2:1 Goblin Market

  Christina Rossetti was born Dec.5. 1830 in London with both of her parents and siblings. She was home schooled by her mother. In the 1840s, her family faced severe financial difficulties due to the deterioration of her father's physical and mental health. When she was 14, Rossetti suffered a nervous breakdown and left school. She feel into great depression and related illness followed. During this period she, her mother, and her sister became deeply interested in the Anglo-Catholic movement that developed in the Church of England. She started writing poems at the age of 7 and is recognized most by her poem " Goblin Market". There are many different interpretations for this poem. Some say since it was written after Rossetti worked with girls who used to be former prostitute maybe the poem had to do with the fallen grace of women. Well others argued it dealt with sin, redemption, and temptation. 


    "Goblin Market" was about two sisters Lizzie & Laura who was traveling one day into town when they got approached buy goblins and other creatures who where trying to convince the girls to buy their fruits. Lizzie declined multiply times while her sister Laura gave into the temptation.She even gave the goblins a lock of her hair to purchase the forbidden fruit. Weeks Laura lusted and desired for the fruit but couldn't get it. In result of this she started to slowly die. Lizzie could not see her sister sufferer so much, so she decided to go face the weird creatures. They tried everything to get Lizzie to eat the fruit but she refused again. So they beat her and mocked her horribly but in the end she saved her sister's life. 


    There are numerous symbols in the poem " Goblin Market" the most important ones being the fruit, and sisterhood,. Obviously there are lines and lines about fruit. One could tell the fruit represent the lost of innocent, rebelling against what is implied as right, and lust. Example being in lines 2-5 "Maids heard the goblins cry:"Come buy our orchard fruits,Come buy, come buy:Apples and quinces,Lemons and oranges,". You can almost hear the lust and desperation in their voices as they try to sell their fruits. Also in line 408-417  " White and golden Lizzie stood, Like a lily in a flood,-- Like a rock of blue-vein'd stone
 Lash'd by tides obstreperously,-- Like a beacon left alone In a hoary roaring sea, Sending up a golden fire,-- Like a fruit-crown'd orange-tree White with blossoms honey-sweet Sore beset by wasp and bee,--" Lizzie being reference to a lily in a flood its saying something so innocent sounded by so much confusion. Also like a  fruit crown-d orange tree sore beset by wasp and bee you can see how this could be taken as sexually behave. Like the goblins are covering or all over her body. Sisterhood i believe was to taken the position that Lizzie did the opposite of Adam and the story of "Adam&Eve" unlike Adam Lizzie wasn't persuaded by her sister to eat the forbidden fruit. She was strong enough to resistant temptation. I believe that Rossetti did this to also redeem woman. According to the story of " Adam&Eve" it was Eve's fault mostly for making them fall from the grace of God. So by using Lizzie to represent a smart Eve and a stronger Adam is amazing. 

    The archetypes that i believe is in this poem is the hero which is Lizzie because she comes to the rescue to save her sister from the "bad guys". Laura archetype is the virgin turned whore because her innocences was stolen by the goblins. The goblins archetype is the devil/demon because they represent the negative side of a community or the people who no one wants to come into connect with. 

    In my opinion this poem is a duplicate story of "Adam&Eve" but its the ending that people hoped for in the original story. Just about two sisters who were tempted and one sister gave into it well the other didn't. Story about temptation, and ones strength to resist temptation.




http://plexipages.com/reflections/goblin.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Rossetti