“Goblin Market” is a poem written by Christina Rossetti and it was published in 1862. The poem is about two sister Laura and Lizzie. They hear the sounds of the goblin fruit market from their house. At the beginning they try to ignore tempting calls of the goblin men, but later on Laura gives in and goes to the market to see what is going on. Lizzie tells her not to but Laura doesn’t listen to her, so she goes to the market and goblin men offer her fruit. Laura wants to take delicious fruit but tells the goblin men that she doesn’t have the money. But the goblin men say that she can pay for the fruit with a piece of her golden curl. Laura clips a precious golden lock and eats the tasty fruit and goes home. Soon after Laura started feeling differently, she wasn’t herself anymore, she was slowly dying. Her sister Lizzie began to worry about her because her friend Jenny died after eating the same fruit. So Lizzie puts a silver penny in her purse and goes to the market to meet the goblin men. She tries to buy the fruits “Give me much and many—Held out her apron, Tossed them her penny” But Goblins tell her to sit down, to honor and eat with them. Lizzie thanks them and says that she has to go home because someone waiting for her at home alone and she ask for silver her penny back. After that goblins turned mean, they were not nice anymore they started calling her names and turned evil. They grabbed her and squeezed their fruits against her mouth to make her eat. But Lizzie stood still she kept her mouth closed and only got the juice all over her face and neck “One may lead a horse to water, Twenty cannot make him drink” Eventually, goblins were tired of her resistance they threw her silver penny at her and kicked her out. Lizzie ran back home to Laura. She told her sister not to mind her bruises and asked her, kiss her, and suck her juices squeezed from goblin fruits for her “Eat me, drink me, love me”. Laura licked the juices of Lizzie and miraculously healed. Years later, after they both were wives with children of their own, Laura would call her kids and tell them that story and the importance of sister love.
I think there are many ways to interpret this poem. But I would like to focus on one that “Goblin Market” has a religious approach. I see goblins fruit as forbidden fruit because from the beginning Rossetti describes how morning and evening maids heard the goblins cry; “ Come buy our orchard fruits, Come buy, come buy” then she describes how delicious the fruits are. She makes it sound very tempting. Laura says “ We must not look at goblin men, We must not buy their fruits” to me it sounds like they are so tempted to try the fruits that they are trying to calm themselves down “No”, said Lizzie, no, no, no; Their offers should not charm us. Their evil gifts would harm us.” And yet Laura couldn’t resist the forbidden fruit, she ate the fruit which as she describes to be “Sweeter than honey from the rock, Stronger than man-rejoicing wine, Clearer than water flowed that juice; She never tasted such before.” After she ate the fruit she begins to waste away. Lizzie I see as a Christ figure, she is Lauras savior. Lizzie seems to be the mature one from the beginning “Oh,” cried Lizzie, “Laura, Laura, You should not peep at goblin men.” She is the stronger one and she could resist the temptation. After Laura fell into trap and started slowly dying Lizzie had to go to the goblin man and endure all the pain and humiliation in order to save her sister from death. Lizzie ends up saving Laura from certain death and they live happily ever after.
This is a wonderful analysis Aliya. I think you did a great job summarizing a somewhat complicated poem and breaking it down to simple, easily comprehensible parts.
I particularly enjoyed reading your personal interpretation. Like yourself, I also think that Goblin Market has a lot to do with religion. Reading this poem made me think of the story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, where Eve, despite what she was told and her better judgement, succumbs to the temptation of the forbidden fruit just like Laura did in the Goblin Market.
In addition, I found it quite strange that there was very little mention of males in this poem, it was predominantly females (until they got married at the very end). The only males were the Goblin Men, who were projected in a very negative manner, as being evil, deceitful, tempting and barbaric. This made me realize that this poem had a strong theme relating to Feminism. It projects a negative lights on males and show how females have the power to overcome the tyranny of men.
-Gavin
I think this blog post (Sorry, but I don’t find the writer’s name) summarizes Christina Rossetti’s famous poem Goblin Market very accurately. The poet presents a fantasy story about how two sisters deal with the goblin merchants’ temptation. In the first stanza, Rossetti uses a long quotation showed how the goblins vended their fruits in details. Plenty types of fruits not only attracts Laura’s attention, but also captures the imagination of readers. I really enjoy reading Rossetti’s poem this time, since her diction creates a vivid picture of the story.
While I read this poem at first, I could not conjecture what this poem expresses. I guessed it might narrate temptation and self-control when I read Laura was caught by the orchard fruits and agreed to pay the goblins with a golden curl, but Lizzie kept warning her very rationally. It also could mean the fallen human nature and salvation, since Laura “dwindling, / Seemed knocking at Death’s door” and Lizzie decided to “listen and look” at those goblins “for the first time in her life”. However, I believed Rossetti emphasized the affection of sisters in her Goblin Market until I felt the emotional climate in Laura’s last representation at the end of the poem,
“For there is no friend like a sister,
In calm or stormy weather,
To cheer one on the tedious way,
To fetch one if one goes astray,
To lift one if one totters down,
To strengthen whilst one stands.”
Gavin, I quite agree your point of the “predominately females” in Rossetti’s poem. I think it can be explained with the poet’s background. According to my research, Rossetti lived in the Victorian era, when prostitution became a big issue in British society. As a female poet who focuses on gender issue mostly, Rossetti had volunteered at a refuge for prostitutes. I think the poet designates the male goblins as evils that always tempt innocent maids, accuses the evil nature of prostitution and implies her sympathy on the fallen women as well.
-LuLu
I also agree with you Aliya that this poem has a religious approach. I think it has to do more with sin and Christina Rossetti uses symbolism to portrait this concept. I think Laura symbolizes a sinner. The fruits are described are “luscious” and I think that’s a representation of how sin might seemed at first. Sin could be, while its being committed, “sweeter than honey from the rock,/ stronger than man-rejoicing wine,/ clearer than water than water flow’d that juice;” which is how Laura feels when she tastes the forbidden fruits. But the pleasure received from a sin is only temporary, just as Laura’s momentary pleasure from eating the fruits. The poem continues showing the difference of a person who hasn’t sinned, Lizzie, and a person who was weak and couldn’t restrain the desire for sin, Laura. While Lizzie is “with an open heart… content… warbling for the mere bright day’s delight”, Laura is “in an absent dream … sick in part…longing for the night.”
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