, helping him gain physical strength and joy in nature. ### [Martha Sowerby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/characters/martha_sowerby) _friendship_ Martha cheerfully serves Colin and helps bridge his isolation with stories of her family and the moor. ### [Archibald Craven](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/characters/archibald_craven) _family_ Archibald is Colin's grief-stricken father who avoids him until the garden's magic reunites them. ## In the story ### [I Am Colin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/chapters/xiii-i-am-colin) Colin is introduced as a spoiled, sickly boy who becomes fascinated by the secret garden and shows Mary a portrait of his mother, expressing his resentment over her death. ### [A Young Rajah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/chapters/xiv-a-young-rajah) Colin is found crying by Mary, but he welcomes her company, asserts his authority over the servants, and shows growing curiosity about the moor and Dickon. ### [Nest Building](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/chapters/xv-nest-building) Colin enjoys Mary's company, shares his fear of being stared at and his hatred of being pitied, and shows interest in the secret garden. ### [XVI: “I Won’t!” Said Mary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/chapters/xvi-i-won-t-said-mary) Colin is frustrated and jealous of Mary's time with Dickon. He throws a tantrum, accuses Mary of selfishness, and threatens to send Dickon away, revealing his insecurity and fear of being alone. ### [XVII: A Tantrum](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/chapters/xvii-a-tantrum) Has a violent hysterical tantrum, is shocked into stopping by Mary, then asks about the secret garden and falls asleep to her soothing words. ### [Tha' Munnot Waste No Time](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/chapters/xviii-tha-munnot-waste-no-time) Ill and feverish after his fit, but brightens at the mention of the secret garden and eagerly anticipates Dickon's visit. ### [XIX: “It Has Come!”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/chapters/xix-it-has-come) Shows remarkable improvement, sitting up, laughing, and planning to go outside; feels relaxed and hopeful after Mary's influence. ### [XX: “I Shall Live Forever—and Ever—and Ever!”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/chapters/xx-i-shall-live-forever-and-ever-and-ever) Colin is transported to the secret garden for the first time. Overwhelmed by its beauty, he experiences a surge of hope and declares he will get well and live forever. ### [Ben Weatherstaff](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/chapters/xxi-ben-weatherstaff) Thrives in the garden, shows color in his face, declares he will grow and walk, begins to lose his fear. ### [When the Sun Went Down](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/chapters/xxii-when-the-sun-went-down) Stands, walks, and digs for the first time, planting a rose and asserting his health and authority. ### [Magic](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/chapters/xxiii-magic) Declares he is not going to die, embraces the Magic of the garden, chants and walks around the garden, plans a secret scientific experiment to become strong. ### [XXIV: “Let Them Laugh”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/chapters/xxiv-let-them-laugh) Colin feigns illness to avoid his father being notified, but his appetite and strength betray his true improvement. He enjoys Mrs. Sowerby's buns and milk, and practices walking and exercises to build muscle. ### [The Curtain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/chapters/xxv-the-curtain) Grows stronger, walks and runs in the gallery, decides to keep his mother's portrait visible, and speaks of the Magic. ### [XXVI: “It’s Mother!”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/chapters/xxvi-it-s-mother) Colin meets Susan Sowerby, expresses his wish for her to be his mother, and later realizes he is fully well, standing tall and exultant in the garden. ### [In the Garden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/chapters/xxvii-in-the-garden) Bursts out of the secret garden, full of life and health, and joyfully reunites with his father. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/characters/colin_craven - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_garden_se/characters