The theme of obsession and addiction is evident throughout Christina Rossetti’s poem, Goblin Market. Goblin Market can be interpreted as a storyline unfolding the symptoms, signs, treatment, and the overall dangers of drug addiction. From the beginning lines, the goblins are identified as drug dealing creatures. Rossetti creates a drug-dealing setting where the male creatures are the sellers, and the young unmarried women are the customers. The robotic crying of the goblins, ‘Come buy, come buy’ oddly enough allows them to be manipulative and successful entrepreneurs. The goblins tempt the women into buying their perfect fruits all day long; morning and evening as described by Rossetti. Conjunctionally, these rare fruits symbolize illicit
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Lizzie’s great fear of the harm the juices of the fruits could bring allowed her to resist, but Laura’s curiosity and low-resistance caused her to dismiss the dangers of the fruit. This enabled Laura to experience the pleasure and satisfaction of such magical fruits. Rossetti vividly describes Laura’s first taste of the forbidden fruits:
Then sucked their fruit globes fair and red.
Sweeter than man-rejoicing wine,
Clearer than water flowed that juice;
She never tasted such before. (lines 128-131)
Rossetti’s vivid description of Laura’s first taste of the juices emphasizes the sheer pleasure and bliss Laura experiences as she willingly devoured the forbidden fruits. The taste of the fruits allows Laura to experience an intense high, an effect similar to the consumption of a drug. Once full, Laura leaves the glen in awe by the great pleasures of the fruits, however; the large dose of sweet juices also leaves her in a state of confusion, an effect comparable to the overdose of drugs. Laura’s craving for the goblin’s fruit is similar to that of an addict, she grows weak due to her inability to be completely satisfied. Rossetti describes Laura’s obsession as: I ate and ate my fill,
Yet my mouth waters still;
Tomorrow night I
Lizzie’s great fear of the harm the juices of the fruits could bring allowed her to resist, but Laura’s curiosity and low-resistance caused her to dismiss the dangers of the fruit. This enabled Laura to experience the pleasure and satisfaction of such magical fruits. Rossetti vividly describes Laura’s first taste of the forbidden fruits:
Then sucked their fruit globes fair and red.
Sweeter than man-rejoicing wine,
Clearer than water flowed that juice;
She never tasted such before. (lines 128-131)
Rossetti’s vivid description of Laura’s first taste of the juices emphasizes the sheer pleasure and bliss Laura experiences as she willingly devoured the forbidden fruits. The taste of the fruits allows Laura to experience an intense high, an effect similar to the consumption of a drug. Once full, Laura leaves the glen in awe by the great pleasures of the fruits, however; the large dose of sweet juices also leaves her in a state of confusion, an effect comparable to the overdose of drugs. Laura’s craving for the goblin’s fruit is similar to that of an addict, she grows weak due to her inability to be completely satisfied. Rossetti describes Laura’s obsession as: I ate and ate my fill,
Yet my mouth waters still;
Tomorrow night I