Goblin Market and Rossetti Essay

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Belen Valverde Professor Moreno English 206 2 March 2015 Interpretations of “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti One strong emotion one cannot control is forbidden desire. If we give in these desires some serious consequences can be faced. In Christina Rossetti’s poem “Goblin Market” tells a story of a forbidden desire. To convey her message about a lesson learn to children, Rossetti’s uses the symbol of a forbidden fruit. The forbidden fruit is interpreter in many different meanings one is religion, drug addiction, and sexuality. It is difficult to find one accurate interpretation from Rossetti’s Goblin Market. Some critics classified “Goblin Market” as Christian allegory. Other critics believe this poem contains sexuality. Although many scholars have not yet found an original theme to Goblin Market, This poem overpasses many possibilities of interpretation in Goblin Market, and opens different readings. Many critics have examined Rossetti’s life after the twenty century in order to unravel “Goblin Market”. Christina Georgina Rossetti was born on December 5, 1830. As a female writer in the 1800’s Christina Rossetti had little freedom to discuss female sexuality. Rossetti was the youngest child after her siblings; Maria Francesca, Gabriel Charles Dante, and William Michael. Rossetti spent time in St Mary Magdalene at Highgate Hill. Rossetti time in Highgate worked with prostitutes, who were housed, taught skills and received an education. Prostitution was an issue faced in Victorian England. According to wordpress.com, “there were 2,000 prostitutes in the city at the time; the Society for the Suppression of Vice considered the number to be about 80,000, a plausible estimate is 70,000 prostitutes in London alone”. There were not high paying jobs for women during this time. Only jobs available for women were; maid, factory worker, or prostitution. Most women worked as prostitutes they earned high salaries. Rossetti’s views of the women role were expressed in her poems. Rossetti was very much devoted into her religion. In fact she was proposed marriage twice, but rejected both due to her incompatible religion beliefs. Despite the debate of identifying Rossetti’s interpretation one thing is certain “Goblin Market” is viewed as a master piece empowering women. Poem “Goblin Market by Christina Georgina Rossetti was written in 1859 but later published in 1862. Goblin Market is one of Christina Rossetti early work. Rossetti described “Goblin Market” in great detail; she provided great imagery, symbols and wordplay. For many years the poem “Goblin Market” was known for the importance of sisterhood. It was intended for children’s poem. In some parts of the poem it seems to be catchy song for children. For example in lines one through four “Morning and evening maids heard the goblins cries of “Come buy our orchard fruits, Come buy, come buy:…Bloom-down-cheeked peaches,/Swart-headed mulberries,/Wild free-born cranberries,” (4-11). Later the poem changed theme due to the erotic exploration of sexual fantasy. You can see the difference in passage “She sucked and sucked the more Fruits which that unknown orchard bore’ She sucked until her lips were sore (lines 134-136). Yet Christina Rossetti insists this was a children poem. The story begins with two sisters, Laura and Lizzie. They lived together were Laura is often taunted by the goblin men. Lizzie is able to resist from the desire of the tantalizing fruits but Laura seems to have trouble. As Laura desire increases she can’t resist anymore and gives in. The goblin men offer her fruit in exchange of her golden hair. Laura agreed and gets herself goblin fruit, and returns home to her sister. Laura gets a taste of the goblin fruit and begins to age. Lizzie runs to the market in efforts to cure her sister. According to analysis Terrence Holt argues “ in trying to save Laura,
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