Take a moment and consider the list of fruits the goblins profess to sell:Īpples, quinces, lemons, oranges, cherries, melons, raspberries, peaches, mulberries, cranberries, crab-apples, dewberries, pine-apples, blackberries, apricots, strawberries, grapes, pomegranates, dates, bullaces, pears, greengages, damsons, bilberries, currants, gooseberries, barberries, figs, and citrons. Stern points out, few critics consider the fruit simply as food. From Goblin Market (1933) illustrated by Arthur RackhamĮach of these interpretations depends heavily on the poem’s tongue-twisting first stanza, in which the titular goblins cry out the names of twenty-nine different fruits available for purchase. Critics cite the poem’s references to Eden and the forbidden fruit, its apparent sympathy for “fallen women” (since, miraculously, Laura makes it out of the poem alive!), and the homoerotic undertones of the two sisters’ relationship. “Goblin Market” has been read allegorically by countless scholars, particularly in terms of gender and sexuality. Through Lizzie’s intervention, however (and, ironically, another taste of the goblins’ fruit), Laura regains her health, youth, and beauty. When Laura succumbs to temptation and trades a lock of her hair for a taste of the fruit “sweeter than honey from the rock,” she falls mortally ill (Rossetti 129). This suggests that giving up one’s purity for the sake of temptation or pleasure is not worth the risk.By Cailin Roles (MA ’19), Department of English, Kansas State UniversityĬhristina Rossetti’s 1862 poem “Goblin Market” tells the story of Laura and Lizzie, two young unmarried sisters who are tempted day and night by the cries of goblin fruit merchants.

Laura trades a part of her body to indulge in forbidden fruit, and after doing so, she suffers as a direct result of her actions. As a result, Laura is nourished and given new life.ĭangers of Sacrificing Chastity: Another theme is the relationship between sacrificing a part of the self to indulge in pleasure. When Lizzie returns and invites Laura to taste the fruit on her body, this alludes to the same communion ritual that Jesus takes part in with his disciples.

Spiritual Love as Nourishment: Similar to the theme of the redemptive power of love, this theme reveals the parallel between Lizzie and the biblical Jesus Christ. Despite the dangers of the goblin market, Lizzie risks everything in order to save Laura from a life of suffering because of the love she has for her sister. Redemptive Power of Love: The main theme in the text focuses on how Laura’s redemption is facilitated through Lizzie’s sacrifice.

The goblin market