The Night Gardener

Molly is one of the protagonists whose point of view portrays many of the events in The Night Gardener. Following the deaths of her parents as the story opens, Molly hides her fears and insecurities from her brother by telling stories that paint the world in a more optimistic way and make her feel brave. Although she doesn’t admit it to herself or to anyone else until the end of the book, Molly knows that her stories to Kip depicting their parents as alive and well are no better than outright lies, but she is able to ignore this by believing that “[t]elling stories [is] one of the things she herself [does] best” (19) and therefore justifying her lies as being well-told tales. Molly’s character arc focuses on her journey toward accepting how her life has changed. Accordingly, helping the Windsors allows her to grow and come to terms with what she no longer has. In particular, her relationship with Penny helps her to realize that even well-intended lies can do harm. By comparing Penny’s and Kip’s reactions to stories throughout the novel, Molly comes to realize the difference between a story and a lie.

Molly tells stories throughout the book, showing off her well-developed imagination and her knack for getting others to listen to her.