There is a strong sense of truth to Katja Brandt’s statement that Christina Rossetti uses the women in her poem, “Goblin Market”, to act as spiritual guides rather than a subservient female characters. Instead of making her female characters into passive figures, like many authors did at the time of the poem’s publication, Rossetti makes her characters into transmitters of a higher truth. Brandt accurately identifies that the female characters in “Goblin Market” act as religious interpreters. Lizzie herself acts as an “agent of religious devotion” when she sets out to save her sister from the terrible fate Laura’s disobedience causes her. When Laura becomes sick Lizzie goes to the goblin market to retrieve the fruit that corrupted and poisoned
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Lizzie is the one to forbid her sister from eating the fruit of the goblins and constantly cautions her to avoid the temptation of the goblin market. This is similar to how God cautions Eve from eating the forbidden fruit. Lizzie also sacrifices her innocence and purity when she is attacked and raped by the goblins as they try to force feed her the fruit.This unwilling loss of innocence implies that the reason as to why the fruit has no effect on Lizzie is because her innocence was forcibly taken from her whereas the innocence of Laura and Eve was willingly given. It is implied that the other major religious theme in the poem is temptation. “Laura stretched her gleaming neck/ Like a rush-imbedded swan, / Like a lily from the beck…” (81-83), implies that Laura is experiencing sexual desire and by eating the fruit she gives into her desires which can be seen when she says that her restraints are gone. However Lizzie refuses to give into the temptation and, although she is punished for it, keeps her innocence. Sexual temptation has always played a large part in religion. In most religions premarital sex, and thus a loss of innocence before marriage, is considered a sin. Throught history a woman was supposed to remain ‘pure’ before her marraige. When Laura willingly gives away her innocence she gives into her sexual desires whereas Lizzie does
Lizzie is the one to forbid her sister from eating the fruit of the goblins and constantly cautions her to avoid the temptation of the goblin market. This is similar to how God cautions Eve from eating the forbidden fruit. Lizzie also sacrifices her innocence and purity when she is attacked and raped by the goblins as they try to force feed her the fruit.This unwilling loss of innocence implies that the reason as to why the fruit has no effect on Lizzie is because her innocence was forcibly taken from her whereas the innocence of Laura and Eve was willingly given. It is implied that the other major religious theme in the poem is temptation. “Laura stretched her gleaming neck/ Like a rush-imbedded swan, / Like a lily from the beck…” (81-83), implies that Laura is experiencing sexual desire and by eating the fruit she gives into her desires which can be seen when she says that her restraints are gone. However Lizzie refuses to give into the temptation and, although she is punished for it, keeps her innocence. Sexual temptation has always played a large part in religion. In most religions premarital sex, and thus a loss of innocence before marriage, is considered a sin. Throught history a woman was supposed to remain ‘pure’ before her marraige. When Laura willingly gives away her innocence she gives into her sexual desires whereas Lizzie does