"Goblin Market"

Word Count: 301

"Goblin Market" by Christina Rossetti

"'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.'" (Rossetti)

    This quotation creates the final lines of the poem and it depicts the moral behind this work. Throughout the poem, the narrator repeatedly reminds the audience of Lizzie and Laura's love and loyalty for one another as sisters. Their bond was so strong that when Lizzie witnessed Laura deteriorating from eating the fruit from the goblins, she faces the goblins herself. Luckily, she came out of the situation unscathed and saved her sister, but she knew that she might end up like her sister. The story of Jeanie's life and death scare both the sisters enough to know how dire Laura's situation is and motivate Lizzie to risk her own health to save her sister. 

    This poem also contains many allusions to other works. The entire work reminds one of Adam and Eve. In "Goblin Market," the goblins are the serpent and Laura is Eve. While the stories end differently, they both revolve around the idea of forbidden fruit. Another allusion can be found when the goblins suggest Laura pay for the fruit with a lock of hair. This relays back to many fairy tales such as Goldilocks and Rapunzel for their notoriously golden hair. This situation relates more to Rapunzel because she puts her hair to use. Along with these fairy tales, the use of the fruit for evil connects to the story of Snow White and the Queen poisoning her with the apple. 

    Along with these allusions, Rossetti also uses the poem to make social commentary. When Lizzie is being attacked by the goblins, the narrator states that she is a virgin who will not be intimate with a man before marriage. This relation is a remark about how women must defend themselves against any situations that might make them impure, and, in turn, lessen their chances of marrying. 

Rossetti, Christina. “Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44996/goblin-market.

Comments

  1. Julianna HigginsFebruary 21, 2021 at 6:44 PM

    I really liked the points you focused on for this story. The love between Lizzie and Laura was clearly unwaveringly shown through their actions. Your comparison between Adam and Eve is very relatable, however, one thing I hadn't thought of before was how Rossetti used this piece in reference to other works, such as fairy tales.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kristen SassoFebruary 26, 2021 at 8:12 AM

    I agree that Lizzie and Laura's bond with one another was very strong and powerful. Throughout the story it showed that they would do anything for each other, and didn't show hesitation when they needed to. I also liked the connection you made to Goldilocks and Rapunzel, this connection gave a relatable perspective by it also being placed in other movies and books.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mrs. Dalloway

 Word Count: 279 Mrs. Dalloway      I chose the scene when Pete and Clarissa are arguing about their future. Clarissa has chosen not to marry Peter, but instead marry Richard Dalloway. She feels safe with Richard, and he does not have the same extravagant expectations for Clarissa like Peter does. Peter wants her to do more with her life than stay at home and be a mother and wife, but that is not what she wants. This is a direct contrast from the other novels we have read. In these other novels, women want to marry for love and do more with their lives than stay at home. We explicitly see this in The Awakening  by Kate Chopin. In The Awakening , Edna yearns for a life more than what she has been given. We also see the older Mrs. Dalloway contemplate on this point. She wonders if she made the correct decisions when she was younger. This contemplation is very interesting, because she was given other options when she was young, and other young women of the time were not.      I think this
Read more

Silas Marner Part 2

Word Count: 280 Silas Marner  by George Eliot  "The vindication of the loved object is the best balm affection can find words for its wounds: - 'A man must have so much on his mind,' is the belief by which a wife often supports a cheerful face under rough answers and unfeeling words" (Eliot, 135).     This quotation expresses Nancy's thoughts when she soothes herself. It seems that many wives during this time live under the impression that their husbands must always be correct, and any problem that arises is the fault of the woman. While this might not have been true, it is the impression Eliot creates throughout this novel when depicting traditional marriage. The only woman who crosses her husband was Molly, and she dies while trying to expose her unconventional and secret marriage. This directly demonstrates the consequences a woman suffers once defying her husband.      Nancy experiences extreme guilt about her lack of siring a child for her husband. For both N
Read more

"Eve's Apology in Defense of Women"

 Word Count: 259 "Eve's Apology in Defense of Women" by Aemilia Lanyer "And then to lay the fault on Patience' back, / That we (poor women) must endure it all;" "If Eve did err, it was for knowledge' sake, / The fruit being fair persuaded him to fall:" (Lanyer)     These quotations from the second stanza of the poem depict Lanyer's feelings about the story of Adam and Eve. Many blame Eve for the fall of man, but Lanyer argues that she is not the one to condemn. The second quotation explains why Eve took to fruit: she wanted to have the knowledge which the serpent told her was vital, while Adam ate because the fruit was "fair."  The first quotation exemplifies the hardships women still must endure because so many misinterpret the tale.      Lanyer's reasoning in this poem aligns with the current feminist movement, which was probably very controversial at the time of her writing this. This begs the question: why did she write th
Read more