when mary lennox was born,no one really wanted her.Her father worked for the british goverment in india and had no time for raising a child.Mary`s beutiful mother hadn`t wanted a little girl at all;she cared only about going to parties ,so their sickly,fretful baby was handed over to an ayah-an indian nanny.marys ayah knew that the babys crying made her mother angry ,so to keep mary quiet ,she let her have her own way in everything mary grew up as selfish a child as had ever lived.