Did you know that there was a set of rules and expectations maintained concerning the sexuality of women in the Victorian era? During those times, women were looked upon as beings who were not strong compared to men and expected to have no sexual appetite or desire. Whereas men were looked upon as a being, who enjoyed taking advantage of the vulnerability of the women. After a while, there was a huge change in the rules and expectations as the women were looked upon as someone who attracted men for their sexual needs and desires. However, this one thing never changed about the era when chastity was necessary. Especially in the case of women, who were not considered pure were not accepted by society.
Do you want to know more about the Victorian era in which the famous Christina Rossetti wrote the Goblin Market? Or what was the inspiration for the poetess? Worry not; you landed at the right place. Sample Assignment has a team of literature experts who can assist you with Goblin Market analysis. Also, they will help you develop an in-depth understanding of the poem by including the historical context in it.
Rossetti’s Inspiration
There are several proposed ideas behind the inspiration of the poem. One idea was that during the mid of nineteenth century, the poetess started volunteering at St. Mary Magdalene's Penitentiary, a foundation for the women's community considered "fallen women". She connected with several women there who were part of anomalous sexual acts.
Furthermore, another idea concerning the inspiration was that the poetess dedicated the poem to her sister, "To M. F. R."(Initial of Christina Rossetti's sister, Mary). It was said that she assisted her in avoiding eloping with a man who was already married.
What is Goblin Market About?
The poem emphasizes the quest of two sisters, Lizzie and Laura, and their experiences with the goblins disguised as merchants. The poem begins with the cries and calls of the merchants (goblin men) as their focus is to put an impression on the buyers to buy their fruits. Something different about those fruits was sensed by one of the sisters, Lizzie, who felt that they should stay away from them. However, Laura ignored her sister's advice and went to the merchant to buy the fruit in exchange for a lock of her hair.
Once she tasted the fruit, she felt a sudden urge to taste it again. She felt as if she got addicted to the taste of fruit. After having one, she wanted the goblin to give her more fruits. At the same time, Lizzie reflected more strength than Laura and discovered her path to beauty and youth. In the last line of the poem, the nature of sacrificing oneself is contrasted with the lord of the lords, Jesus Christ. In the end, the poem concludes with the poetess indicating to the readers that the two sisters have a happy ending; they began with their married life. By keeping in mind the lessons, they learned in the Goblin Market.
‘Fruit’ as a Symbol
Moreover, the main question comes here, i.e. what is the poetess trying to convey with the fruit as a symbol? The fruit in the poem represents several forms of temptation and desire in the poem. Especially in the case of Laura, the fruit reflects a desire for things that are looked upon as exotic and forbidden.
In the poem, when the goblin presents the golden plate full of fruits to Laura and signifies it by using the sensual tone of language by focusing on its color, juiciness, and taste. It is clearly described in the poem the way she eats the fruit. However, in the beginning, she was quite skeptical about her decision. But not able to resist the temptation. This reflects that fruit is a life for Laura without any boundations. The boundations were made for Victorian-era women.
Hence, if she had the fruit, it shows that she broke the boundations made for a woman to be accepted in society. One can also connect this representation with the bible, where Eve was forbidden to have the fruit in the Garden of Eden. It is looked upon as a sinful act for a woman. In the same way, when her desire for the fruit grows, that shows how she starts giving herself into the temptation. And her behavior strips her innocence and leads her to get aged and weakened. If you want to learn more about the Christina Rossetti Goblin Market, our experts can assist you with the same.
Literary Devices
The poetess uses several literary devices in the poem, such as alliteration, enjambment, imagery, and Anaphora.
- Anaphora is a form of repetition in which the same words or words are used at the beginning of the poem. In Goblin Market, in the fourth stanza, there was a use of "like". And in stanza five, there is a repetition of the word "one."
- Enjambment is one of the necessary formal devices used by the poet when they cut off a line before the end of a phrase or sentence. For instance, the conversion between the first and third lines of the eighth paragraph and the seventh and sixth of the tenth paragraph.
- An alliteration is also a form of repetition in which the consonant sound repeats at the beginning of a stanza. For instance, the phrase "goblin" and "glen" at the beginning of the fifth paragraph.
- In Goblin Market, the use of imagery can be seen in lines such as The whisk-tail’d merchant bade her taste in the fifth paragraph.
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