Goblin Market poem

Goblin Market poem

In her poem ‘Goblin Market,’ Christina Rossetti uses enjambment, symbolism, and run-on lines to create a poem that is intriguing and enchanting. The open-ended rhythm mirrors the unending dilemma that the two sisters: Lizzie and Laura, face in a seemingly patriarchal society. In a continuous state of anticipation, Lizzie and Laura display traits of obedience and rebellion as Christina keeps her readers in suspense.

Laura is attracted to the goblin fruits, and she occasionally tastes them as a symbolic gesture of love. Christina reports how Laura eats the fruits to her satisfaction until her mouth waters. (lines 25- 28). This indicates obedience since Laura is willing to wait until harvest to eat the goblin fruits. In a male-oriented society, the goblin fruits represented the rules governing women. In this case, women were subject to the rules and regulations set forth by the men. Laura’s sister Lizzie disliked the laws and regulations established, and she shows her dislike by not eating the goblin fruits. Her character can thus be termed as rebellious since she maintains a rational stand considering the rules set. As such, these actions of Laura and her sister can be interpreted as showing rebelliousness and obedience as well.

Some of the goblin fruits like apples, melons, apricots, strawberries, and oranges harmed Laura.  In the beginning, Laura is passionate about the fruits, but her sister Lizzie is reported to lose her appetite when she sees them. This can also be interpreted as rebelliousness towards the goblins’ fruits and what they represented. The innocuous fruits represented the comfort and security that the men in the society offered to attract the women. At one point, the goblins force the fruits into Laura’s sister Lizzie’s mouth, which represented the effort by men in the society to silence the women in lines 200-220.  However, Lizzie had resolved to remain firm and assertive despite being enticed by men. This indicates a form of rebelliousness.

Through rejecting what the goblins offered, Lizzie found a sense of identity and personality too. Her resolve meant that she was successful in rejecting the temporary glamorous items that men offered. This can also be interpreted as obedience towards the values that the parents taught the sisters. More importantly, traits of obedience and rebelliousness helped build a strong relationship between them as well as restoring the health of Laura after she had been affected by goblin fruits. In essence, their rebelliousness indicated the eventual triumph of women over men.

Within the poem, Rossetti redefines and subverts the definition of a ‘woman’ through the characters of Lizzie and Laura. She describes Laura as passive, emotional, timid, and submissive thus was more obedient to the rules and regulations set by the goblins. Lizzie, on the other hand, is described as intellectual, impervious to external pressure, and brave (Lines 95-115). In this case, the goblins represented the norms that are forced on weaker sexes like women and children. However, the strong personalities of Laura and Lizzie indicate the ability of women to combat strong and gender-sensitive norms set in a patriarchal society. As such, the behavior and choice to reject the goblin fruits showed the willingness of women to fight oppression.

To conclude, Rossetti presents Laura as a fallen woman who succumbs to temptations set by men while Lizzie rejects them. In this case, Laura was obedient while Laura was rebellious against the ‘fruits’ offered by the goblins. The fruits are symbolic of the temptations offered by men in a patriarchal society. All in all, the characters of the two sisters represent the behavior witnessed in modern society and thus can act as a guide that empowers women.

Works Cited

Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for Christina Rossetti’s” Goblin Market.” Gale, Cengage Learning, 2016.

Khuong, Luu Quy, and Tran Tin Nghi. “An Investigation into Chafe’s Six Semantic Configurations Through the Poem “Echo” by Christina Rossetti.” International Journal of Language and Linguistics 6.2 (2018): 31.

Rossetti, Christina. “Goblin Market.” Poetry Foundation. www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44996/goblin-market. Accessed February 10, 2020.