Growing With My Garden

These chapters show the working of Providence in Robert’s life, slowly making him to become the model of the ideal Christian.  Dr Anderson plays an important role as he takes an ongoing interest in Robert, Ericson,  and Shargar. He decides  to will his money to Robert after his demise, and provides for Shargar-- rightly called George Moray--to be enrolled in grammar school, where he does very well.    When Ericson is better, he and Robert go to visit the Lindsays, and there they meet Lindsay’s daughter Mysie.  Mysie is described as naive, imaginative, and vulnerable.  Later, the Baron of Rothie calls, and Mysie is much impressed by his outer appearance, but fails to perceive his real being. At the end of the school session, Robert and Ericson return to Rothieden, making their way through a storm, catching a ride on a coach, meeting Miss St. John, and spending a night in an abandoned home.    Back in Rothieden, Robert has a series of...

  This week’s reading shows how the various experiences of  Robert’s life–both joyous and painful, all contribute to his spiritual becoming.  After his emotions are exhilarated by his entering Mary St. John’s room and receiving her instructions on the piano, they are  crushed by the horrifying discovery that his grannie had the passage to Mary’s room walled over, so that he no longer could  access those blissful sessions.  Both experiences contribute to his growth. Robert decides  to cast himself upon God in prayer–in his mind the God that his grannie serves..  But his agonizing seems in vain, and he says in his heart that he does not want God to love him if he does not love everybody.  (This is lifted directly from MacDonald’s own experience, for he as a child had made the same declaration.)  Despairing because God does not seem to him to be answering, he decides to visit Double Sandy. He finds the shoemaker suffering from a strok...

 Chapters 17 - 25 In this novel MacDonald is concerned with tracing Robert’s spiritual awakening and slow development as he grows towards maturity.  Foremost is the effect of music upon his sensibilities, as he risks all to retreat secretly to the abandoned factory of his ancestors, there to practice on his violin.  In the early chapters of this week’s reading.  Mary St. John’s benevolent actions  serve to nurture and encourage his development. Next in importance is the effect of nature upon him, arousing within a strong desire for something he knows not what, a desire that can find peace and satisfaction only in a proper relation to God.  At he close of chapter 18 an eloquent passage develops this theme, an important one in MacDonald’s thinking.  There are echoes of Wordsworth here: Strange as it may sound to those who have never thought of such things except in connection with Sundays and Bibles and churches and sermons, that which was now wo...

Betty and Grannie Falkner are utterly astounded to discover Shargar in the upstairs room while he dashes out to his own forsaken hovel.  When Robert is confronted by his grandmother for an explanation, Robert’s honesty together with self-confidence as he reveals the truth subdues her, and she is open to his finding Shagar and bringing him to their home. Mrs Faulkner, moved by Robert’s honesty and benevolence, not only allows Shargar to return to the garret but beckons a tailor and a shoemaker to outfit him in decent clothes.  Shargar finds the sudden change extremely difficult to become accustomed to, but his loyalty to Robert wins out, and he becomes a resident in the Faulkner home.     In Chapter Twelve, MacDonald shows at length the salutary effect that the music of the violin has upon both the shoemaker and Robert.  He concludes in the final paragraph: “Whatever it be that keeps the finer faculties of the mind awake, wonder alive, and the intere...